Why best-of-breed e-commerce outperforms all-in-one platforms

Highlights

You’ll learn about the benefits of a best-of-breed solution:

• Flexibility: Integrate the latest tools that meet your business needs
• Scalability: Easily add or upgrade components as your online store grows
• Cost efficiency: Pay only for the functionalities you use
• User experience: Enhance customer journeys with seamless, advanced features
• Vendor independence: Helps you avoid vendor lock-in and allows you to switch tools

If you’re looking to enhance customer experiences and future-proof your strategy, use best-of-breed e-commerce

Keep reading to learn more!

In 1969, NASA sent astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon on the Apollo 11 mission. They all had a unique specialty, creating a team that fulfilled the first-ever space mission.

When creating your tech stack, having expertise in different technologies helps you deliver never-before experiences. That’s where the concept of best-of-breed e-commerce comes in. Instead of selecting any tool or technology, you assemble a set of different software, each with excellence in a specific function (like NASA did). Selecting the right tools increases your revenue, enhances customer experience and lowers overhead costs. 

But many e-commerce stores remain reserved about embracing the best-of-breed technology. Read ahead to learn what best-of-breed e-commerce is, why it's effective and how it differs from an all-in-one platform. 

What is best-of-breed e-commerce?

The best-of-breed e-commerce entails selecting the most effective software module from various vendors to establish a highly competitive, optimal e-commerce environment. This approach allows you to create a set of tools tweaked to the specific need instead of receiving pre-packaged tools. So, if you need a payment processing system, you do not need to pay for the inventory management tool or vice-versa. You only pay for the functionalities you use. 

The best-of-breed ecommerce lets you pick the tools best suited to your field. But what’s the need for handpicked tools when you have all-in-one e-commerce solutions?

Have you ever seen a real estate builder use a pocket-sized tool to construct new houses or an artist using a small paintbrush to paint a large wall? This is the challenge that best-of-breed solutions solve—it allows you to create a set of exact tools your business needs. 

When you choose the best from the lot, you create an e-commerce setup that fits your business-specific needs. 

Benefits of best-of-breed technology

Enhances flexibility and scalability

Traditional e-commerce platforms snatch the flexibility from your business. While best-of-breed technology helps you mix and match different tools based on your requirements. You’re no longer limited to a pre-packaged solution. Why? You create a technology stack tailored to your business's unique workflows. 

Improves user experience

Best-of-breed technology creates superior customer experiences, giving you a competitive edge. As a result, custom e-commerce platforms, like headless commerce platforms, create personalized and seamless shopping experiences.

With these platforms, you customize the features to suit your customer's needs. Applying tech trends and integration makes the customer’s shopping journey more captivating and friendly, developing loyalty.

Reduces vendor lock-in

The best-of-breed approach lowers the risk of vendor lock-in. With traditional all-in-one platforms, you’re stuck with one provider. Switching to a better solution or adding new features is challenging.

On the flip side, best-of-breed systems are like a set of LEGO bricks. Each piece is independent but can easily connect with others. This means you can swap out or upgrade parts of your e-commerce setup without overhauling the entire system. For example, if you find a new payment processor offering better rates, you can plug it into your existing system. 

When you aren't locked with a single vendor, you explore new ideas and negotiate better deals, improving business efficiency and reducing costs.

Saves cost

When you invest in a specific technology, you pay for only the functionalities you use. You no longer spend unnecessarily on technologies and tools you don’t use. Also, if one vendor increases the price of a tool, you can switch to another vendor hassle-free.

Integration capabilities

The increasing use of application programming interfaces (APIs) makes integrating different software and hardware easy. This development allows businesses to use best-of-breed technologies that work together, building a cohesive IT system.

For example, a business might use Contentstack for its online store, QuickBooks for accounting and Mailchimp for email marketing. Due to APIs, these platforms can communicate with each other. Orders placed on Contentstack can automatically update inventory, while customer purchase information can deliver personalized email campaigns in Mailchimp.

Best-of-breed ecommerce vs all-in-one ecommerce solutions

How does Contentstack’s composable commerce help with e-commerce?

Contentstack's composable architecture offers a flexible and scalable solution for e-commerce. Using Contenstack, you create personalized and engaging customer experiences because you use best-of-breed tools and technologies. Its headless content management system (CMS) design allows you to manage content across multiple channels, ensuring your brand message stays consistent.

For example, Contentstack's API-first approach makes it easy to integrate functions like inventory management, payment processing and CRM systems. Plus, features like real-time content updates and in-depth analytics help you make informed decisions.

Case study: How did 1-800-FLOWERS use Contentstack for improved e-commerce operations?

1-800-FLOWERS switched to Contentstack’s composable commerce to make their online store scalable, add consistency and increase engagement across multiple brands. The shift to best-of-breed e-commerce addresses challenges from their previous channel-specific solution, improving business operations and ensuring faster brand launches. The key benefits of using a best-of-breed approach include improved platform stability, marketing autonomy for teams to update content independently and brand consistency. 

After using Contentstack, Matt McHale, Senior Vice President, Application Development at 1-800-FLOWERS, said:

“By leveraging template stacks and predefined content models, the ease with which we can add new brands has become a significant factor in our scalability. Contentstack helps provide the foundation we need to scale efficiently, enabling us to manage multiple brands effectively and continue delivering high-quality experiences to our customers as we grow. It was a big shift for everyone, but we haven’t looked bac.”

Read the complete case study here.

How to choose the best-of-breed e-commerce platforms

With so many e-commerce platforms out there, choosing one best-of-breed platform is challenging. Here’s what you need to consider when selecting a vendor:

Know your needs

Identify the business requirements, needs and pain points you want to solve. Determine which tools are essential for your operations and what features/functions you need to shortlist potential vendors. 

For instance, an e-commerce store with a high volume of international sales may need advanced headless commerce with translation capabilities and multilingual support. Knowing these specifics narrow down platforms that cater to your needs.

Research the vendors

Once you know what you need, research vendors specializing in those areas. Read their customer reviews, functionalities, case studies and track record to understand their capabilities and reputation. 

Evaluate integration capabilities

You waste time and effort if the selected tools don’t integrate with your chosen e-commerce platform. So, ensure the tools have strong APIs and enjoy a strong integration history with other third-party vendors. The best way to evaluate integration capabilities is by prioritizing MACH-certified vendors like Contentstack. 

For instance, Contentstack offers integration capabilities with Shopify, Google Analytics, Bynder, Brandfolder, Dynamic Yield and many others. You can explore Contentstack’s marketplace to learn about more such tools. 

Consider the future growth

Ensure your tools meet your existing and future needs. Using headless commerce, you add or remove tools as necessary. Look for headless solutions to give you more control over your front-end experience. Plus, going for modular e-commerce platforms makes scaling and customizing easier, helping you stay adaptable as things change.

Assess ease of use

Ease of use is a critical success factor in evaluating the suitability of the best-of-breed e-commerce solutions. So, if the selected headless commerce is complicated and challenging, it is better not to include it, even when it provides the most modern features. Select solutions that are easily manageable and would not need extensive training.

FAQs

What is an example of best-of-breed?

An example of best-of-breed is using Contentstack as your headless commerce. The tool is flexible and scalable, helping you grow your business.

What is a best-of-breed platform?

A best-of-breed platform consists of selected software components from multiple vendors, each excelling in its specific function. This results in an efficient and customized e-commerce ecosystem.

What is the difference between best-of-breed and best-of-suite?

Best-of-breed helps you select tools from various vendors. At the same time, best-of-suite (all-in-one) involves using a single vendor's suite of tools, which may not be the best in every category but offers simplicity in integration and management.

Learn more

Selecting appropriate technology depends on one’s preferences and the needs of customers or the business. As a result, you receive customized, adaptable and efficient technologies combined with specific vendors to build IT solutions for your needs, giving you competitive advantages.

Therefore, why should you settle for an all-in-one platform? To understand why Contentstack is the perfect fit for your online store, talk to us.