Why Focused vs. Broad Service Providers
When it comes to choosing a B2B tech partner, especially in the realm of eCommerce software, one crucial decision stands out:
Do you go with a provider that focuses on a specialized service with specialized skills or a jack-of-all-trades offering a broad array of services?
Having spent years in the trenches embedding an eCommerce solution into Microsoft Dynamics 365 NAV/Business Central ERP and all its versions, I’ve seen firsthand how this choice can shape the trajectory of a business.
Today, I want to unpack these two types of service providers and explain why, in my experience, focused providers often bring more value to the table.
Understanding Broad vs. Focused Service Providers
Let’s start with definitions.
Broad service providers are like department stores. They offer a wide range of services - everything from CRM and ERP systems to eCommerce, B2B, B2C, analytics, and cloud hosting.
Their pitch is that they’re a one-stop shop, capable of handling your entire tech stack under one roof.
Focused service providers are more like boutique shops. They specialize in one area, like B2B eCommerce software, and pour all their resources, expertise, and innovation into excelling in that specific domain.
Market Growth and Scalability: The global B2B eCommerce market is projected to reach $36.16 trillion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5%. This rapid growth underscores the importance of scalable solutions that specialized providers can offer. SELLERSCOMMERCE.COM
Scenario 1: Large eCommerce Platform vs. Focused ERP-Integrated Solution
Imagine you are an established retail brand looking to expand your online presence while ensuring seamless integration with your existing ERP system.
Broad Service Approach: You choose a well-known eCommerce platform like Shopify or Magento, expecting it to handle everything.
While the platform offers a wide range of features, integrating it with your ERP system proves difficult.
You encounter syncing issues with inventory, orders, customer data, and limited pricing options, all leading to inefficiencies and increased manual work.
Focused Service Approach: You opt for a specialized eCommerce solution built for extensive ERP integration, such as one tailored for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
This approach ensures real-time data synchronization, automated workflows, and seamless scalability.
The result? A streamlined operation that enhances productivity and customer satisfaction.
Scenario 2: Scaling eCommerce with an ERP-Optimized Platform
Your eCommerce business is experiencing rapid growth, and you need a solution that can scale efficiently while keeping operations tightly integrated with your ERP.
Broad Service Approach: A generalist agency helps you implement a standard eCommerce platform with limited ERP connectivity. Over time, as your business grows, the lack of integration results in inaccurate inventory management, delayed order processing, and customer service bottlenecks.
Focused Service Approach: You partner with an expert in ERP-integrated eCommerce solutions, ensuring your platform is designed to work harmoniously with your existing system. This integration enables real-time inventory updates, automated financial reporting, and data-driven decision-making, fueling continued growth and efficiency.
An Analogy to Make It Clear
Imagine you’re on a mission to get in the best shape of your life. You have two options:
1. A Big-Box Gym: It has everything—rows of treadmills, weight machines, yoga classes, spin bikes, even a juice bar. It’s convenient, but there’s no real guidance.
You’re left figuring out your own workout plan, and while you have access to a little bit of everything, you never really master anything.
You might make some progress, but inefficiencies slow you down, and you plateau.
2. A Personal Trainer: Instead of being just another gym member, you work with a specialist who tailors a workout plan to your exact needs.
They understand your goals, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and create a structured, results-driven program.
Every session is focused on optimizing your progress, and because of their expertise, you avoid injuries and wasted effort. You get faster, better results with a clear strategy.
The same principle can apply to choosing your B2B tech partner.
A broad service provider is like the big-box gym—offering everything but leaving you to figure it out on your own, without considering your particular needs.
A broad provider, while versatile, often spreads their expertise too thin, delivering acceptable but rarely exceptional results. In eCommerce, where competition is fierce and innovation moves at breakneck speed, being everything to everyone is often not a viable strategy.
A focused provider is like a personal trainer—dedicated, specialized, and invested in delivering personalized and measurable results.
If you want a solution that truly works for your business, specialization beats generalization every time.
The Case for Focused Service Providers
1. Depth Over Breadth Leads to Mastery
When you concentrate on one niche, you build a depth of knowledge and expertise that broad service providers simply cannot replicate. This mastery is essential in eCommerce, where businesses demand specialized solutions that can scale and adapt.
Focused providers live and breathe their niche. They’re not just offering a product; they’re advancing a craft.
In eCommerce, for example, a specialized provider understands the nuances of B2B workflows—tiered pricing, customer-specific catalogs, and ERP integrations—better than any broad provider ever could.
Increased Adoption of eCommerce: According to Forbes, over 90% of B2B service providers across industries have experienced an uptick in eCommerce, highlighting the growing importance of specialized commerce solutions. FORBES.COM.
2. Faster Innovation
Because focused providers concentrate all their R&D efforts on a single domain, they innovate faster.
When a customer needs change, or new strategies emerge, focused providers are often the first to adapt.
I’ve seen this play out countless times with niche eCommerce providers who stay ahead of trends like AI-driven personalization.
3. Tailored Solutions
Broad providers often take a one-size-fits-all approach, which rarely aligns perfectly with your business needs.
Focused providers, by contrast, thrive on tailoring to your specific and unique needs. This helps a company differentiate in the market and compete better.
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They don’t just offer a product; they offer a solution that’s tailor-made for your industry, workflows, and goals.
If you’re a B2B distributor running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, for example, a focused eCommerce provider has integrated seamlessly to sync inventory, orders, pricing logic and more with your ERP, ensuring minimal friction and maximum efficiency.
That level of integration is difficult for a broad service provider to manage.
Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. This shift underscores the need for specialized providers who can offer robust digital solutions tailored to specific industries. GARTNER.COM
In my 30 years in the industry, my development approach led to creating a popular eCommerce solution called Nav-to-Net™ which is the only solution in the space allowing you to manage your eCommerce from within Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP. It is my best example of One Version of the Truth for B2B midsize companies.
4. Better Customer Support
Broad providers often rely on tiered customer support systems where you are a ticket number in a queue with layers of escalation between you and a solution.
Focused providers, on the other hand, tend to build closer relationships with their clients. They’re invested in your success because their reputation depends on it.
5. Customer Trust and Loyalty
Specialized services instill confidence.
Customers know they are working with experts who understand their unique challenges and opportunities. This trust fosters long-term relationships, which are the backbone of success in eCommerce.
In my own experience, clients gravitate toward focused providers because they know we’re not spreading ourselves too thin. Instead, we’re deeply invested in solving their specific pain points, whether it’s seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics or optimizing their checkout process for higher conversions.
75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free sales experience. Specialized providers often offer tailored self-service platforms that cater to this preference, providing buyers with the autonomy they desire while ensuring a seamless purchasing journey. GARTNER.COM
The Risks of Broad Providers
Broad providers aren’t inherently bad, but their model does come with trade-offs.
When you try to do everything, it’s hard to do anything exceptionally well.
This can lead to silos, inefficiencies, and workarounds that negate the very efficiencies you were promised.
Making the Case: Building Trust with Online Buyers
I often describe to B2B distributors how broad-based eCommerce doesn’t offer the same service experience as focused solutions.
A focused service provider deeply understands their customers’ unique preferences better than a big-box seller who is trying to be everything for everyone.
For instance, when you can manage your eCommerce from within your ERP (like Nav-to-Net enables with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central), it changes the vendor and user experience for the better.
When your site is connected to customer-specific pricing, promos, real-time inventory statuses, and order information, you can rest-assured that there is a seamless flow between ordering, pricing, and accurate delivery throughout the supply chain.
Digital commerce is dramatically changing companies' relationships with suppliers, with more vertical B2B marketplaces emerging. Specialized providers, focusing on specific industries or services, can leverage these digital platforms to foster stronger, more efficient relationships between suppliers and buyers. FORBES.COM
A focused provider helps their client build user’s trust with accurate, timely information for online buyers and minimizes errors that can lead to poor customer experiences.
And (bonus) makes them more likely to return to place more orders.
How to Choose the Right Partner
If you’re leaning toward a focused provider, here are some tips to ensure you’re making the right choice:
Conclusion: Focused Providers Deliver Superior Value
In the end, the choice between focused and broad service providers boils down to your priorities.
If you want a quick, generic solution that checks basic boxes, a broad provider might suffice.
But if you’re looking for a partner who understands your business, delivers tailored solutions, and drives real results, a focused provider is the better choice.
In today’s fiercely competitive B2B environment, specialization isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity.
If you want a solution that integrates seamlessly with your ERP, evolves with your needs, and provides unmatched support, a focused provider is the way forward.
Specialization breeds expertise, innovation, and long-term success. Don’t settle for generic—choose a partner who is as invested in your business as you are.
And as someone who’s seen the transformative impact of focused solutions time and again in eCommerce, the winners aren’t those who try to do it all - winning comes from mastering what truly matters.
The businesses that thrive are those that commit to excellence in a focused area, delivering superior value and innovation that set them apart from the competition.
Choose the personal trainer, not the big-box gym.
Choose expertise over convenience.
Choose success.