Key takeaways:
Best-of-breed = leveraging a dream team
Back in 1992, the United States men’s Olympic basketball team assembled legendary athletes like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Each player brought his own set of skills and strengths, and together, they formed the “Dream Team” that conquered all adversaries and won the gold medal.
When we think of technology, a scenario like this would be a dream come true. Imagine having the Michael Jordan of checkout, the Scottie Pippen of product discovery and the Magic Johnson of loyalty tech. Just imagine the results your business could achieve!
With a best-of-breed approach, this is now possible: By assembling a “dream team” of specialized tools or software, each chosen for its excellence in a specific function, you can create a high-performing and versatile technological landscape that, in turn, brings in results in revenue, customer experience and lower costs.
Just as a dream team maximizes performance in sports, best-of-breed technology optimizes efficiency and effectiveness across diverse business functions.
What is best-of-breed technology?
Best-of-breed technology is a strategy where businesses select specialized vendors for specific capabilities rather than relying on a single suite provider. Instead of accepting “good enough” across all functions, companies choose tools that excel in their domain.
When you choose best-of-breed solutions, each component of your tech stack is optimized for its specific role — from lightning-fast search and AI-driven personalization to flexible checkout and seamless payments. That means customers find products faster, receive more relevant recommendations and complete purchases with fewer friction points. Every millisecond saved and every personalized interaction increases conversion rates, boosts average order value and strengthens loyalty.
At the same time, specialized tools automate workflows, reduce manual intervention and scale independently, lowering operational overhead. Instead of paying for bloated functionality you don’t use, you invest precisely where performance drives measurable business outcomes, translating directly into revenue growth and sustainable cost efficiency.
Why best-of-breed is rising now
For too long, businesses have relied on one-size-fits-all solutions that, as the name suggests, provide a platform with all services and tools embedded. Such an approach may sound uncomplicated, especially as companies want easy access to technology solutions. However, the reality is that all-in-one solutions provide services and tools that aren’t necessarily ideal for certain use cases or features. For example, a checkout functionality may not be flexible enough to offer customization options, such as premium delivery services or promotional goodies.
The result is that businesses must compromise on performance to get all functionalities in one place. If the company just needs standard search, checkout and cart functionalities, that approach can work just fine. But if your business wants to truly differentiate in a crowded marketplace, an all-in-one solution just doesn’t cut it.
In short, the idea behind best-of-breed technology is that all vendors excel at every aspect of technology; some may specialize in certain areas or offer more advanced features than others. By using a combination of vendors, businesses can create an IT system tailored to their specific needs and preferences, boosting revenue, customer satisfaction and growth.
Best-of-breed and composable technology: What’s the difference?
Best-of-breed and composable technologies prioritize flexibility and performance, but they are not identical.
Best-of-breed = selecting the best players: Think of it as pre-selecting elite performers for each role. You assemble your dream team of top-tier vendors.
Composable technology = swapping players dynamically: Emphasizes modular and interchangeable components, allowing businesses to build and adapt their tech stack dynamically.
Best-of-breed solutions, like specialized players in a dream sports team, are akin to pre-selected high-performing components. Composable technology, on the other hand, resembles the ability to swap players in and out of that team as needed, adapting to changing circumstances.
Together, they form a dynamic synergy that empowers businesses to tailor their technology stack precisely to their evolving needs while maintaining a high standard of performance across the board.
Why best-of-breed enables agentic commerce
We’re entering the age of agentic commerce, where AI-powered agents autonomously act on behalf of customers and businesses, making decisions, personalizing experiences and optimizing conversion paths in real time.
But AI agents can only perform at their best in a composable environment. They need open APIs, real-time data streams, independent services and orchestration layers that allow them to coordinate specialized tools seamlessly. Monolithic platforms simply aren’t flexible enough — their tightly coupled systems and slow update cycles limit what agentic AI can achieve.
In short, agentic commerce amplifies the value of a best-of-breed approach and composable architecture.
5 advantages of best-of-breed technology
Let’s explore the top five benefits of this approach.
Businesses can mix and match different solutions based on their individual needs rather than being limited to a pre-packaged solution. This allows companies to create a technology stack tailored to their unique workflows, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
By using best-of-breed solutions, businesses have access to the most advanced technologies in each specific area. This can give them a competitive edge over competitors who may be using a single, all-in-one solution that may not offer the same level of innovation or features.
Moreover, businesses can enjoy faster innovation cycles by incorporating the latest technological advancements without waiting for a comprehensive system upgrade.
Best-of-breed technology can actually lead to cost savings for businesses. By investing only in the specific technologies and applications necessary for their operations, companies can avoid spending money on unnecessary features and functions that may come with a comprehensive all-in-one solution.
Additionally, if a vendor raises prices or fails to meet expectations, businesses can switch to another vendor for that technology.
With the rise of application programming interfaces (APIs), integration between different software and hardware has become easier than ever before. This means that best-of-breed technologies can seamlessly integrate with each other, creating a cohesive IT system. This also eliminates the need for businesses to rely on a single vendor for all their technology needs.
In addition, orchestration plays a pivotal role in maximizing the benefits of best-of-breed technologies, ensuring that each tool functions harmoniously and thereby improving the overall performance of the technology stack. It enables streamlined workflows, data flow and communication between disparate systems, preventing silos and enhancing cross-functional synergy. APIs are also crucial for effective orchestration, creating an interconnected environment where best-of-breed solutions can work in concert.
Best-of-breed technology offers scalable solutions as businesses grow and expand. Because companies are not tied to a single provider or solution, they can add or switch technologies as needed to accommodate changing needs.
Selecting best-of-breed providers
While the benefits of best-of-breed technology are clear, selecting and managing multiple vendors can seem overwhelming. However, with adequate planning and strategy, companies can effectively navigate the complexities and find their ideal best-of-breed providers. Here’s what you need to consider when selecting your vendors.
Identify your business needs and pain points. Determine which specific technologies are necessary for your operations and what features/functions are essential to help narrow down the list of potential vendors.
We recommend creating a sketch of what you’re aiming to achieve. Consider hiring a consultant or a system integrator if your company needs specialized support. Alternatively, talk to tech vendors directly, and they’ll organize product design workshops to help you define your goals.
Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, research various vendors that specialize in those areas. Look at their track record, customer reviews and case studies to get an idea of their capabilities and reputation in the market. We recommend using unbiased research reports, such as Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, to get an overview of each vendor’s strengths and cautions.
As mentioned earlier, integration capabilities are crucial for best-of-breed technologies. Make sure the vendors you are considering have strong APIs and a history of successful integrations with other applications.
A shortcut to this process is to evaluate MACH®-certified vendors, so you’re assured that solutions are truly API-first. The MACH Alliance can provide you with a list of vendors for the categories you need, from CRM to product delivery and, of course, digital commerce.
Another straightforward way to select your best-of-breed vendors is by exploring the solutions marketplace of your digital commerce vendor. For instance, commercetools provides a Solution Hub where you can find integrations and accelerators. Plus, you can explore our Connect Integration Framework with pre-built integrations that you can plug and play with ease.
Make sure that your company and its vendors are on the same page when it comes to project management. It’s not only waterfall vs. agile. Development processes may vary, and the more people from your in-house development team are involved, the larger the compatibility issues may be.
User-friendliness is also an important factor to consider when selecting best-of-breed providers. If a technology is complex and difficult to use, it may not be worth the investment, even if it has advanced features. Look for solutions that are intuitive and require minimal training, that provide tutorials and comprehensive documentation, and even professional services to help you modernize your technology.
As your business grows, you will need your technology solutions to scale with you. Make sure the vendors you choose have a history of adapting and evolving their technologies to meet changing needs.
In addition, it’s crucial to understand how vendors leverage cloud-native technology, which is a pillar of the composable (and best-of-breed) approach. This is particularly important, as maximizing online traffic scalability is only possible with true cloud-native technology, which can autoscale online capacity in response to customer demand.
Get the dream team of best-of-breed solutions for your business success
With the fast-paced, constantly evolving nature of technology, best-of-breed solutions are becoming increasingly necessary for businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve. By using a combination of specialized vendors and technologies, companies can create highly efficient and customizable IT systems that meet their specific needs and give them a competitive edge.
With proper planning and strategy, selecting and managing best-of-breed providers can be a streamlined process that leads to long-term success for your business.
So, why settle for a one-size-fits-all solution when you can embrace best-of-breed technologies and take your business to the next level? There are endless possibilities and potential with best-of-breed technologies, and it’s up to businesses to harness them for their own growth and success.
Manuela leads content strategy at commercetools. With over 20 years of experience in B2B SaaS, she writes about all things commerce by day and turns to fiction by night. She loves long walks, traveling, and, unsurprisingly, reading books.
