I just love bread. I prefer heavy dark bread since it tastes really great and has much more nutrition then your average white (empty) slices. The best bakery in town is a small place where they have been baking bread since 1925. It’s authentic, very personal and you just know that these people love baking bread.

I am a strong believer that this trend will be seen online as well. Although the big online & offline retailers have a huge product offering, at the end of the day we want more than that. In my opinion, Vertical Commerce will beat Horizontal Commerce. This is why I believe in the power of Vertical:

1) Stronger Content ~ Content isn't King, its the Kingdom.

I always love to have a chat with the baker himself. He knows his grains and always shares on new types of bread he wants to add to his “collection”. The same goes for Vertical Commerce. They have a lot of specific content, which shows they are the authority within that specific niche. In addition you can find other quality information that shows their expertise. Customers perceive Vertical players as the go-to place for all products and questions for that specific niche.

2) User Experience ~ You can't be everything to everyone but you can be something to someone.

Vertical players have a much more tailored experience than Horizontal players. Can you imagine you need to sell millions of products? This requires a whole other store than if you “just” need to sell a thousand products. This is why the user experience for Vertical players will be much more personal and tailor made for the specific audience. The more you connect and understand your customer, the higher the chance that you will sell.

3) Variety of Products ~ The more, the merrier.

Vertical players have a much deeper product offering than horizontal players. The different types of bread I can buy at my bakery are so much more diverse than if I go to the big supermarket. I love the fact that there is much choice and that there is always someone who can give an explanation if needed.

4) Clear Audience ~ Clarity precedes Mastery.

Whether it’s “Yoga for grandparents” (i didn't know this really existed), “Mountain climbing for firemen” or even “Baby products for mother & child”, Vertical commerce is very clear. I can explain my dad in 5 seconds what I sell and who my target market is. Pitching a business idea to your parents (preferably not very tech savvy) is, in my humble opinion, one of the best things you can do to test ideas J. I believe that clarity precedes mastery and having a clear product and target market are essential to any business that’s trying to make a dent in the universe.

Conclusion

At the end of the day we all want value for money and I believe that the above mentioned reasons are all connected and as a sum create greater value for the customer. I would love to know your thoughts, so please leave your comments below.