Vertical SaaS Wars
The next wave of B2B winners will be vertical specialists that know their industry better than any horizontal player ever could.
The Vertical Advantage
Domain Expertise
Industry-specific features
Regulatory compliance built-in
Workflows that match realityCustomer Intimacy
Speak the language
Attend the conferences
Hire from the industryNetwork Effects
Industry benchmarks
Peer referrals
Vendor ecosystemsCase Studies
Toast (Restaurants)
Beat Salesforce + Square in hospitality
Built restaurant-specific features
95%+ of deals stay in verticalProcore (Construction)
Dominated construction software
Deep industry integrations
Horizontal players can't catch upServiceTitan (Home Services)
HVAC, plumbing, electrical
Industry-specific workflows
IPO trajectoryHow Horizontals Respond
Industry Editions
Salesforce "Industry Clouds"
ServiceNow vertical solutions
Microsoft Dynamics verticalsAcquisitions
Buying vertical players
Integration challenges
Culture clashesPartnerships
ISV ecosystems
Co-selling with specialists
Platform approachImplications for CI
If You're Vertical
Monitor horizontal encroachment
Track industry-specific players
Watch for new entrants from adjacent verticalsIf You're Horizontal
Identify vulnerable verticals
Understand specialist advantages
Build or buy decisions---
Understand your competitive landscape. Get started →
Ready to level up your competitive intelligence?
See how 3RA can help you stay ahead of your competition.
Get Started Free