Trouble Lies Ahead for Make, Zapier, and Others

[Bill_French]

Amazon’s new AWS AppFabric offers a smart and seemingly free way to connect software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, but it may also be the ideal way to free customers from no-code integration platforms with high switching costs. If the switching cost moat evaporates, how will the no-code integration glue factories keep you as customers?

No-code and low-code application builders who have unwittingly become glue-sniffing addicts of code-less integration face massive switching costs. Moving from Zapier to Make or custom integrations is a lot of work. AI removes the switching cost friction - soon, it won’t matter.

If you can switch to an integration layer that is free (or near-free) by simply describing in your native language what the integration needs to do, would you stay with Make? Zapier? Whatever?

[xad9119]

Hi @Bill_French 

Very interesting!

Have you had the chance to try the platform yet? It seems a little limited in terms of integrations for the moment, but Amazon most likely has the resources to change this fast.

[Bill_French]

I just penned a good response to your question and Khorous blew it away. I give up.

Bottom line: Yes, I have used AppFabric, and it is very limited. But that's not the point. The trend is clear - big tech wants all the dollars flowing into no-code solutions, and they see just how big Make and Zapier have become.

Both companies have moat issues and when moats start to drain a bit or even vanish, customers will as well. That leaves fewer customers paying for the service with higher prices.

[Bill_French]

Related -

https://impertinent.substack.com/p/make-zapier-bubble