Gartner Digital says “Software Adoption Is Here To Stay”

Recent Gartner Digital Markets research on Global Software Trends and Buyer Behavior Insights 2022 asked 2,500 business leaders in 25 countries about their purchasing plans and priorities. Key takeaways around growing software investment plans and motivations for the purchasing align with Wazoku’s value proposition.

The world of work has transformed considerably in recent years. With economic pressures and changes to operations and office culture from the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are navigating an uncertain landscape. Gartner Digital Markets conducted a survey of high-level employees involved in software purchasing from 25 countries to understand what buyers care about when – and why.

From early stage awareness to late in the funnel with buying and retention, successfully adopting a software is a complicated process. However, with one in every four businesses planning on increasing software spending by up to 30%, companies must be able to clarify that their system is best able to solve problems for organizations.

Internal business pressures mean that buyers don’t always move through the funnel in a specific order. With more and more buyers working on several areas of the process at once, this nonlinear buying journey means that, in 2022, software purchasing is more complex than ever before.

Growing in importance is the ‘engagement of remote employees’, which increased 10% in priority compared to 2021. Wazoku’s open innovation gives businesses access to the Wazoku Crowd, millions of always-on problem solvers, to solve their problems and help to explore opportunities. We’ve worked with organizations such as NASA, Enel, and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute to unlock significant outcomes that simply wouldn’t have been possible without the power of open innovation and crowdsourcing.

A large part of any software purchase is the internal pressure that leads to the decision to buy. Gartner’s research shows that a ‘need for productivity improvements’ is the number one buying pressure across all geographies surveyed. Organizations are relying on their software not only to enable tasks and alleviate pain points but to enable greater productivity for people and processes. Looking at data from their 2021 canvas, the most productive software categories are communications, project management, and IT architecture.

Other purchasing pressures that closely follow the need for greater productivity are ‘having outgrown current technology’ and ‘competitive pressures’. Wazoku realizes the need for software that can fit several of these purchasing pressures: our idea management and open innovation platform and services can unlock benefits across your business and industry niche.

Wider digitalization of organizations has also led to security concerns. Gartner also highlights the challenges around remote work, cloud storage, and having multiple software providers as being a key factor of software purchasing decisions. With end-to-end security and configurable IP controls for co-creation, Wazoku customers can ensure that whatever audience they innovate with, they can do so with confidence and safety. Our platform can also bolster teams’ digital transformation efforts, as Old Mutual’s Mass & Foundation Cluster found with turning existing collaborative ways of working into an always-on innovation capability.

“By 2023, 75% of businesses will restructure their security governance to address new cyber systems and IoT needs.”
// Global Software Trends and Buyer Behavior Insights eBook 2022

This security is closely followed by compatibility and integration needs, as well as staff acceptance. Our Innovation_360 software is integrated across the enterprise stack and has been designed with easy adoption in mind. Wazoku’s aim to enable a true culture of innovation gives every member of your organization the ability to connect ideas to real-world impact. For AlteLeipziger, their use of idea management software has seen employees use the Wazoku Platform for communication more than corporate tools like Yammer.

Gartner Digital Markets’ report finishes by stressing that businesses are becoming more and more willing to adopt technology. Digital-driven business models are here to stay, and software that both alleviates pain points and unlocks opportunities will provide critical value to customers. Survey respondents also stressed the importance of attracting new customers as well as maintaining existing relationships. Wazoku has features that can improve employee and supplier innovation as well as reaching out to external audiences: be they universities and start-ups, new customers, or the crowd.