The Insights Summit
is Gartner Digital Markets’ exclusive gathering of software leaders to learn
the latest software buyer trends and discover strategies to secure a spot on buyer shortlists and
ignite growth.
Bengaluru, 1st October 2024 - Gartner Digital Markets—the world’s largest platform for finding software and
services, including Capterra, GetApp, Software Advice, and UpCity—recently convened the Insights Summit in India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, Karnataka, to
address the SaaS industry's pressing challenges. After a year of economic uncertainty, SaaS leaders seek innovative strategies to find efficient growth and secure their place on software buyer
shortlists.
The Insights Summit
featured a distinguished panel of speakers from Gartner Digital Markets, including
Narayan Adeeb, VP of India Operations; Pit Rissiek, VP of Sales APAC and EMEA; and Saby Khanduja, Senior Sales Manager. Joining them on stage were SaaS
leaders Dhivya Venkatesan, Head of Marketing at Sign easy, and Abhigna Kashyap, Senior
Director and Global Head of Brand Content, and Social Media at LTI Mindtree.
The conference theme was
“Securing Your Spot on Buyer Shortlists.” The Insights Summit brought together 68
industry experts and thought leaders to provide actionable insights and best
practices for SaaS businesses. Participants learned about the latest software
buyer trends, emerging technologies, and effective marketing strategies to drive growth.
The event featured
exclusive research that surveyed 3,500 software buyers and company decision-makers. The study
focused on the challenges of software selection, the latest AI trends and buyer
preferences, and strategies for software providers to optimise their performance on the Gartner
Digital Markets platform. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to network with
other India-based SaaS leaders seeking to accelerate their growth.
Gartner Digital Markets offers objective research and verified reviews to B2B companies searching for software in
India through its Capterra India website. As a comprehensive resource, Capterra India is
the country's go-to destination for software search. Software companies use the
Gartner Digital Markets platform to reach active buyers and capture demand in India and
worldwide.
Key insights discussed in the Insights Summit
included:
- Optimistic SaaS spending is forecasted for
2025: 82% of companies
surveyed plan to increase their software spending in 2025. India is the most confident of the countries surveyed, planning to increase its spending
by 89%. Top priorities for software
purchase are Cybersecurity (37%), IT management (31%), and AI (31%).
- Customer reviews: Customer reviews are buyers' most
influential information source for
narrowing their initial purchase options and creating a shortlist of
products (41%). Final purchase decisions are made predominantly after
product trials (62%) and impressions
made by the vendor’s customer support (57%).
- Buyer regret: Over half of companies have experienced regret over a technology purchase in the last year. The more a buyer relies solely on information from a vendor to buy software, the more
often they experience regret. This makes it more necessary for vendors to
boost their credibility through third parties.
- AI adoption: More than a third of decision-makers plan to assess the value and
risk of generative AI. From 2024 to 2025, there has been a 70% increase in
organisations anticipating
challenges evaluating the value and risk of generative AI.
Pit outlined Gartner
Digital Markets' mission to assist software companies in building effective brands through profiles, reviews, and badges. He emphasised capturing
in-market demand and gaining insights into market and product sentiment by analysing reviews of your product and competitors.
Pit highlighted that building a compelling profile is crucial for brand positioning and noted that cost and pricing are the primary factors
buyers consider when searching for software. He emphasised that reviews are
pivotal in bringing credibility to your Gartner Digital Markets platform profile.
The event included a panel
discussion headed by Saby Khanduja, during which marketing leaders Dhivya Venkatesan and Abhigna Kashyap discussed strategies for making their companies stand out to potential buyers. Topics covered included resource allocation, channel effectiveness, and
reputation-building. The discussion was highly interactive, with participants engaging in lively Q&A
sessions with the audience and sharing their experiences.
Reflecting on the Insights
Summit’s significance, Narayan Adeeb, VP of India Operations of Gartner Digital
Markets, says, “The success of the Summit
lies in the ambition that the software leaders brought with them along with their trust in us to help them build their brand and capture demand. We were pleased to share our latest research
and insights, which expectedly led to some powerful conversations. Most importantly, each interaction with those leading the charge in the industry revitalised our
mission to empower organisations towards success with the right
technology choices while being impact partners to software providers that would help propel them to new heights.“
About Gartner Digital Markets
Gartner Digital Markets is
the world’s largest platform for finding software and services. More than 100
million people visit Capterra, GetApp, Software Advice, and UpCity across over
70 localised sites yearly to read objective research and verified customer
reviews that help them confidently choose the right software and services. Thousands of B2B
companies work with Gartner Digital Markets to build their brand, capture buyer demand, and grow their
business.
Media Contact
Palash Bhattacharjee palash.bhattacharjee@gartner.com