Software Buyer Insights 2025
The New Rules of Software Selection
In this environment of heightened buyer expectations, economic pressure, and AI-fueled evaluation, many vendors struggle with the following:
- Differentiating in a market where buyers can easily compare options and evaluate alternatives.
- Building trust and emotional connection, which now matter more than product features.
- Showing clear value to buyers who are more skeptical and financially pressured.
- Guiding the buyer journey when buyers prefer to self-educate and engage less directly with vendors.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
The research identifies five shifts:
- Satisfaction is now rooted in emotional experience, not just features.
- Buyers switch vendors when value or relationships break down.
- Discounting has lost influence to value-based pricing.
- AI is reshaping independent buyer research.
- Long-term winners will balance technical value with emotional connection.
Together, these findings show a clear pivot from product-centric to relationship-focused growth. Vendors that adapt to these new dynamics will be best positioned to achieve durable revenue and loyalty in 2025 and beyond.
Impact and Result
- Gain clarity on buyer expectations and what to consider when shifting from product-first to relationship-first growth.
- Learn how to compete using value-based pricing, stronger relationships, and clearer communication of outcomes.
- Understand how AI is reshaping buyer research and decision-making.
- Learn why customers switch and how to prevent it, using insights on emotional drivers, value perceptions, and partnership expectations to strengthen retention and reduce churn.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Talk to an Analyst
Our analyst calls are focused on helping our members use the research we produce, and our experts will guide you to successful project completion.
Book an Analyst Call on This Topic
You can start as early as tomorrow morning. Our analysts will explain the process during your first call.
Get Advice From a Subject Matter Expert
Each call will focus on explaining the material and helping you to plan your project, interpret and analyze the results of each project step, and set the direction for your next project step.
Unlock Sample ResearchContributors
Shashi Bellamkonda, Principal Research Director, Info-Tech Research Group
Marketing Management Suite Software Selection Guide
Social Media
Build IT Capabilities to Enable Digital Marketing Success
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform
Develop a Web Experience Management Strategy
Optimize Lead Generation With Lead Scoring
Create a Buyer Persona and Journey
Build a More Effective Go-to-Market Strategy
Leverage Web Analytics to Reinforce Your Web Experience Management Strategy
2020 Applications Priorities Report
Diagnose Brand Health to Improve Business Growth
Get Started With Customer Advocacy
Pick Your Price Model
Diagnose and Optimize Your Lead Gen Engine
Develop the Right Message to Engage Buyers
Identify the Customer Satisfaction Metrics That Matter
Create an Effective SEO Keyword Strategy
Accelerate Business Growth and Valuation by Building Brand Awareness
Social Media Management Software Selection Guide
Build a More Effective Brand Architecture
Build Competitive Intelligence for Market Success
Create Assets to Accelerate the Buyer Journey
Brand Strategy: Establish and Cultivate a Flourishing Brand
Build Investor Awareness to Secure Next-Round Financing
Improve Win Rates With a Sales Enablement Strategy
Scale Your Marketing Department
Choose the Right Channel Sales Partner
Redesign Your Website to Increase Business Value
Build Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy
Build a Strong Analyst Relations Foundation
Improve External PR Communications for Greater Product Launch Success
Turn Share of Voice Growth Into a Strategic Weapon
Optimize the Right Metrics to Scale Your Business
Leave a Lasting Impression With a Compelling Brand Identity
Hire Your Marketing Dream Team
Match Your Budget to Your Market Position
Capitalizing on AI
Generative AI Use Cases for Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service
The AI Advantage for Smarter Marketing – A Primer
Build, Buy, or Shut It Down
Event Activation Playbook
Crush Your Product Launch
Go-to-Market Strategy on a Page
Maximize ROI on Sales and Marketing Collateral
From Silos to Synergy: Create Marketing and IT Alignment
Competitive Intelligence Software Selection Guide
The Power of Segmentation
Revolutionize Your Customer Onboarding
Search Engine Optimization Software Selection Guide
Build Better Dashboards Across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success
Make the Case for RevOps
The First 90 Days as a CMO
Stay Relevant in the Era of AI-Powered Search
Build Your Product-Led Growth Playbook
Elevate Analyst Relations
Level Up Your Social Media Game
The Omnichannel Playbook
Digital Experience Platform Selection Guide
Software Buyer Insights 2025
Optimize Your CX Strategy
