3. Buyer priorities for the year ahead
This section draws on the owner survey and the follow-up interviews described in Section 1. Respondents were asked about the tools they use today and what they intend to change over the next twelve months.
Owners were broadly satisfied with individual products. Across interviews, owners described the same frustration: data entered once has to be re-entered in two or three other tools. Several called this the most time-consuming part of their week.
Table 3.4 · Top planned change, next 12 months
| Planned change | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Consolidate into fewer tools | 41% |
| Replace accounting software | 22% |
| Add a new marketing tool | 18% |
| No planned change | 19% |
Consolidation was the most common answer in every company-size band, and the gap widened among firms with fewer than ten staff, where one person often owns the full stack.
Respondents who had already consolidated reported spending less time on weekly reporting, and were more likely to say they would recommend their main vendor to a peer.