Research
Role & Influence
of the Technology Decision-Maker
In its 16th year, Foundry’s Role & Influence study shares in-depth trends and insights into who’s involved in the technology purchase process, factors that cause decision-making to stall, and the information sources IT buyers rely on.
65%
of ITDMs work with vendors to help them develop the business case around their investment in the technology
48%
will seek a new vendor for tech purchases – mostly due to innovation, business need, and costs
68%
say that when all stakeholders are aware of a brand it makes the internal sell through process easier
Key findings
Customers, analysts, and other external voices are scaling purchase process complexity
Between external voices such as customers and analysts heavily influencing the purchase process, and technology like AI planting deep roots in all departments across the business, 65% of ITDMs have reported increased complexity. While the CIO continues to consistently lead each stage of the process, the buying team’s composition is also evolving, with 52% of ITDMs mentioning new roles for AI in to the mix, adding to the buying team expanding by 75% in only 7 years.
The purchase process stalls where resources are needed most, calling on vendors to help
37% of tech buyers say the purchase process is most likely to stall during evaluation, which is also when they’re seeking out the highest number of information sources (6.4 on average). Vendors are being called on to bridge the gap, with 94% of ITDMs reporting needing additional resources or assistance from vendors and 65% saying they work with vendors to help develop the business case around their investment in the technology.
Knowledge is power: vendors must prove a deep understanding of the entire IT buying team’s needs
To help ease this complexity, tech vendors must educate various levels of their customers throughout each stage of the purchase process. In fact, 68% of ITDMs say that when all stakeholders are aware of a brand it makes the internal sell through process easier. Looking at information sources relied upon, the research tells us that technology content sites reign supreme when determining the business need. Given the nature of tech content sites being educational resources with in-depth articles, product reviews, and opinion articles, it makes sense ITDMs rely on them when doing the majority of their research prior to purchasing a tech product/service.
More resources on the buyer's journey
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Foundry’s Customer Engagement white paper
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Based on Foundry’s Cloud Computing and Buyer’s Journey research studies, this tech marketer’s guide dives into actionable insights regarding the cloud computing purchase process.
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