The technology market is constantly evolving to meet the increasing reliance on technology by individuals and businesses, the continuous emergence of new software, and the impact of macro forces such as the growing demand for sustainability.

Taking that into consideration, Gartner identifies the four main trends that will shape the technology solutions sales worldwide in 2023. Let’s take a look at their findings.

The tech market is evolving to adapt to growing technological dependence, new software, and the demand for sustainability.

1: More Federated Enterprise Technology Purchases

When decision-makers come from non-IT-related areas, the focus shifts to value scenarios and outcomes rather than just technology.

This purchasing model is not yet a major trend in many companies, but a 2022 Gartner survey showed that 67% of enterprise technology decision-makers do not belong to the IT department.

2: Increase in Product-Led Growth Strategies

Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategies put the product at the forefront by providing potential customers with some kind of experience that demonstrates its value before any sales interaction.

By 2025, Gartner expects PLG to be a standard component of go-to-market practices for 90% of SaaS companies (up from the current 58%). It will start with self-service product experiences and be driven through aggregated data signals for sales-driven conversion or expansion strategies.

The ultimate outcome is rapid growth at a lower cost compared to traditional top-down marketing and sales approaches. Gartner’s 2021 survey on user influence in software decisions revealed that over 50% of free trials and demos resulted in a purchase. However, success is far from guaranteed; it requires more consideration and effort than simply introducing a free version of a product to the market.

3: Rise of Digital Marketplaces

Digital marketplaces are becoming commonplace for technology purchases as non-tech-savvy consumers increasingly seek composable and easily consumable solutions.

By 2026, Gartner expects all major cloud platform and application providers to offer solutions that facilitate customer strategies, differentiating themselves through quality, convenience, and security.

4: More Metaverse-Related Technology for Marketing and CX

Metaverse-related technologies are rapidly gaining ground in marketing areas to create unique experiences, impactful interactions, and novel engagement Product leaders must leverage the available opportunities to create distinctive experiences and elevate their marketing and CX initiatives. By 2027, it is expected that most B2C company CMOs will have a dedicated budget for this aspect.