Software as a service is a model which has increased massively in popularity over the last few years. It offers a wide array of cutting-edge solutions within many different industries. A recent study published by Price rightly supports the view that this model is sought after more than ever, as SaaS products that hit the market in 2015 had an average of 2.6 competitors, but just five years later, this number has exploded to 9.7.
SaaS application development services are used to gain a certain type of competitive edge, with companies now looking to adopt some form of modern technology, such as AI and low-code development. In order to ascertain how best to gain an advantage over the competition, it is vital to understand the latest up and coming SaaS application development trends. And here they are:
1. Artificial intelligence
No SaaS trends list would be complete without a mention of artificial intelligence (AI). AI continues to take the world of technology by storm, and the SaaS industry is no different.
The main aspect which AI brings to the SaaS model is hyper-personalisation, allowing for the creation of custom and targeted experiences through the use of data, analytics and automation. The use of AI allows users to create a customer experience that is unique to an individual.
As well as this, AI in SaaS helps enhance support services such as chatbots, helps with dynamic pricing and enables businesses to obtain better value from their data. The value of AI cannot be downplayed as it has a projected market value of $733.7 billion by 2027. It is strongly anticipated that it will have a profound effect on the SaaS landscape and it well worth paying attention to.
2. Machine learning
Closely related to artificial intelligence, machine learning is used within SaaS to automate responsiveness in customer service reports and applications. It is a subset of artificial intelligence and focuses on learning capabilities and processing data.
An improved understanding and use of machine learning will enable businesses to not only automate certain aspects of their internal operations, but also utilise its potential fully and receive a high level of intelligence and operational efficiency.
Machine learning is used successfully within SaaS for:
- Allowing platforms to understand customers’ preferences and habits, enabling businesses to make their products more usable and intuitive for their target market.
- Processing large amounts of data and insights to help companies to improve their offering and market positioning.
- Optimising internal collaboration, operations and data processing.
- Increasing customer engagement leading to enhanced brand recognition.
Salesforce showcases the power of machine learning, as their system helps detect patterns in customer behaviour that would otherwise go unseen by the sales team. This demonstrates the need for machine learning within SaaS application development services, and why it is a trend to look out for in 2022 and beyond.
3. Micro-SaaS
Searches for micro-SaaS have risen dramatically over the last five years. In fact, global searches have increased by a whopping 933%! Many companies are looking to adapt their offerings, and one way in which they look to do this is through the creation of smaller, more flexible products.
StoreMapper defines Micro-SaaS as:
“A SaaS business targeting a niche market, run by one person or a very small team, with small costs, a narrow focus, a small but dedicated user base, and no outside funding. Hence, micro-SaaS.”
Micro-SaaS provides tools in the form of extensions, plugins, and add ons. As the name suggests, these projects are smaller than full on SaaS ones and therefore can be managed more easily by smaller teams and less resources, making it a valuable trend for companies to be aware of.
4. Vertical SaaS
Another SaaS application development trend which we expect to see in 2022 is the continued rise and use of vertical SaaS. This is because it allows users to be able to target clients within specific industries and supply chains. For example, software solutions can be tailored for retail, insurance and many other industries.
This is fast becoming a popular trend due to the fact that vertical SaaS developers are able to implement more targeted marketing campaigns, due to having a particular niche and more precisely defined target market. This is because business owners will be able to see what their audience like and which social media platforms they regularly use.
With a continued debate between horizontal and vertical SaaS application development services we fully expect vertical SaaS to be a trend to look out for in 2022.
5. Low coding solutions
Solutions which require less code continue to be popular, with the SaaS industry being no exception. They are out of the box data centres which do not eliminate the need for developers. Rather they provide extra time for driving innovation and searching for a real competitive edge.
There are many reasons to use low code platforms, such as:
- Accelerating digital transformation and innovation
- Reducing current IT or technical backlog and boost responsiveness
- Driving down the necessity for or dependency on hard-to-hire technical skills
- Protecting the business against aggressive technological churn
- Improving internal processes
New providers are relentlessly entering the low coding market, and it had a predicted worth of $187 billion by 2030, making it a trend to monitor.
6. Martech becomes more accessible
Also known as marketing technology, martech is a term which refers to a number of tools which help businesses with their marketing campaigns by providing better insights and improved processes. Due to previously offering an out of date one size fits all solution, the demand for martech during the pandemic reduced.
However, now martech SaaS application development providers are looking to looking to simplify their interfaces and make their solutions more accessible. By focusing on better branding, fairer pricing and improved mobile experiences, martech is now seen to be much more accessible than ever before. With all of this happening, we could not leave it out of our trends list, and we are excited to how the industry reacts to these changes.
Trends round-up
As a company fully committed to deliver on business aspirations with innovative and high performance tools to give them a leading competitive edge, it is important for us to stay on top of the latest industry trends. To keep these fresh in your mind, here are the 6 we have mentioned:
- Artificial intelligence
- Machine learning
- Micro-SaaS
- Vertical SaaS
- Low coding solutions
- Martech becomes more accessible
It will be interesting to see which one of these becomes the most prominent, and we are intrigued to see what happens within the SaaS industry.
If you are looking for an experienced bespoke software development company we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us now to find out what we can do for you.