Of all buyers surveyed whose organizations had purchased an AI platform within the last three months, 83 per cent reported a positive return on investment (ROI), according to a 2024 Buyer Behaviour Report from G2, a software marketplace platform.

The report, titled “Proving Value in the Age of AI,” is based on a survey of over 1,900 B2B software buyers across the globe. The report found that when it comes to how ROI for AI software investments is being measured, employee productivity was cited as the number one metric by nearly half the respondents in the survey.

“AI is changing and will revolutionise the way software is researched, purchased, and sold,” said Godard Abel, Co-founder, and CEO, of G2. “We’ve already observed the shift of B2B software buying to mirror consumer-like shopping. As we’ve entered an age of AI, we’re seeing an acceleration in software innovation and the shift to digital buying. Buyers want to find the right tools for their business and see value from them faster than ever.” He added that in this new environment, vendors have an opportunity to meet rising expectations, moving at the speed of AI to deliver innovations and immediate ROI for customers.

Software investments continue to grow, with 52 per cent of buyers expecting their software and technology spending to increase next year. AI plays a major role in these increased budgets, with 65 per cent of software buyers globally planning to increase their investment in AI software over the next year, with this percentage growing to 81 per cent for India-based buyers.

52 per cent of buyers globally and 78 per cent of India-buyers buyers anticipate increased technology and software spending in the coming year. 56 per cent of all respondents and 75 per cent in India reported their organization had purchased an AI platform in the last three months when they were surveyed in March 2024.

Across businesses of all sizes, 94 per cent of respondents are currently using AI software or AI-powered software for at least one use case -- sales or CRM, customer support, marketing, opportunity spotting, writing content, improving overall efficiency, generating assets, automatically surfacing relevant data insights, and optimizing RevOps.

Despite increased spending, vendors face a tougher sales environment. Shortlists are shrinking, buying cycles are longer, and ROI expectations are higher. Buyers are more discerning and prioritize quick wins and demonstrable value. They demand faster ROI, with 57 per cent of all buyers and 75 per cent of India-based buyers expecting positive returns on their software purchases within three months.

Service providers are usually part of the decision to purchase new software according to 69 per cent of respondents globally and 90 per cent of those based in India. They’re also being considered earlier in the buying process with research as the most common stage when this happens.