TALKING

According to IDC , there is greater focus on increasing revenue via digital products and services , forecasting that one in three Southeast Asian businesses will generate more than 15 % of their revenue from digital products and services in 2023 – compared to one in six in 2020 .

However , while it may be easier than ever for companies to buy software , that doesn ' t guarantee success for providers . Rather , driving businesses to more efficient and effective operating models hinges on keeping track of where their pain points lie .

Here are five B2B SaaS trends to keep an eye out for , as organizations across the region strive to compete with global peers :

1 . Demand for collaboration tools will persist as hybrid work takes off

In the Asia-Pacific ( APAC ) region , the demand for collaboration tools is likely to persist as the hybrid work model gains popularity , with a Telstra study finding 85 % of organizations surveyed are promoting hybrid work arrangements .

Gartner predicts that the " hybrid-flexible " work model , which combines location flexibility with online collaboration tools , will be successful in the region if implemented and managed properly . As companies in the region adapt to the post-COVID era , they will look for collaboration tools and collaboration inside existing tools that facilitate both synchronous and asynchronous communication and allow employees to easily switch between different communication forms .

Even companies that return to full on-site work are expected to continue using online productivity tools , having seen their benefits during the pandemic .

In addition to facilitating communication and

collaboration , collaboration tools are also expected to play a key role in improving employee experience in the APAC region . As businesses in the region increasingly focus on improving the employee experience , they will look for collaboration tools that can help boost engagement , productivity and overall satisfaction among their employees . As a result , the demand for collaboration tools is likely to continue to grow in the APAC region in the coming years .

2 . Interoperability will gain over integration

In the region , the next wave of consolidation in the Software-as-a-Service ( SaaS ) landscape is expected to be focused on interoperability rather than integration . As businesses in the region look to invest in unified cloud platforms that support interoperable services , platforms that enable companies to choose the services they need for their operations and deploy them quickly and easily from a single console will likely see increased traction . PaaS offerings that employ common data models will also be attractive to companies in the region looking to integrate AI programs into their digital operations and extract valuable business intelligence .

In addition to the trend towards interoperability , the APAC SaaS market is also expected to continue to grow rapidly in the coming years . As more businesses in the region adopt SaaS solutions , the demand for these services is likely to increase , Driving further consolidation in the market .

Gibu Mathew , VP and GM APAC , Zoho Corp

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