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New Research Finds IT Decision-Makers Lead in All Stages of Purchase Process

IT management continues to be more involved in every stage of the IT purchase process than their business management colleagues, according to new research from IDG Enterprise. The annual 2010 Role & Influence of the Technology Buyer survey, completed by more than 2,400 IT and business respondents, from a range of industries, shows that within IT, the purchase process is decentralized with a mix of titles involved at each stage.

Decentralization increases with company size, with an average of 13 people influencing major IT purchases at enterprise companies. The study also examined the length of the purchase process given familiarity with a vendor, and information sources used throughout the purchase process.

IDG Enterprise — the media company comprising CIO, CIO Executive Council, Computerworld, CSO*, DEMO, InfoWorld, ITworld and Network World — yesterday released the results of the study, which examines the stages of the IT purchase process, the level of involvement of IT decision-makers vs. business management at each stage, and the information sources these professionals rely upon.

“The 2010 Role and Influence research clearly shows that it is essential to engage multiple IT stakeholders within the IT decision-making process,” said Bob Melk, SVP/Group Publisher, IDG Enterprise. “The research serves to provide a strategic framework for IT marketers on the best strategies for reaching and engaging these IT professionals.”

Key findings include:

  • IT management is significantly more involved in the IT purchase process than business management;
  • IT leads the charge for evaluating solutions and vendors as well as recommending and selecting vendors, therefore reaching IT management is key during the IT purchase process;
  • T staff (56%) is as vital in the vendor selection process as IT management (57%), however the CIO (60%) approves/authorizes the final purchase;
  • Top resources used throughout the purchase process are: Technology publications (70%), Technology content sites (69%), Peers (68%) and White Papers (68%);
  • Peer sources (68%) are in a virtual tie with technology content sites, technology publications and white papers as the top sources of information respondents rely on to be effective in their roles. In fact, 46% of senior IT management titles cite business networking sites such as LinkedIn as sources of technology information and job-related knowledge;
  • IT purchase cycle is reduced by 2 months when working with vendors they already have a relationship with.

 

“IT professionals have an ever growing volume of information sources today and it is essential that we provide the trusted content on the platforms they choose to access,” said Michael Friedenberg, President and CEO, IDG Enterprise. “Our brands’ commitment to providing the resources needed to make IT strategy and purchase decisions — articles, reviews, peer-to-peer online and face-to-face forums and more — provides IT marketers with opportunities to engage with this essential audience during the entire purchase process.”

To receive the complete study results contact Bob Melk at bmelk@idgenterprise.com.

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