It’s clear from Gartner’s research that SaaS is far ahead of other types of end-user services in terms of market size and market share of income. Businesses of all kinds are increasingly using Cloud-based SaaS solutions, and Gartner estimates that this will result in an annual expenditure of $172 billion by 2022. Nearly 30% more than IaaS or PaaS solutions, this is the most cost-effective way to get infrastructure and platform as a service.
These data illustrate that SaaS solutions are in high demand across a wide range of industries, suggesting that this form of software benefits both consumers and manufacturers.
Types of SaaS models
The most common SaaS models that firms employ to streamline their internal operations and make mundane, tedious labor easier.
SaaS model with self-service
A complex sales force will not be well-served by this sort of system. It’s a fantastic match for organizations with low-cost, high-turnover business models that provide clients with a lot of their items at affordable costs. The SaaS model is a viable option if your firm is a good match for the customers you are aiming to attract.
Transactional SaaS model
This software-as-a-service architecture offers more choices to tailor the solution to your customers’ requirements. There are fewer users than with the self-service approach; thus, this would work well for small and medium-sized enterprises. The cost will be based on the number of users, so it’s an excellent option.
Enterprise SaaS model
Users may create long-term and trusting connections with this model type. High-level technical assistance is required, and top-notch marketing for individual clients is required for major firms with extensive sales divisions.
Businesses may benefit from SaaS development.
Google WorkSpace, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and Microsoft Service 365 are just some of the numerous SaaS platforms used by organizations today. There are a lot of SaaS-based applications out there that cater to certain company requirements. Because SaaS product deployment automates and simplifies the internal company processes, it is easy to see why this demand is so high.
The following are some of the advantages of SaaS apps that we’ve noticed:
- Meeting a variety of corporate requirements with a wide range of resources.
- Customers don’t have to install or maintain the SaaS product; instead, they pay a monthly subscription price and have unlimited access to all the software’s features and updates. The provider is responsible for any functionality enhancements and problem fixes.
- SaaS solutions can handle a large number of users without affecting the application’s performance;
- Enhancements such as integration with other company software may be possible based on the SaaS model used.
- SaaS programs may be accessed from any location with an internet connection. Thus they are everywhere and always.
- SaaS product experience
- Customer satisfaction with your SaaS solution is mostly determined by their interaction with the SaaS product itself. Discover what makes a great product experience and how you can help make it even better.
Customers’ interactions with SaaS applications and their feedback constitute the SaaS product experience. Due to the rapid expansion of the SaaS industry and the resulting increased competition, this is an extremely important issue to keep in mind. To do this, your SaaS product must:
- Slow and full of flaws and problems that can be rectified in a matter of minutes;
- Complex to use and has poor UI;
- Has features and technologies that aren’t applicable;
- Inability to adjust or customize your services to the specific business requirements of your clients;
- Disregarding the opinions of customers;
- Only focus on sales.
Furthermore, practically all SaaS providers provide clients with a free trial period. They may discover all the flaws of your SaaS solution and continue searching for a better product from your competitors.
Moreover, we’d want to look at the sales-centric strategy and its possible consequences for your SaaS product. One of the primary goals of developing SaaS products is to earn money and construct a distinct brand that stands out from its competitors’ products, which is the case. On the other hand, a sales-centric approach is not a successful strategy, particularly if your SaaS product is new to the market and you want to sell more subscriptions.
In order to better understand your ICP – a kind of company, demands, and requirements that are in demand in the region, as well as the major pains and issues that can be remedied with the correct SaaS product – you need to take a customer-centric approach to development.
SaaS largest companies
Adobe
As of this article’s publication, Adobe had revenues of $95 billion and a market worth of more than $300 billion, making it the world’s most successful and largest licensed SaaS product development firm. In the years leading up to 2021, Adobe sold its products as one-time purchases, but it has made the astute choice to switch to a subscription-based SaaS model. The SaaS approach makes it simpler for users to keep up with the product’s frequent upgrades and to utilize it. A few of the company’s most popular goods and services include the following:
Photoshop is widely utilized by many businesses and freelancers, not just those in the design or architectural industries.
Postscript is a computer language that is used to read and write documents.
Salesforce
While writing this, Salesforce was the second-biggest corporation globally by revenue and market capitalization, providing customers with SaaS solutions that help improve sales automation via cloud-based business applications and readymade Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software implementations.
Salesforce has a broad range of products, including Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Essentials, Salesforce IQ, Salesforce SPQ, Salesforce Data Management, etc.
Shopify
You don’t need to design a bespoke corporate website to display your items online since you may utilize the services of existing e-commerce platforms to create and manage your online shop.
According to the most recent financial data, Shopify is the most well-known e-commerce platform, with sales of $185 billion. For online stores, it offers a wide range of features, including
An infinite number of products may be added.
- Point of sale;
- Dashboard;
- Staff management;
- Customer support;
- Staff management;
- E-commerce platform;
- Creation of manual orders.
Concerns in the development of SaaS products
Your SaaS product development objectives must be well defined and understood in conjunction with a thorough analysis of your target audience and identification of the primary problems when making SaaS product selections for their enterprises.
Your SaaS product is not problem-solving
A thorough investigation of your target market is essential before you begin developing a SaaS solution to better understand their needs. If you don’t know what your customers want, your SaaS solution won’t be sufficient to answer industry problems and won’t be useful to them. Choosing freelancers or untrustworthy SaaS product development businesses is the most common source of this problem.
Your SaaS product’s success depends on being customer-centric and understanding your ICP. Your SaaS product’s functionality should be tested using an MVP to get a feel of how it works in reality and to see whether there is a demand for it from potential clients. After that, you may make changes depending on beta testers’ feedback, but you’ll also need to consider the demographics of the final users.
Low customer acquisition
Your SaaS product’s lifetime value (LTV) must be greater than the cost of acquiring new customers (CAC). So, if your company spends more money attracting new consumers and selling them your product than it costs to produce, or if both of those expenses surpass what your product is worth, your earnings will fall and have little chance of increasing.
- Customer turnover is higher than customer growth
- Customers will inevitably leave a company for a variety of reasons, including:
- Your software-as-a-service (SaaS) and the user experience are both subpar.
- Customers no longer need your SaaS product.
- Similar or lower costs may be found for superior SaaS goods from competitors.
- The details of your customer’s company may differ from those of your own.
Although some of the causes for turnover may be handled, it is hard to forecast all of them. We recommend that you employ a variety of technologies to monitor your customers’ journeys, gather their comments, and change your SaaS solution to their needs as quickly as possible.
Keeping up with changes in the market.
A really unique SaaS product on the market is almost hard to come across because of the industry’s fast growth. SaaS products are not required to be one of a kind since the success of your solution is determined by how well they serve your customers’ needs, how fast you can respond to those needs, and how well you can adapt your solution to market trends and consumer demands.
Tough integration of your SaaS product
It is critical for most businesses that new software solutions do not negatively impact internal operations and that it does not require a long time or effort to deploy and educate employees on how to utilize them.
Customers should be able to pay their subscriptions and get their bills quickly and easily when using a SaaS solution. A well-detailed description of your SaaS product’s price options, including all continuing features.
Things to keep in mind when developing a SaaS product
Find out what the most common problems and concerns are for users.
Before creating the product specs, you must first identify your target audience’s primary issues and needs. Your SaaS product development is a massive undertaking since your clients have a wide range of business demands and expectations that must be addressed. If your solution is successful, you need to know what your target audience is looking for in a SaaS product and figure out how to meet their needs.
Consider the extent of your SaaS product development before making a decision.
Your SaaS product may have an unclear scope of functionality that is overly wide if you cover all of your target audience’s needs. Take a deeper look at each prospective customer’s issue and think about what underlying themes unify them, rather than trying to think of every conceivable problem. When developing SaaS software, you should concentrate on solving particular challenges and pain points in the industry rather than spreading yourself too far.
Engage skilled developers that can build your SaaS product.
Your SaaS product’s goal and concept may be brilliant, but if your software partner lacks domain and technology expertise, it is unlikely that your idea will succeed. Assuming you’re not a techie and aren’t familiar with all of the specifics involved in the creation of a SaaS product, you’ll want to work with a company that has the relevant experience in both developing successful SaaS products and facilitating the transition from on-premise business apps to SaaS solutions in the cloud.
Have a fund set up for unforeseen circumstances.
SaaS income will be difficult to anticipate during the first year after the introduction of the product. In the beginning, you need to invest in acquiring high-quality customers by demonstrating to them the value and advantages of utilizing your SaaS product and your major differentiators from the competition. Based on the feedback and satisfaction of your SaaS customers, you’ll be able to identify your potential income and change your plan for raising it.
Best practices of SaaS development
Concept
The concept of your SaaS company is what determines whether or not it will be a success. Analyze your prospective clients (your target audience) and find out how you can assist them with their everyday concerns to make the concept of your SaaS development crystal clear. SaaS functionality must strike the nail on the head to develop a great solution for your consumers’ issues.
Competitive investigation
Because your SaaS development’s idea and objectives are clear, it’s time to analyze what your rivals’ prospective consumers have to offer (in terms of features, costs, and designs) and determine what enhancements you can make to your SaaS product to set it apart from the pack. To get a complete picture of how a company grows, reading about well-known SaaS startups like Zoom or Shopify and their journeys from the beginning to the moment would be beneficial.
Monetization
User registration and recurring (subscription-based) payment are two of the most important SaaS features. SaaS product development is all about unlocking the full potential to monetize and generate money – one of the primary goals. After a SaaS product has been established on the market, there are a variety of pricing structures that may be used for new items.
The design idea
Designing a SaaS product’s user interface and experience is critical. Hence designers with prior expertise dealing with SaaS products must handle this role. Whether or not people will remain with or reject your solutions is related directly to the usability and availability of your solution’s design.
Development – MVP
During this phase, you’ll be selecting the technology and developers you’ll need to construct your SaaS solution. MVP development is recommended so that you may test the SaaS solution’s fundamental features and specify the future development path. As a result, the SaaS solution must work well for all beta testers and beyond to ensure that it meets all of their needs.
Testing
MVP development involves some testing and debugging, but the final SaaS product version must still be tested for its security measures, usability, and practicality before publishing.
Maintenance
SaaS products need ongoing maintenance. The SaaS business is booming, and the competition is high. There are no excuses if you want to retain clients and “remain in the game” by constantly updating and improving your product’s capabilities.
How long does it take to build a SaaS product?
The time and cost of developing a new SaaS product from scratch depending on various variables, including the scope of the project, the technology chosen, and the number of people involved.
- Your project’s scope;
- The number of functions and the degree of difficulty with which they execute;
- If necessary, API integration
- It’s very uncommon for SaaS product development to have many components that need a significant amount of time to build.
- Unique SaaS product development typically takes six months.
As we’ve previously discussed, it’s difficult to pin down actual SaaS product development expenses since they vary widely depending on the project’s scope. Our team may also develop your SaaS product’s MVP, which means that the software solution can be tested and utilized by the product’s initial consumers. The development team uses user input to determine the project’s future direction and may propose modifications to the project’s scope.
