- The purchase process for data and analytics tools involves determining business needs, evaluating products/services, recommending vendors, approving purchases, and post-sales engagement. Key decision-makers include the CIO, line of business management, and chief data officer. - On average, the buying cycle for data and analytics tools is 4.9 months. Nearly half of purchases in the past 24 months were for additions to existing tools, while 32% were for upgrades and 22% for replacing technologies. - Common sources of information used in making purchasing decisions include white papers, technology content sites, analyst firms, product testing/reviews, product demos, and analyst research. However, only 35% of downloaded content was found valuable

1. Average that data & analytics focused
decision-makers download to aid
them throughout the purchase process
UNDERSTANDINGTHE
DATA&ANALYTICS-SPECIFIC
PURCHASEPROCESS
of organizations have big data/analytics
tools in place or are actively researching
these technologies
DECISIONSWITHINTHEDATA&ANALYTICSPURCHASEPROCESS
Who represents the data
& analytics buying team?
OFDATA&ANALYTICS
PURCHASESHAVEITASTHE
PRIMARYBUDGETHOLDER
Data & analytics purchase
types in the past 24 months
of data & analytics
purchases were made
from new vendors
How long is the average data
& analytics buying cycle?
Source: IDG Customer Engagement, 2019; IDG Role & Influence of the Technology Decision-Maker, 2019; Worldwide Big Data and
Analytics Spending Guide, IDC; IDG Digital Business Study, 2019
To learn more about the data & analytics purchase process and how
IDG can help you identify content gaps and needs to help you better
engage this audience, contact your IDG sales representative.
BILLION
$274.389%
are involved
in data &
analytics
purchases
CONTENTEDUCATINGDATA&ANALYTICSDECISION-MAKERS
13IT23
DETERMINETHE
BUSINESSNEED1
1 Lineofbusiness
mgmt 41%
2 Chiefdata
officer 29%
3 Business
relationshipmgr 28%
RECOMMENDOR
SELECTVENDORS4
1 Architect 40%
CIO
2 ITmgmt 27%
Engineer
EVALUATEPRODUCTS
&SERVICES3
1 Architect 42%
2 Engineer 41%
3 CIO 38%
SELLINTERNALLY
5
1 Lineofbusiness
mgmt 29%
2 CIO 28%
3 Business
relationshipmgr 26%
APPROVEOR
AUTHORIZEPURCHASES6
1 CFO 39%
2 CIO 38%
3 CEO 44%
POSTSALES
ENGAGEMENT7
1 ITstaff 35%
2 ITmgmt 32%
3 Lineofbusiness
mgmt 31%
of ITDMs said this was
because it was a new
initiative request from
line of business executives
51%
43%
4.9MONTHS
46% Additions
32% Upgrades
22% Replace existing
technologies
n White papers
n Tech content sites
n Analyst firms
MOSTRELIED-UPONPIECESOFCONTENT
Offer proof
of concept
But there’s still
more work to
be done...
7PIECESOFCONTENT
HOWDOYOUADDVALUE?
Respond quickly
to questions
or requests for
information
Offer free trials/
product demos
when engaging
with data &
analytics ITDMs
This means that 65%
did not provide value!
35%
n Product testing/reviews/opinions
n Product demo/product literature
n Analyst research
TOPSOURCESOFINFORMATION
10LOB
By 2022, worldwide big data
and business analytics revenue is
expected to reach
56%
PEOPLE
Only 35% of data &
analytics-specific
downloaded content has
provided value to ITDMs
in the past 12 months.
DETERMINETECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS2
1 Architect 39%
CIO
Engineer
36%2
40% of ITDMs consider big data/analytics to be a disruptive technology
– a tool that has the potential to significantly altar the way their business operates
52% 48% 48%