Zycus and other Independent Sourcing Suite Vendors Leading a Transformation

PRINCETON N.J., March 25, 2014– A recent study conducted by Topline Strategy Group,lists Zycus, among the independent providers that are spearheading a paradigm shift in the upstream sourcing solutions market. The study, conducted in Sep-Nov 2013, surveyed and interviewed Managers, Directors and VPs directly responsible for sourcing in companies with $1B or more in revenue. While based out of North America, many of the companies who participated in the study were global organizations. In total, the survey received feedback on 217 application deployments at 151 companies.

The study compared the customer loyalty toward the solution offerings by ERP vendors with that of Independent vendors using the measure of Net promoter score (NPS). NPS has, over the years, gained prominence as a core measure of how customers actually feel about the solution. According to the study findings, the NPS of ERP vendors (-30%) trailed the NPS of independent vendors (-17%) by a significant margin due to the downside of the ERP vendors’ solutions in the areas that business users care most about – the user experience and depth of functionality. The NPS for the Upstream Sourcing Solutions market, as a whole, was found to be -24%.

According to the study findings, the NPS of ERP vendors (-30%) trailed the NPS of independent vendors (-17%) by a significant margin due to the downside of the ERP vendors’ solutions in the areas that business users care most about – the user experience and depth of functionality.

Zycus CEO Aatish Dedhia says, “The current market shift in procurement solutions from ERP vendors to Independent suite providers is a result of customers focusing more on the adaptability of the solutions to their business and sourcing processes. The days of exclusive and specialized procurement solution expertise are here with the market leaning toward solutions which offer the best-of-breed procurement capabilities and ease of use.”