Zapier's 2018 Software Trends Report

Sometimes you can't see the progress until you look back. In the 7 years since Zapier started automating apps, software changed perhaps more than we realize. Apps sync across devices and voice assistants play whatever song we want and ads tell us who clicked on them. That's magically new in the grand scheme of tech—yet it's just how things work today. Then right along with the new is the old, the email and RSS and spreadsheets that carry along silently, getting work done regardless of every new startup that tries to disrupt them.

It's been quite the half-decade. Here's what our team has learned as we've helped our users automate their tasks and worked with the teams behind the 1,000 apps that connect to Zapier today. They're the trends that shape how we work today—and how we'll work better tomorrow.

Read the full companion report: https://zapier.com/blog/software-trends-report-2018/

Transcript

1. Zapier Software Trends Report What we learned from 1,000 SaaS apps
2. Email is still more popular than team chat.
4. –Wade Foster, Zapier CEO “People ask me what’s trendy, and my answer is always ‘email.’ Despite a crowded space, new email apps enter every year and thrive.”
5. You need all the social networks.
7. Team chat, video call, and webinar app users are the most loyal.
9. –Cody Jones, Zapier Head of Partnerships “Unlike other categories where users will jump between multiple providers, chat, video, and webinar tools seem to command user loyalty.”
10. Sometimes competing categories are actually complimentary.
12. - Webinars - Spreadsheets - Bookmarks Each gained the fewest new apps over the past 6 years. The Most Mature Categories:
13. - Marketing Automation - Real Estate - Business Management Specialized apps that help you do one part of your business better are increasingly popular. The Fastest Growing Categories:
14. So.
15. What Makes an App Successful? Our observations from the 1,000 apps that integrate with Zapier.
16. “The success of these simple single purpose apps at nailing one functionality continues to impress me.” 1. They Do One Thing Well –Wade Foster, Zapier CEO
17. “I think the next big trend is going to be databases that allow you to change the visual display of data at the click of a button.” 2. They’re Flexible –Jesse Parker, Zapier Head of Success
18. “Focused apps don't have to do everything in large part because they can rely on other single purpose apps to do the rest.” 3. They Integrate with Other Apps
19. “Sometimes it takes a new idea to grow the market, setting the stage for another level of innovation and the next set of new apps and ideas.” 4. They Expand the Market as a Platform
20. Read the Full Report: zapier.com/blog/software-trends-report-2018