Salesforce.com Opens Lead Over Oracle, other CRM Vendors in Latest CRM Value Matrix from Nucleus Research

Highly competitive market fueled by social and mobile features, integration with analytics and back-office applications

 
BOSTON – May 21, 2013 – Nucleus Research released the 2013 first half Technology Value Matrix for CRM, showing a fast-paced, competitive landscape with vendors who rapidly deliver social and mobile features as well as new business functionality such as analytics taking the lead. The matrix measures overall end-user value based on usability and functionality.

“The CRM space is as competitive as it’s ever been and will only get more combative as vendors differentiate themselves with social, mobile and other business features. Analytics is shaping up to be the next battle. There is only upside for the end-user customers, who are benefiting from this intense competition,” said Ian Campbell, CEO of Nucleus Research.

The findings build on the last Value Matrix (2012 H2), which showed rapidly accelerating development cycles. Leading CRM vendors took advantage of that to expand social and mobile functionality while adding analytics and other business functionality.

Salesforce.com, with its ‘customer company’ mantra, has taken the top position, opening a wide lead over Oracle and the rest of the field. Rapid development cycles propelled Veeva Systems into the leader quadrant for the first time, powered by strong social and mobile offerings.

“Leading vendors in CRM are delivering innovation in usability and functionality at a rapid pace, with upgrades and enhancements happening every few months. In this competitive marketplace, companies that stay on top of new ROI opportunities can maximize value from their CRM investment and use their knowledge to make more informed negotiation and upgrade decisions,” said Rebecca Wettemann, VP of research at Nucleus Research.

The Value Matrix is based on functionality and usability, the two core measures that Nucleus has found indicate an application’s ability to deliver initial ROI and, ultimately, maximum value over time.

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global provider of investigative, case-based technology research and advisory services that provide real-world insight into maximizing technology value. For more information, visit NucleusResearch.com or follow us on Twitter @NucleusResearch.