When customers change how they buy, should you change the way you sell?

By the end of the second quarter of 2020, just a few months into the pandemic, XaaS revenues were significantly outperforming product revenues on a broad basis.

In light of such experiences, two-thirds — 67% — of all respondents to our study believe the overall financial upside presented by XaaS for their organizations over the next three years will generate millions of dollars, with 21% expecting more than US$1 billion. Hardware vendors, media providers and software vendors are expecting the biggest financial upside as a result of transformation to as a service.

What financial uplift do you anticipate from XaaS over the next three years?

This optimism over the financial impact of XaaS is bolstered by the Technology & Services Industry Association’s (TSIA) index of 50 technology companies, the Technology and Services 50 (T&S 50). On average, software T&S companies have seen product revenues decline by more than 12%, while service revenues, including SaaS revenues, have increased by more than 10%. Meanwhile, companies in the TSIA Managed Services Benchmarking database report an average growth rate of 32% for their managed services business, far outpacing the growth for products.

A further anticipated outcome of the migration to XaaS is improved customer engagement: 70% of organizations expect their XaaS route-to-market strategy to have a moderately or significantly positive impact on their direct engagement with end customers. For example, Xerox evolved from technology invention to service innovation by leading the managed services space.

Xerox – Evolution from technology invention to service innovation

Established as a pioneer in printing technology, Xerox transformed its business model to emerge as the leader in the managed printing services space. The company has steadily shifted from office printing products (business shrinking to almost half in the last 15 years), with managed services now accounting for almost 50% of its revenues. The transformation story of Xerox emphasizes how the shift to as-a-service models helped the business stay relevant with evolving market dynamics.

How do you expect XaaS to impact your company valuation, and does your capital allocation and M&A strategy reflect this opportunity?

XaaS models are being adopted and leveraged across industries

A growing number of organizations across industries are announcing plans to shift the majority of their portfolios to XaaS offerings over the next few years, leveraging XaaS to add software and AI capabilities to create smart-connected products and services, expand markets, and develop new ways to monetize data and algorithms. The vast majority of adopters report that XaaS has helped them create new value propositions, business models, and products and services — and has even changed how they interact with their customers.

Lenovo and Rolls-Royce are two examples from very different sectors. PC and laptop vendor Lenovo launched its TruScale Infrastructure Services, a subscription-based infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offering, in 2019; brought it under a single umbrella with Device-as-a-Service options in April 2021; and, more recently, broadened the offering into an XaaS platform to its entire portfolio in September 2021. And UK-based aero engine maker Rolls-Royce’s TotalCare® program offers customers long-term jet engine rental contracts charged on a fixed rate per flying hour, resulting in reduced waste, higher efficiency and a more robust supply chain.

Around 60% of the organizations in our survey are currently using subscription models to charge for their XaaS offerings, while 50% are applying usage- or consumption-based models and 27% are using outcome-based charging. Among the core SaaS sectors, the proportion using subscription-based models is 73%, followed by 54% with usage or consumption models, and 29% with outcome-based models.

However, this situation is set to change dramatically. In the next three years, usage- and consumption-based models are projected to experience strong uptake, driven by evolving customer expectations. Asked about their plans for the next three years, just over 61% of companies are planning to implement usage- or consumption-based models, and 30% outcome-based models.

Health care and life sciences companies are expected to exhibit the highest adoption of outcome-based models. But there are challenges to be overcome in implementing these models, with companies citing four in particular: defining and quantifying the outcome, establishing a robust governance structure (including defining and measuring KPIs), addressing financial accounting and forecasting, and enhancing control of people and processes.

What XaaS model does your company offer today — and what do you plan to add in the next three years? 

Looking across all organizations surveyed, 52% intend to shift from subscription to consumption models, with the main driver being a more predictable revenue stream. The proportion planning to make this switch rises to 56% among core SaaS companies, which cite the main drivers as evolving customer expectations and the changing competitive landscape. The shift to consumption models is highest for software vendors and media providers, at around 60%.

Why is your company shifting or planning to shift from subscriptions to consumption-based models? 

As companies shift from traditional subscription pricing toward usage-based models, they are seeking to better align with modern buying behavior and the value delivered by their products.

By combining their subscription services with usage-based pricing, companies can enable their customers to increase or enhance their offerings as needed. New customers may enter through a predictable subscription model and continue to access advanced features as needed through usage-based models. Firms are shifting toward usage-based pricing because it offers agility, affordability and minimal commitment, in turn translating into higher profitability.

The pivot to usage-based pricing has been made by startups such as Cypress, which introduced consumption-based pricing in March 2021; pre-IPO companies such as Kong, which announced a pay-as-you-go pricing tier in May 2021; and even long-established players such as 40-year-old Autodesk, which introduced pay-as-you-go pricing in September 2021.

What pricing models is your company offering or planning to offer for XaaS?

Key study findings include:

• 137% – Average net dollar retention for companies that implement usage-based pricing
• 2x – Growth in adoption rate for usage-based pricing, from 27% in 2018 to a projected 56% in 2022

About 85% of the organizations in our research are in progress with their XaaS transformations, while just under one in ten have completed the journey. Among core SaaS companies, the proportion that has completed the transformation rises to 14%, while about 80% are at the progress stage. Outside this grouping, just 5% have completed their XaaS transformations.

What’s the current stage of your organization’s XaaS transformation?

However, an analysis by sector underlines the “second wave” of migration to XaaS that’s building up across industries beyond core SaaS. The sectors in this upcoming wave include life sciences and health care, and automotive manufacturers, which both rank in the top five sectors where companies have completed their XaaS transformations.

What business processes require significant or large transformation to enable the transition to XaaS?

Sales and marketing and finance processes are the leading candidates for XaaS transformation

Turning to the processes that require transformation to operate XaaS models, our study shows that go-to-market enablement, billing and payments, and finance and accounting are the top three processes that need significant or large transformation. Similarly, the top processes requiring transformation in the core SaaS companies include billing and payments, go-to-market enablement and order management. What’s consistently clear is that sales and marketing — a key part of any business model — needs significant transformation for XaaS. These commercial changes include new channels and routes to market, greater direct digital marketing, new selling skills and commission structures, and in-product, telemetry-based upselling and cross-selling. 

What’s the magnitude of change required in sales and partner capabilities to drive XaaS market success?

Further actions being taken to prepare for XaaS include setting up customer success functions to drive adoption and expansion of as-a-service models, a step undertaken by 86% of organizations, while more than one-third — 35% — have set up a new legal entity or tax structures for XaaS. A deeper analysis shows that route-to-market strategies are shifting toward online or direct-to-consumer sales, including among the core SaaS companies. And around 70% of our respondents are leveraging existing enterprise technology to support the transformation. Some of the significant statistics include:

• 86% of the organizations have a customer success function to drive adoption and expansion of as-a-service models with their customers.
• 70% of the organizations are leveraging existing enterprise technology to a moderate to large extent to support XaaS.
• 35% of the organizations have set up a new legal entity or tax structures for XaaS.

Jeff Johnson, Mike Kelly, Adi Mengi, Al Paul and Divya Sinha also contributed to this article.