ERP and CRM Solutions Adoption in Western European Vertical Markets: An End-User Perspective

This study draws on the results of IDC's latest European Vertical Markets Survey, which was carried out between May and August 2010 among 2,194 companies with more than 20 employees operating in the five largest Western European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.). The survey investigated IT spending directions, solution priorities, investment plans, and the adoption of a range of solutions and technologies across vertical markets, as well as the role of IT within the organization, IT budget dynamics, channel selection, and customer satisfaction with IT suppliers. This study focuses on key survey findings related to customer relationship management (CRM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, including adoption and short-term investment plans, for both on-premises and SaaS solutions, by vertical market. Survey results are aggregated into the following eight vertical markets: financial services, discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, retail/wholesale, telecom/media/energy, business services/transport, government/education, and healthcare.

"Survey results confirm ERP and CRM among the most widely adopted IT solution areas," said Serena Da Rold, program manager, IDC European Vertical Views. "Nevertheless, investment plans remain healthy, both for the adoption of new solutions and for enhancements and upgrades. While overall penetration remains higher for ERP than for CRM, adoption levels for SaaS remain significantly higher in the CRM space, which is, together with security, one of the most mature markets for on-demand software."