Assessing demand for HR software in the Gulf

What is shaping software

Software and SaaS companies live and die by product-market fit, pricing and retention. Users' real workflows matter more than feature lists.

• Product-led growth relies on fast time to value
• Pricing and packaging strongly affect conversion
• Churn often starts with onboarding

An HR and payroll software company, working in UAE, Saudi Arabia & Qatar. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

An HR and payroll software company

Sector

Software

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Research consultancy, Business panel, Qualitative research

The company wanted to expand into the Gulf but needed to understand local payroll, compliance and language requirements. Competitors included regional providers with strong local relationships, and the company had no presence on the ground.

• Deliver on the brief: assessing demand for HR software in the Gulf.
• Uncover the motivations and barriers people do not state in a survey.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.

Scope: 35 interviews.

Audiences we typically reach in software

Trial and paying usersAdmins and buyersChurned customersProspectsPartners and integrators

Coverage: UAE, Saudi Arabia & Qatar. Markets: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar

A qualitative design, built to uncover motivations, decision processes and the language people actually use.

1. 1Brief
2. 2HR leader interviews
3. 3Competitor review
4. 4Insight

We interviewed HR and finance leaders in Arabic and English about current systems, compliance needs and buying processes, and reviewed competing products. Interviews covered companies of different sizes and sectors, including those with large expatriate workforces, and explored how decisions were made between HR, finance and IT. We also reviewed local requirements around end-of-service benefits, wage protection and data residency.

Research consultancyBusiness panelQualitative research

• Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
• Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

interviews

35

• The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
• Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
• Review of open-ended answers
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• Arabic language support and local labour law compliance were essential.

Local compliance requirements defined the entry strategy.

• Build on the core insight: local compliance requirements defined the entry strategy.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: arabic language support and local labour law compliance were essential.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The company localised its product and partnered with a regional implementation firm.
• The company signed its first regional customers within a year, supported by the implementation partner and a localised product.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Interview summaries and key verbatims

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: what would users pay, and for which features?