SaaS Sales Market Report 2025

Executive Summary

The SaaS market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in technology, driven by digital transformation and increasing cloud adoption. The UK SaaS market is projected to grow from £2.73 billion in 2015 to £62.4 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 21.4%. Similarly, the global market is expected to reach £552.5 billion, highlighting SaaS as a dominant force in the tech industry.

The UK market is diverse, with enterprise software (25%), CRM and sales tools (20%), and collaboration software (15%) making up the largest segments. SaaS employment has surged, with 65,000 professionals in 2024, though a skills shortage of over 9,300 remains a challenge.

Sales trends show a shift towards usage-based pricing, AI-driven automation, and platform consolidation. Businesses increasingly prefer integrated solutions over standalone tools, and industry-specific SaaS is expanding, particularly in finance, healthcare, and retail.

Despite rapid growth, competition is fierce, and customer retention is a key challenge. Compliance with regulations such as GDPR is also critical. Major players like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Sage continue to shape the market. As demand for scalable, cloud-based solutions rises, SaaS remains a high-growth industry with significant opportunities for innovation and expansion.

We welcome the redistribution or reference to this report, please cite Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment and www.aaronwallis.co.uk as the author.

Rob Scott, Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, Author Photo

Rob Scott

Managing Director at Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment

Despite macro-economic challenges, it’s clear that SaaS is here to stay in 2025. Pretty much every major organisation in the world is going through some sort of digital transformation with budgets often committed from initiatives started in previous years. With the challenges in developing in-house solutions, SaaS is pivotal to the execution of digital processes.

SaaS Market Size and Growth Rate

The SaaS market has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, with both the UK and global markets expanding significantly. From 2015 to 2030, the UK SaaS market is projected to grow from £2.73 billion to £62.40 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 21.4%. The global market follows a similar trajectory, rising from £26.52 billion in 2015 to £552.50 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of around 20.5%. This expansion is driven by increasing cloud adoption, digital transformation, and demand for scalable software solutions across industries, solidifying SaaS as a dominant force in technology.

What makes up the UK SaaS market?

Category Proportion of Market (%) Absolute Value (£ billion)
Enterprise Software 25% 7.02
CRM & Sales Tools 20% 5.62
Collaboration & Communication 15% 4.21
Financial Management 12% 3.37
Industry-Specific SaaS 10% 2.81
Marketing & Analytics 7% 1.97
Other SaaS Solutions 11% 3.09

SaaS Professionals

As of 2025, the United Kingdom employed approximately 65,000 SaaS professionals, reflecting the sector's rapid expansion from 28,500 in December 2021. SaaS has been one of the fastest-growing segments in the tech industry over the past five years.

Despite this growth, a significant talent gap remains, with an estimated shortfall of over 9,300 skilled workers. This shortage highlights the ongoing demand for professionals who can develop, manage, and scale cloud-based software solutions.

SaaS Sales Professionals

Approximately 9,000 salespeople work in the UK SaaS industry in 2025, based on industry averages and available workforce data.

Average sales salaries in UK SaaS

Role Lower OTE Range (2025) Higher OTE Range (2025)
Sales Director, SaaS £100,000 £220,000
Head of Sales, SaaS £70,000 £110,000
Business Development Manager, SaaS £55,000 £75,000
Account Director, SaaS £55,000 £70,000
Sales Development Representative, SaaS £45,000 £55,000
Customer Success Manager, SaaS £45,000 £55,000
Business Development Executive, SaaS £30,000 £45,000
Sales Executive, SaaS £30,000 £45,000

Sales Trends in SaaS

The SaaS industry is evolving rapidly, driven by changing customer expectations, digital transformation, and the demand for more flexible, subscription-based services. More businesses are moving away from traditional software licences in favour of usage-based and consumption-based pricing models, giving customers greater flexibility and ensuring they only pay for what they actually use.

AI and automation are playing a bigger role in sales strategies, with SaaS companies using machine learning to personalise customer interactions, improve lead qualification, and enhance customer support through chatbots and automated workflows.

Another major shift is the move towards platform consolidation. Instead of using multiple standalone tools, businesses are looking for integrated, all-in-one solutions that simplify workflows and reduce costs. This has led to increased demand for SaaS products that offer seamless integrations or complete end-to-end solutions.

Industry-specific SaaS is also on the rise, with tailored software solutions becoming more common in sectors like healthcare, finance, and retail. Partnerships with cloud providers and fintech firms are helping SaaS companies expand their offerings and reach new markets.

Challenges in the SaaS Industry

Despite its rapid growth, the SaaS industry faces several challenges. Competition is fiercer than ever, making it harder for companies to stand out. Customer churn is another key issue, meaning businesses need strong retention strategies such as personalised onboarding, value-driven upselling, and customer success initiatives.

Data security and regulatory compliance are also critical concerns, particularly with increasing scrutiny around data privacy. Companies need to ensure they meet frameworks such as GDPR and SOC 2 to build and maintain customer trust.

The shift towards remote and hybrid working has changed how businesses use SaaS, with a growing need for seamless collaboration tools and better integrations between different platforms. At the same time, customer acquisition costs are rising, making it more important than ever to focus on lifetime value rather than just new sign-ups.

Top Companies Shaping the SaaS Industry

United Kingdom:

  • Salesforce (UK): A leader in cloud-based CRM, helping businesses manage customer relationships.
  • HubSpot (UK): Providing marketing, sales, and customer service software.
  • Sage: Specialising in cloud-based accounting and financial solutions for businesses.

Global:

  • Salesforce: The largest CRM provider, offering tools for sales, marketing, and customer engagement.
  • ServiceNow: A major player in IT service management and workflow automation.
  • Snowflake: A leader in cloud data warehousing and analytics.
  • Shopify: A dominant force in e-commerce SaaS, providing everything from website building to payment processing.
  • Adobe (Creative Cloud & Experience Cloud): Offering tools for design, marketing, and data-driven customer experiences.

Sources

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Rob Scott - Aaron Wallis

by Rob Scott

Managing Director

Rob Scott, Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, Author Photo

About the author

Rob Scott

Rob is the Managing Director of Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, a national recruitment agency specialising in sourcing sales and marketing staff for businesses across a broad range of commercial sectors. Before setting up Aaron Wallis, Rob spent ten years at a specialist Sales and Marketing recruitment division of a £0.5BN recruitment group, leaving in 2007 as Marketing & Sales Director to establish Aaron Wallis.
 
With over 26 years of experience in sales recruitment, Rob is a History graduate with an MBA (Merit) and a PgCert in Management Practice.  In 2007, 2009 and 2013, Rob conducted the most extensive surveys of sales professionals in the UK and is a trusted authority in the sales industry. From guiding employers through the recruitment process to helping candidates find their dream job, Rob's advice has been quoted in leading publications such as the FT, Business Insider, Forbes and The Independent, as well as OnRec, which hosts The Online Recruitment Awards every year.