The Large market fit targets solutions for large enterprises. These solutions typically generate an annual revenue of over $1 billion, and their geographic range is multinational. Moreover, they typically have advanced functionalities, complex deployment and global support and services.
Large market fit technology capability weightings
As with the other market fits, the Large market fit weightings have a significant focus on core underlying technology. Across all subcategories considered in SolutionMap benchmarking, we weigh analytics and technology-related subcategories, such as general services, data management and reporting, highest for large enterprise solutions. Meanwhile, the least-weighted subcategories are related to configurability capabilities, such as organizational modeling and project management.
Sample of Large market fit weightings by module against functionality scoring elements
Note: In this Large core platform capability weightings by module table: the darker the shading = the higher the emphasis
We emphasize the following subcategories in the Large market fit weightings by module:
- Sourcing: For a large market fit’s core platform, which includes functionalities that all SolutionMap participants are rated against, we emphasize reporting and core underlying technology, while project management and other configurability-related subcategories receive less emphasis. This is due to a large organization’s preference for advanced report building, dashboard capabilities and a highly scalable core technology architecture. Module-specific subcategories, which include functionalities specific to each of our 10 modules, emphasize reverse auctions, reverse auction configurability and RFx modeling and creation, as large enterprises value RFx support and automation. Module-specific subcategories with less emphasis include contracting and negotiations support and sourcing services.
- Spend analytics (SA): For core platform capabilities, we give higher relevance to core underlying technology, reporting and data management subcategories, while emphasizing organizational modeling, project management and document management less. We emphasize the following module-specific subcategories: analytics process support, mapping and familying and analytics workspace support. We find advanced statistical analysis and mapping support interest large enterprises because they need comprehensive trend prediction and analysis. The subcategories of account management, supplier and information management and supplier capabilities receive less emphasis.
- Supplier management (SxM): As with SA and Sourcing, we place most core platform weight on core underlying technology and reporting while placing least emphasis on configurability functionalities, such as personalization and project management. Supplier performance management is the highest-emphasized capability, while SxM knowledge management and direct quality management are considered the least relevant. This is due to how large enterprises prefer advanced metrics and performance management data, while knowledge management and material qualifications are trivial functionalities for their advanced deployment needs.
- Contract lifecycle management (CLM): Core-platform-related emphasis comprises core underlying technology and data management subcategories. Less relevant subcategories, much like other modules in the Large market fit, include project management and personalization. Module-specific subcategories with a higher weighting include contract creation, authoring and negotiation, as large enterprises look for robust contract request and negotiation systems. Less weight is given to CLM services, account management, supplier and CLM knowledge management.
- Source-to-contract (S2C): For S2C’s core platform, we give more significance to core underlying technology and reporting and less significance to project management and personalization. The emphasized subcategories are mapping, analytics process and analytics workspace support, as large enterprises prefer advanced analytics and may have more users that would value multiple workspaces. We give less weight to CLM services, SxM knowledge management and direct quality management.
- E-Procurement: For a solution’s core platform, we emphasize core underlying technology, general services and standards and integrations. We de-emphasize project management and personalization. The capability we give most relevance to is MRO and direct material requisitioning, as large organizations want advanced abilities for creating direct materials requisitions and buyer-supplier collaboration. We give the least relevance to assets requisitioning and fulfillment and tracking.
- AP Automation/Invoice-to-Pay (AP/I2P): We emphasize core platform subcategories for AP automation, such as core underlying technology, reporting and standards and integrations. We de-emphasize project management. Payment processing is the most relevant capability to AP automation because large enterprises prefer solutions that can handle payments in multiple methods and support and process payments and payment plans. Financing analytics is the least relevant capability.
- Procure-to-pay (P2P): For procure-to-pay solutions, the core platform subcategories we emphasize most are core underlying technology and general services, while project management is de-emphasized. For module-specific capabilities, supplier self-service receives the most weight, as large enterprises prefer supplier profile verification and registration management. We de-emphasize financing analytics, payment analytics and fulfillment and tracking.
- Source-to-pay (S2P): We place more emphasis on core platform subcategories, such as reporting and core underlying technology, and less on project management. For S2P-specific subcategories, we emphasize analytics process support, analytics workspace support and mapping and familying. The emphasis is warranted because large enterprises prefer advanced statistical analytics and support for multiple workspaces. We de-emphasize supplier financing analytics and fulfillment and tracking among other persistence and support-related subcategories because large enterprises are typically less interested in delivery visibility and financial analysis support.
We emphasize the following subcategories across the Large market fit for expense management and carbon management mini-maps:
- Expense management: For the core platform, we emphasize globalization, workflow and general services. We emphasize standards and integrations and data storage models the least. For module specific areas, we place more relevance on card programs and reconciliation and partner ecosystem and the least emphasis on travel expense management.
- Carbon management: For the core platform, we emphasize general services and reporting and de-emphasis on data storage models. For module-specific areas, we give more weight to calculation methodology, standards and ESG services.
Large market fit modifier weightings
In addition to capability weightings, Spend Matters also uses modifiers that vary by market fit in order to account for factors such as price, geography and value beyond technology to better account for the needs of particular markets. Each market fit also receives an overall weighting emphasis, meaning market-fit-level modifiers are applied more heavily (or not) based on the market use case.
As a whole, the Large market fit tends to apply modifier weightings less heavily than the other market fits. In other words, price, geography and value beyond technology impacts the Large market fit’s weightings less than those of the SME and Mid market fits. That said, the modifiers still make themselves felt. For example, price is weighted lower than for both Mid and SME market fit because a large enterprise solution’s advanced functionalities and complex deployment method means it typically costs more. Moreover, geography is weighted significantly higher than for SME and Mid market fits because Large market fit solutions support global services and multi-national deployments. Value beyond technology is weighted slightly more than it is for SME value beyond technology, as value delivered from services is more desirable for large enterprises. Modest differences exist across modules within the Large market fit as well:
- Large sourcing, S2C and S2P modules assign a heavier weight to geography than many other modules.
- Spend analytics include a slightly heavier weight on price.
- Finally, P2P, VMS, AP automation and e-procurement vendors have a marginally higher modifier weight on value beyond technology.
