Why retail tech and SaaS need big thinking B2B PR to break through

Written by Simpatico PR

Posted on 2025-05-29

Estimating the exact number of retail technology SaaS companies is challenging due to the dynamic nature of the market and the broad definition of "retail technology." However, one thing is clear – there are a hell of a lot of them.

Here’s a recent breakdown of the SaaS market:

Overall SaaS market: There are as many as 200,000 SaaS companies globally, with the US having the largest share (around 9,100 to 17,000 companies) and the UK follows with more than 2,000 across all verticals.

Retail SaaS specifics:

• It is estimated there are around 10,600 companies specifically in the Retail SaaS sector worldwide.
• The "Retail Management System Software" market, which includes SaaS, was valued at USD 3.41 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 8.42 billion by 2032.
• Similarly, the "Retail E-Commerce Software" market, which heavily features SaaS solutions, was valued at USD 8.33 billion last year.
• The "Retail Cloud" market, where SaaS is the largest service model, was valued at USD 47 billion in 2023.

For any B2B PR and marketing team operating in this area, the immense size and continuous growth of the overall SaaS market, and the significant market values of retail-specific software categories like retail management, e-commerce, and cloud solutions, amount to an overwhelming challenge.

It is particularly difficult to create effective B2B PR and marketing for SaaS technology services for a number of other reasons.

1. Intangible product

SaaS solutions are not physical products, so it’s harder to visually or emotionally connect with them. Unlike consumer tech, there's no hardware or physical user experience to show off in media.

It is therefore harder to craft compelling stories without a tangible “wow” factor.

2. Complex, technical messaging

SaaS offerings often solve niche or technical problems that may not be easily understood by business audiences or even journalists. Many competitors are using the same language and promoting similar propositions.

So, the challenge is to simplify the value proposition without dumbing it down, especially for non-technical media. I wrote recently about what retail media tech companies could learn from the past masters of media marketing - here.

3. Limited news hooks

SaaS companies don't always have frequent "newsworthy" events - like product launches or partnerships - that appeal to press.

So, generating consistent media interest without relying solely on funding announcements or feature updates is also challenging – a B2B PR agency partner cannot rely on the press office function being a driver of earned media opportunities.

4. B2B focus

Most SaaS is B2B, which means:

• Smaller potential media pool (tech, business, trade)

• Longer sales cycles

• Stories that focus more on ROI than emotion

What that means is, B2B PR will typically get less mainstream media traction compared to consumer tech.

5. Metrics-driven culture vs. brand storytelling

SaaS marketing tends to be performance-driven (leads, conversions, MRR), while PR is about brand positioning and long-term trust, which can be harder to measure.

This means that typically B2B PR agencies and internal marketing teams have to work hard to prove PR’s ROI to leadership used to data-driven tactics. I wrote recently about the relationship between B2B PR and sales - here.

How to overcome these challenges

• Focus on thought leadership: position execs as industry experts.
• Use case studies and customer success stories to humanise the tech.
• Simplify messaging to focus on impact, not just features.
• Engage in trend-jacking: relate your SaaS to current industry trends.
• Build relationships with niche media who truly understand the tech.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat – creatively.

An integrated B2B PR and marketing plan including elements like podcasting, speak platform opportunities, LinkedIn posts, blogs, press releases and market whitepapers – bespoke research if you can afford it - are all essential.

But without ideas and creativity fueling all of that, you’ll stay vanilla. And sales will not perform as strongly.

Time and again experts in the B2B marketing space come back to thought leadership as the number one element in business marketing for all the reasons above and this is especially so for SaaS. What that looks like is:

• Byline articles and features from your company in earned media customers will actually read.

• Better LinkedIn content – it’s been through quality control.

• Great ideas for presentations, podcast and speaker opportunities.

• More original and informative ideas for whitepapers, webinars, events.

• Intelligent ideas for B2B advertising.

• In other words, better ways to win attention and drive sales.

Think like a B2B influencer.

• Lift your eyes up from the daily challenge of marketing and ask yourself why the product was launched in the first place.
• What is happening in the market it will serve?
• What specific scenarios and growth challenges are retail customers facing?
• What is driving those challenges – consumer behaviour, tech, economics, culture?
• Where is all this headed?
• Ask yourself what do you read – what influences you in an average week?
• Break down what your customers want to know.

Use a B2B PR agency creative partner to help you and your team get there, because retail tech and SaaS needs big thinking and personality to influence, lead and sell successfully.

Find out more about our B2B PR agency approach to thought leadership and B2B marketing at www.simpaticopr.co.uk.