Fashion retail has long faced unique challenges when it comes to building the ideal tech stack. These have typically included a) the need for complex systems to track inventory movements, multiple sales channels, and ever-changing product data - at once, and b) the industry being slow to adopt automated software over traditional and legacy business intelligence tools.
Now that’s changing. Fashion brands, and especially enterprise and department store retailers, are evolving from dated systems and manual spreadsheet input to be at the forefront of modern merchandising — and it's why the Style Arcade team is proud to announce we’ve got a new G2 award to add to our list!
For G2’s Fall 2025 reports, we’re thrilled to be awarded Highest User Adoption in the Retail Intelligence category thanks to our Product and Brand Success teams ensuring our users get the most out of Style Arcade. In fact, Style Arcade adoption metrics rival those of Slack and Microsoft Teams within our brands and retailers, meaning it's the most widely used application for completing work tasks.
Here, we uncover the benefits of high user adoption rates for software-as-a-service (SaaS) and why powerful tech stacks are setting fashion teams up for the future of retail.
What is SaaS user adoption?
SaaS user adoption refers to when new users of a platform, e.g., Style Arcade, learn how to use and ultimately commit to consistently engaging with the product. Adoption involves more than procuring a set-and-forget system; once a user officially adopts or activates the software, they’ve begun to experience its value, use it regularly, and begin to depend on the product in order to complete tasks or solve problems.
For Style Arcade’s G2 award, this means our retail intelligence platform has the highest rate of users actively using and engaging with the software within its category, with the key criteria of this award including: ease of use, intuitive interface, fast, smooth implementation and onboarding, and high engagement and sustained usage by customers.
Key statistics on software adoption rates
- Product adoption rate, meaning the share of new users who become active and engaged within a given timeframe, in SaaS can range from ~17% on average up to ~65% for high-performing businesses.
- 95% of organizations have implemented SaaS solutions in their operations
- Enterprises use 130 SaaS apps on average
- Artificial intelligence (AI) software is the biggest SaaS sector based on customer count, with 3 billion global customers
- Organizations use just 49% of their SaaS licenses, leaving 51% wasted, and costing $21 million annually in unused licenses
- McKinsey’s most recent Global Survey on AI revealed, “Half of respondents say their organizations have adopted AI in two or more business functions, up from less than a third of respondents in 2023”
- On average, six new SaaS applications enter organizations monthly, adding complexity to procurement and governance processes
- Microsoft has the largest SaaS market capitalization in the world at more than $3 trillion
Sources: PayPro Global, SemRush, Zylo
Why is the fast adoption of new software important for fashion retail teams?
Quickly and seamlessly onboarding multiple departments or entire teams is crucial for customers to gauge the true impact of the tool within the business, to ensure minimal product data disruptions, and to maximize the return on the investment (ROI) of the software.
Before acquiring a new platform or software tool, retailers should consider:
- What is the onboarding experience like? Early engagement should be enhanced by customized onboarding procedures that walk users through the system, highlight essential features, and provide tailored recommendations.
- Is it a fit? Do the platform’s features suit your business requirements and integrate seamlessly with your workflows?
- Is it user-friendly? Quick adoption will rely on a visually-led, intuitive interface with features relevant to your existing procedures, and that are easy to understand.
- What’s the customer service like? Timely and effective assistance helps users overcome obstacles, builds confidence, and encourages user adoption.
When should fashion retail teams audit their tech stacks?
Teams should carefully consider business investments in tech tools, platforms, and systems to balance their expenses with cash flow and bottom line. Fashion retail teams, from e-commerce to marketing, design, and merchandise planning, work with infinite systems to improve efficiency and project management; however, if you’ve lost track of your tech stack or have one or more tools with the same functions, it’s time to audit.
To audit your technology investments, conduct a thorough analysis that also involves weighing up the benefits of implementing any new technologies, such as advanced analytics, inventory management systems, or automated marketing platforms.
- Define what the business and individual departments are using each tool for
- Calculate the %age of each tool’s overall functionality that’s being used
- Gauge how important that tool is to each team
- Understand the scalability and long-term viability of your tech stack
- Evaluate the potential ROI and the long-term impact your tech stack has on profitability
Why is Style Arcade leading user adoption for retail intelligence?
The speed at which teams embrace the tool means the speed at which brands and retailers begin to experience the impact of better product decisions. This is made possible by:
- Onboarding and training from our dedicated Brand Success team, with the same level of support continuing post go-live
- An in-house integration platform designed to make light work of retail-specific data quality and linking issues
- Style Arcade was founded, built, and is currently staffed by fashion retail merchandising, buying, and e-commerce veterans who deeply understand the day-to-day workflows, tasks, and processes of retail businesses.
With a 4.8-star rating based on 1300+ G2 reviews, our retail teams are onboarded fast, so they can start making profitable assortment planning decisions even faster.
