In a previous article, I described the benefits and challenges of using reviews for software selection.
Next, we will examine how to use them at each process stage: discovery, research, evaluation, decision, and implementation.
This article will focus on the first stage: discovery. As the name implies, this stage is about finding information about a software market, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), without a clear intention to buy software.
How reviews help with the discovery stage of ERP selection
No matter how experienced and knowledgeable you are, the ERP market is so vast and complex that it's almost impossible to know it well. The main challenge is that there are various types of ERP systems, depending on the industry sector and even by type of manufacturing.
If you're new to ERP, this type of software is defined as a mix of features for most or all business needs of a company, from front office (sales and CRM) to back office (accounting and HR) and operations (manufacturing, logistics, or project management).
There are also hundreds of products and vendors in this market. The ERP systems category includes 633 products, while the other ERP categories have from a few dozen to a few hundred.
The difference in the number of products is explained by the fact that ERP Systems include all types of solutions, while the other categories only list products that focus on a specific industry or type of business.
Keep in mind that products can be included in more than one category, so there is overlap between categories. However, the number of products doesn't tell you much about the market, and there are other ways to learn about ERP.
Where to start with ERP discovery on G2
There are several ways to start your ERP discovery on G2:
- Search for ERP-related terms on G2.
- Explore children categories under the ERP parent category.
- Read reports by category, combined with segment, region, etc.
- Chat with our AI chatbot, Monty, and ask questions about ERP.
Let's look at each option and its pros and cons for discovery.
Search may seem like the obvious first step, but it provides limited information. If you search for simple keywords like “ERP”, you will find a list of categories related to this type of software, products that include the keyword in their name and description, and resources such as articles and glossary pages.
Tip: The G2 Technology Glossary offers an extensive list of terms and their definitions, many of which are related to ERP.
Resources like a glossary are a great start if you want to learn more about ERP in general, but if you're already familiar with it, I recommend going to the ERP category page.
A G2 category page contains valuable information, not just a list of products and a grid. Here's what else you can find:
- Definition and criteria for inclusion
- A high-level overview of the best products in the category
- Filters by company segment, language, and features
- Tabs for highest-rated and easiest-to-use solutions
You can access our reports portal for more data based on reviews from a category like ERP systems. You can find them on the Resources tab of the category page (see above).
These reports provide additional information such as adoption, time to go live, and time to ROI, as well as multiple types of reports by region and company segment. Some special reports, such as index and momentum reports, use a mix of criteria to rank vendors differently than standard reports.
Tip: Discover G2 reports for ERP categories by company segment and report type.
If you don't have time to review all this information, you can ask Monty, our AI assistant. Monty's role is two-fold: product recommender and product expert. For the discovery phase, I recommend you use it as a product expert in ERP solutions.
While you can ask Monty anything, you should create a list of detailed questions based on what you need to know. For instance, instead of asking Monty, "What is ERP?" you could ask, "What can you tell me about ERP software for mid-market fashion and apparel manufacturers ?" Then, ask follow-up questions such as, "Do these solutions have CAD and PLM features?" or "Are these solutions available in the cloud or on-premises?"
Tip: Learn more about Monty's development and upcoming improvements since we launched it one year ago.
When does ERP discovery end and research begin?
The line between discovery and research is blurry. As a rule of thumb, if you're only curious about the market and not looking for ERP, you should spend most of your time learning about the market rather than reviewing specific vendors and products.
Another important resource for discovery is our Research Hub, which has an entire section dedicated to ERP software, including guides to help with selection.
My next article will describe how ERP buyers can use software reviews for the research phase of the selection process.
Learn more about the various types of manufacturing and how they're different.
Edited by Jigmee Bhutia
Optimize your resource utilization
