============================================================ TITLE: The Friction Report: Friction in Software Sales | Cleverbridge TYPE: news VERSION: 1 VERSION_ID: 55da5e41-bc38-42e0-88d2-b0ff92fe0917 GENERATED_AT: 2026-10-09T13:50:38.606Z SUMMARY: 1,700+ buyers and sellers globally surveyed: explore how checkout, expansion, and renewal friction costs software companies revenue, and how to reduce it. AUTHOR: The Cleverbridge Team DATE PUBLISHED: October 15, 2025 READING TIME: 6 min WORD COUNT: 1094 KEYWORDS: Friction in Software Sales SOURCE URL: https://grow.cleverbridge.com/news/cleverbridge-friction-report-software-sales ============================================================ KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Ready to put recurring revenue growth on autopilot? Resources Blog Billions Lost in Software Sales: New Report Exposes Hidden “Friction” Draining Global Revenue * Billions Lost in Software Sales: New Report Exposes Hidden “Friction” Draining Global Revenue Written by October 15, 2025 2 min Share this post Subscribe for best practices on optimizing your software business. Listen to this article The Friction Report reveals how global SaaS sellers are bleeding revenue due to cart abandonment, poor localization, and post-sale missteps.  A new global study of over 1,700 software buyers and sellers exposes a hidden crisis in the digital economy: friction in software sales that is frustrating customers, stalling global growth, and silently draining billions in revenue. Released today, Cleverbridge’s The Friction Report: What’s Slowing Down Global Software Sales reveals where money is lost — and how leaders are getting it back.  The research highlights a dangerous pattern: software sellers are ambitious about global growth, but many are creating their own bottlenecks by failing to meet basic buyer expectations regarding checkout speed, clear pricing, and localized experiences (e.g., preferred payment methods, currency conversion, language support).  "Software has never been easier to discover and harder to buy,” said Richard Stevenson, CEO of Cleverbridge. “High-intent users, often coming from AI search, expect the basics: pricing clarity, local currency, and the payment method they already use, and they notice when it’s missing. The gap between expectation and reality is more expensive than vendors realize. Close that gap, and growth follows — fast.”   Key Findings from the Report:  Ecommerce is now the norm: 98% of software vendors sell online, with over 50% generating the majority of their revenue through ecommerce. Global growth remains elusive: 83% of software companies plan to expand internationally in the next 12 months, but only 6% of current global sellers say they do so with ease. Checkout friction is costly: 82% of vendors report double-digit cart abandonment, with nearly half losing at least 25% of prospective orders to a “friction tax” imposed by preventable steps. Localization gaps fuel buyer drop-off: 96% of buyers expect to see prices in their local currency, but just 31% of sellers prioritize localization at checkout. Poor retention is also leaking revenue: 63% of sellers say at least half of their churn is involuntary, yet fewer than half have the tools to recover lost revenue.  About the Friction Report Cleverbridge, in partnership with Ascend2, surveyed 715 software sellers and 1,081 software buyers via an online questionnaire fielded in June 2025. Seller respondents are decision-makers at organizations with $1M+ in revenue across the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India. Buyer respondents (18+) purchased software or a digital subscription online in the past 12 months and represent the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, India, Japan, Korea, and Brazil.  Explore the full findings, including regional breakouts, here: grow.cleverbridge.com/friction-report A new global study of over 1,700 software buyers and sellers exposes a hidden crisis in the digital economy: friction in software sales that is frustrating customers, stalling global growth, and silently draining billions in revenue. Released today, Cleverbridge’s The Friction Report: What’s Slowing Down Global Software Sales reveals where money is lost — and how leaders are getting it back. The research highlights a dangerous pattern: software sellers are ambitious about global growth, but many are creating their own bottlenecks by failing to meet basic buyer expectations regarding checkout speed, clear pricing, and localized experiences (e.g., preferred payment methods, currency conversion, language support). "Software has never been easier to discover and harder to buy,” said Richard Stevenson, CEO of Cleverbridge. “High-intent users, often coming from AI search, expect the basics: pricing clarity, local currency, and the payment method they already use, and they notice when it’s missing. The gap between expectation and reality is more expensive than vendors realize. Close that gap, and growth follows — fast.” Key Findings from the Report: * Ecommerce is now the norm: 98% of software vendors sell online, with over 50% generating the majority of their revenue through ecommerce. * Global growth remains elusive: 83% of software companies plan to expand internationally in the next 12 months, but only 6% of current global sellers say they do so with ease. * Checkout friction is costly: 82% of vendors report double-digit cart abandonment, with nearly half losing at least 25% of prospective orders to a “friction tax” imposed by preventable steps. * Localization gaps fuel buyer drop-off: 96% of buyers expect to see prices in their local currency, but just 31% of sellers prioritize localization at checkout. * Poor retention is also leaking revenue: 63% of sellers say at least half of their churn is involuntary, yet fewer than half have the tools to recover lost revenue. About the Friction Report Cleverbridge, in partnership with Ascend2, surveyed 715 software sellers and 1,081 software buyers via an online questionnaire fielded in June 2025. Seller respondents are decision-makers at organizations with $1M+ in revenue across the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India. Buyer respondents (18+) purchased software or a digital subscription online in the past 12 months and represent the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, India, Japan, Korea, and Brazil. Explore the full findings, including regional breakouts, here: grow.cleverbridge.com/friction-report ## Recent Posts Product Updates September 24, 2026 Digital Transformation September 04, 2026 August 25, 2026 ## Ready to put recurring revenue growth on autopilot? * Talk to an Expert ------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT THIS CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------ Source: https://grow.cleverbridge.com/news/cleverbridge-friction-report-software-sales Author: The Cleverbridge Team Published: October 15, 2025 This content is provided for informational purposes. Please visit the original source for the most up-to-date information.