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“Every vendor is trying to figure out their marketplace strategy, which ones to prioritize, how to operationalize it, and how to bring traditional partners on that journey. The most successful vendors in the marketplace will be the ones that understand how to include service delivery partners as part of their marketplace strategy.”

Keith Kirkpatrick

Vice President & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Digital Workflows

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Agentic AI Becomes Table Stakes

Generative AI-powered features will enter widespread use in 2025, thereby requiring significant shifts in pricing models, with seat-license models being supplanted by consumption-based and outcome-based approaches. A 2024 Futurum Intelligence survey of 895 decision-makers and influencers found that 40% of respondents were paying for software on a consumption-based pricing model, and 15% were using an outcome-based model.

Three primary reasons are driving this change.

  • Both vendors and enterprise customers are realizing that AI is enabling work to be completed more quickly and efficiently than ever before, and paying for a full-seat license is both inefficient and also lacks a direct connection to business results.
  • Moreover, the results of a January 2025 study conducted by Kearney and The Futurum Group of more than 200 CEOs operating globally across diverse industries such as finance, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare with more than $1 billion USD in annual revenue found that incumbent organizations (those with operating histories of 10+ years) are more focused on aligning AI initiatives with recognized industry standards (49%) and achieving tangible ROI (49%).

  • As AI agents proliferate, we expect a strong shift to outcome-based pricing models in 2025, as these CEOs are prioritizing tangible and visible ROI from their AI investments. This outcome-based approach to pricing ensures that customers are not paying for software that is not delivering promised results, which can be contrasted with a consumption-based model that does not incorporate any type of ROI guarantee.

  • Zendesk has announced the use of outcome-based pricing with its AI agents, under which customers will only pay for successful interactions, based on agreed-upon interaction metrics.
  • Workhuman has fully shifted to an ROI guarantee model, , under which larger overarching metrics, such as employee engagement or retention, are used to assess whether Workhuman has delivered on its promises and will be compensated for the use of its platform.
  • Salesforce is offering interaction-based pricing starting at $2 per interaction, with volume discounts available as use ramps up. The company’s goal is to ensure that customers see a direct link between AI usage and cost, instead of a more opaque flat fee per user model.

Keith Kirkpatrick is a Research Director, Enterprise Software & Digital Workflows with The Futurum Group. His coverage area encompasses enterprise applications, platforms, and tools, and the technologies and tools that underpin them, including artificial intelligence, automation, and integration technologies. He has more than 25 years of experience in research, marketing, and consulting-based fields, and is frequently sought out by the vendor community and trade media for his insights and commentary.

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