# Accounting Software Buyer Trends: Action Areas for 2026 | Capterra > Capterra analyzes key trends affecting accounting software buyers and looks ahead at how to prepare for 2026 and tighten up searches for software solutions. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/accounting-trends-technology-strategy --- # Accounting Software Buyer Trends 2026: Strategy is more vital to stability than ever, but harnessing technology is key Written by: David Jani David JaniAuthor Senior Content Analyst Experience Since joining Capterra in 2022, I have focused on writing expertly researched and accessible thought leadership content to ... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/david-jani/) and edited by: Caroline Rousseau Caroline RousseauEditor Senior Content Editor Experience As a senior content editor, and formerly as a content analyst, at Capterra, I have been crafting, writing, and refining rese... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/caroline-rousseau/) Published January 16, 2026 17 min read Table of Contents - [Rate rises and volatility challenged accountants in 2025](#1-rate-rises-volatility-and-tariffs-have-challenged-accountants-in-2025) - [Customer acquisition and talent pressures mount internally](#2-customer-acquisition-and-talent-pressures-mount-internally-for-accountants-ahead-of-2026) - [Accountants skip out on key software adoption steps](#3-accountants-are-skipping-key-planning-steps-for-software-adoption-with-negative-results) - [Rising to the challenges ahead in 2026](#rising-to-the-challenges-ahead-in-2026) **Accountants face structural challenges from inside and out. However, there are blind spots that** [**accounting software**](https://www.capterra.com/accounting-software/) **buyers in the sector miss that need to be addressed to get ahead of these issues.**  Members of the accounting sector are more likely to misjudge a software purchase compared to buyers from other industries. This is leading to over a third of disappointed buyers finding the ideal solution only after they’ve already made an investment in another tool.  This is a key finding from Capterra’s 2026 Software Buying Trends Survey\*, which studied a sample of 3,385 purchasers across 11 countries. We have used the responses from the sample of 139 [accounting software](https://www.capterra.com/accounting-software/) buyers to create a new e-book, which explores the key findings from this group and details some important strategies to face the current challenges and overcome issues in software buying.   In the following report, we examine some of the key trends derived from our survey data and their impact on the accounting sector. These represent both internal and external factors professionals need to keep on top of, as well as exploring some of the technological influences affecting company strategy.  Key findings - **Inflation rates made an impact:** Higher inflation adversely affected over half (55%) of accountants the most this year. - **Volatility is the theme of 2025:** Aside from inflation, interest rates, market volatility, and tariffs are affecting around four in ten in accounting. - **Skills and client retention are the focus for 2026:** More than half of accounting buyers expect challenges in client acquisition and staff skills shortages in the year ahead. - **AI is gaining traction:** Almost half (49%) of accounting sector buyers are adjusting their business goals around technological advancements like AI. - **Missed opportunities:** Buyers in the accounting sector are the most likely to be disappointed in their chosen software due to finding a better match later, compared to other sectors. - **Diligence is needed:** Accountants are less likely to define their goals, budget, and perform risk assessments during a software selection process than buyers across other sectors. ## 1\. Rate rises, volatility, and tariffs have challenged accountants in 2025 2025 has been a challenging year for accountants. Workers in the sector increasingly have to respond to changing financial pressures resulting from macroeconomic fluctuations. Manifestations of these, like inflationary increases, rising interest rates, and new tariffs, require fast action from finance to help companies understand how this affects their costs and forecasting.  ### Inflation and interest rates  In our study, over half (55%) of accounting buyers say that inflation has had the biggest macroeconomic impact on their business. This is followed by interest rates, highlighted by 42% of the sample, which is five percentage points higher than the global average across all sectors. This is impactful for accounting, especially as costs and cash flow may shift in the new reality as debt becomes more expensive and vendors potentially increase their costs. Extra attention is therefore necessary on core accounting practices to track expenses and create better ways to monitor and analyze data collected within the business. This can help company management reassess and strategize around areas where original forecasts may need to be adjusted. ### Tariff impacts Tariffs introduced during the year have made the costs of importing goods from foreign countries more expensive, affecting the bottom lines of many businesses. 38% of buyers in accounting also mention new tariffs on imports specifically as an impact on their trade in 2025. Tax and compliance management, therefore, become especially important in this situation, as additional supply chain costs could affect cash flow and planned profit models. This may, in some cases, require the wider finance team to support the business in identifying contracts that may need renegotiation or selecting a new, more local vendor.[\[1\]](#sources) ### How software can support accounting adaptation in uncertain times Accounting software can be used to help create a better visualization of the quickly changing financial picture. This requires a number of actions from teams to help reach this stage, such as adapting the general ledger (GL), cost calculations, and invoicing to check for tariffs or other tax changes affecting the bottom line.  ### Adapting to unpredictable rates and new tariff requirements Fluctuations in costs related to tariffs and rate rises require accountants to gain extra visibility over their outgoings. Accounting software can rise to the challenge in a number of ways if features that help detect and visualize changes in spending patterns and new costs are prioritized.  Key features to focus on in accounting systems to tackle tariffs and rate changes: - **Analytics and insights:** Reporting and visualization tools provide a clearer view of current cash flow and revenue trends, helping identify areas of concern. - **Compliance management:** To help keep regulatory obligations on track and provide additional support when updating workflows and reporting to fit around new legislation.   - **Expense tracking:** Automating expense tracking can prove vital in sourcing changes in invoices, such as tariffs, and detecting new rates and expense categories from regular suppliers and service providers. - **Budgeting/forecasting:** Systems that model different scenarios and plan performance can help mitigate some of the uncertainties by helping project possible outcomes based on changes to market-wide rates, such as inflation or interest rates. - **Tax management:** Tax management tools can help with the rollout of changes in processes and workflows to attune the business to new regulations and tax requirements. - **Workflow management tools:** These can automate and create consistent workflows that can be scaled across the business, helping firms consistently record and manage financial information. #### Sales management software offers a proactive approach to lost revenue One way companies facing down macroeconomic challenges can react is to prioritize strategies that help them offset new costs. A possible route to clawing back performance is to focus on sales to increase revenue volumes, maximize earnings, and narrow profit margins.  Data from our study shows that sales management software is among the top five investment priorities for accounting buyers this year, showing that businesses may already be responding in kind. Tools such as [sales enablement](https://www.capterra.com/sales-enablement-software/), [sales tracking](https://www.capterra.com/sales-tracking-software/), and [sales forecasting](https://www.capterra.com/sales-forecasting-software/) software can help facilitate this proactive approach. ## 2\. Customer acquisition and talent pressures mount internally for accountants ahead of 2026 Accountants are grappling with worries about finding the right talent and keeping customers on board in 2026. These two issues, while distinct from one another, can negatively influence each other and require special attention to plan around them. ### Keeping customers onside Accounting professionals expect struggles in their businesses to maintain customer acquisition as well as the ability to keep those already in place content. We found that over half (54%) expect client acquisition to prove a challenge, while 45% anticipate challenges meeting evolving customer expectations, five percentage points above the global average. This is an area of difficulty for any business, especially at a time when firms are seeking more ways to uplift revenues in the current context of rising costs and inflation. Additionally, it is also possible that the macroeconomic factors seen in the previous section have led to lower spend and more challenging expectations for clients, too.  Therefore, adaptation is necessary to meet customer needs in the current moment. This may mean adjusting prices for services or ensuring quality standards of service remain high, adapting to customers’ evolving needs.  ### Talent shortages A major issue accountants are facing in the coming year is staffing, with many respondents expecting issues with keeping staff skills up to date and recruiting in the sector.  In our survey, half are anticipating struggles with training and upskilling their staff. This issue seems to be of concern to accountants, especially, scoring eight percentage points higher than global averages. Additionally, 45% expect to face issues recruiting and training talent.  Negative expectations over staffing availability are likely to be driven by the ongoing shortage of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). This is a slow but steadily growing trend, as many trained certified professionals reach retirement with fewer similar-level employees to replace them.[\[2\]](#sources)  The skills shortages and recruitment issues noted by accountants are two sides of the same coin. At a time when accounting skills are pivotal to businesses’ ability to respond to rapidly changing circumstances, both in terms of market shifts and technology, the lowered replacement rate of professionals in the field creates a tighter hiring market. ### Overcoming concerns over staff skills and customer retention Keeping on top of the skills in your organization is a vital area of focus to capitalize on technical advancements. It is also essential to keep one eye on pipelines for reaching new customers and forms of retaining the ones you have. The latter point is one not lost on accountants. In our survey, we discovered that over half (55%) of buyers in accounting adopted marketing systems in the last 12 months or plan to do so in the coming year. 55% of accounting buyers have also recently invested in or will invest imminently in customer relationship management (CRM) systems to help address the need to improve their communication with clients. A similar increase is observed for the recent past and approaching future adoption of human resources (HR) systems (53%). Additionally, over a quarter (26%) intend to purchase learning management systems (LMS), the highest intention of all categories.  How software can be used to alleviate customer and talent concerns - [**Content marketing systems**](https://www.capterra.com/content-marketing-software/)**:** Reaching new customers is the top concern accountants have going into 2026. Content marketing systems can help address these worries by helping firms better target their desired audience and improve the discoverability of their business for potential clients.   - [**CRM systems**](https://www.capterra.com/customer-relationship-management-software/)**:** These systems can prove especially useful when looking at keeping clients you already have. CRM tools come with contact management systems and communication tools that allow you to nurture both new and existing customer relationships, as well as analytical tools to assess engagement and the lifetime value of a connection. - [**HR systems**](https://www.capterra.com/human-resource-software/)**:** HR systems can help firms acquire new staff and do more to retain the ones they currently have. Recruiting, applicant tracking, and talent management tools support more effective hiring processes, while employee recognition and workforce management tools can help stimulate   - [**Learning management systems (LMSs)**](https://www.capterra.com/learning-management-system-software/)**:** These tools allow businesses to provide ongoing training for staff, which can make courses available to staff, track progress, and offer certification on essential topics to maintain compliance, and allow staff to study on the go. **Expert tip:** In our discussion with CPA and co-host of the Accounting Podcast, Blake Oliver, earlier this year, he highlighted an important consideration for improving client interactions with accounting systems:  “I recently had an experience where a customer wanted to pay me using an AP (accounts payable) tool, and I received a notification. However, the notification simply told me there’s an invite from another system, which then makes you sign up to it by email, which, in this case, went into my spam folder. These processes sometimes create unnecessary friction, which may lead your customers and vendors not to sign up for your service.”[\[3\]](#sources) What this example shows is that mapping out the journey for your clients may require refinement based on the system you use for specific accounting and payment services. This is an important factor to consider when addressing customer communications. ### AI is both an opportunity and a risk Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining traction with accountants and may offer a technological solution to the current issues facing professionals in the sector. There’s no doubt that AI has been a key talking point in many sectors, but within accounting, it is very relevant due to its ability to automate some time-consuming and repetitive tasks. The data from our survey shows that AI and technology developments in general are an area of focus for accounting buyers. Almost half (49%) of respondents identify this as the top factor currently affecting their business goals. Looking at the adoption trends for AI, two tendencies stand out in our analysis of accounting buyers.  1. Adding functionality, such as AI, is the most selected reason for increasing software spending this year, with just over a third (36%) of buyers choosing it as the principal driver behind their decision to up the budget. 2. There is motivation among accountants to adopt these tools at a pace. Overall, 94% of accounting buyers we surveyed are taking an adoptive approach to AI, with almost a quarter (24%) focusing on an aggressive acquisition of these tools. The focus of AI adoption is going towards a few different possible use cases, with generative AI (GenAI) proving the most value ahead of predictive analytics, computer vision, and automation and personalization tools. **Accounting buyers are prioritizing a mix of AI advancements** **AI Technology** **Description** **Use cases** **Generative AI** Functionality to generate text, image and video content with natural language text input prompts. \- Drafting financial summaries and reports \- Creating automated responses to accounting queries \- Creating audit documentation **Predictive analytics** Analyzes data trends to predict future outcomes via statistical models and machine learning. \- Cash flow forecasting \- Budget planning **Computer vision** Technologies that capture, process, analyze, and interpret meaningful insights from real‑world visual data. \- Invoice data scanning \- Receipt and expense claim verification \- Fraud detection **Automated planning and scheduling** AI tools to design, prioritize and optimize process plans for frequently repeated actions or tasks. \- Financial audit scheduling \- Payroll and tax filing timeline automation \- Staffing resource allocation **Recommendation and personalization systems** Automated systems that analyze user choices and habits to identify useful product and content suggestions. \- Personalized financial dashboards \- Cost-saving suggestions based on spending habits \- Product suggestions for clients ### Where to focus on AI adoption in accounting Adopting AI is not without its challenges. It isn’t just a plug-and-play system. Readying a business for AI is a crucial step toward any kind of positive return on investment (ROI).  Some important factors that will affect the success or failure of an AI project include: - **APIs:** AI tools need good interconnectivity with other systems, such as data management or [enterprise resource planning (ERP)](https://www.capterra.com/enterprise-resource-planning-software/) tools. Without fluid API access, AI systems could fail to read the right information or lose synchronization. - **Cloud data:** Many of the largest AI systems currently available run on cloud data. This means your internal data needs access to the cloud in order to be processed correctly.  - **Internal resistance:** AI is a polarizing topic, and staff may have concerns about adopting such systems in the workplace. - **Security:** Due to its interconnected nature and extensive data usage, security is a major area to prepare in advance of AI adoption.  - **Skills:** As already seen, accountants often struggle to find the right skills. This is not just because of CPA shortages; some of this can be explained by the need for expertise in using AI tools. It is important, as always, to make sure the right skills exist in your organization to facilitate the use of AI and to make sure those skills can be developed internally. - **Workflows:** To automate accounting workflows, first, try to spend some time understanding each step of each task in detail. Workflows should be mapped out in precise detail to avoid missing any steps and to help the AI automate processes effectively. There are also important challenges to consider ahead of an AI adoption that will occur with any software adoption. Accounting buyers are most mindful of the following factors when planning investments: - Compatibility with existing systems (44%) - Leveraging AI effectively (35%) - Product identification (33%) - Security concerns (32%)   Many of these issues could severely impact AI adoption in accounting; therefore, these are areas to pay special attention to when selecting a suitable platform. #### The most common AI features found in accounting products Generally speaking, AI is appearing across accounting products in a couple of important ways. Looking specifically at Capterra’s catalog, we identified the following as the most common across accounting systems.  **Common AI features found in accounting software** **Automation tools** Documents and data entry Bank reconciliation Workflows and approvals Smart invoicing Payment reminders Expense and translation categorization **Analytical tools** Predictive analytics Cash flow forecasting Source: Capterra product catalog Adapt staff roles around AI Adopting AI systems in accounting can be concerning for staff, as they are commonly used for the automation of tasks currently performed by humans. This can build mistrust and resistance against the adoption of AI.   Gartner analysis suggests adapting accounting roles, taking into account the evolution of technology such as AI. This entails redesigning the strategic focus of employees to prioritize tasks such as data interpretation, strategic decision-making, and problem-solving, while deprioritizing staff time on tasks that can be automated.   This approach ensures that human-level skills are given priority and also allows staff to gradually upskill as roles adjust.[\[4\]](#sources) ## 3\. Accountants are skipping key planning steps for software adoption, with negative results Accountants are prioritizing technology as a solution to many of the challenges seen so far. However, in many cases, undercooked initial planning is undermining these goals and leading to missed chances to adopt the most suitable software.  Looking at our data, making the right or wrong choice still comes down to almost a coin flip in terms of odds. Just over half (56%) in accounting end up satisfied with a software purchase, while 44% end up choosing an option that disappoints.  There are plenty of areas where accounting buyers with purchase regret realize where they may have gone wrong. For example, 44% say they would make sure to perform a needs assessment ahead of their next software search. Additionally, the same amount (44%) would ensure a security review was carried out before selecting software. A common theme among these findings is that a lack of preparation early on in the software selection process often leads to regret later on. This, in turn, leads to a few common outcomes.  ### Accounting buyers often find the right match, but when it’s too late There is a tendency among accounting buyers to regret their purchase because they later find a better match, more than in other sectors. This affects around a third (36%) of purchases and highlights gaps in the selection process for software. Other causes of displeasure also lie in missed opportunities during the selection journey, with 28% finding their chosen system too basic or complex for their use cases. This suggests buyers have not taken the time to adequately map features to their uses in tasks and workflows, and have not conducted sufficient testing to understand how software features can be applied. ### Imprecise planning leads to negative consequences for accountants Accounting buyers lag behind global trends in terms of their definition of essential parameters for a purchase. This seems to be the case in defining budget and, must-have features, and desired outcomes.  Our data shows there is a wide gap between global trends and accounting buyers in risk assessment. This is a surprising oversight in a risk-averse industry like accounting, where essential compliance norms are common. These kinds of lapses in process contribute to some of the causes for accounting buyers often missing out on the best-fitting match. A lack of clear goal setting and careful assessment of product options can prove detrimental in this area.  ### Auditing the software selection process There is a lot more accounting buyers can do to avoid regretful investments in software. At a time when there is a pressing need to keep up with rapidly changing technology to maintain a competitive advantage, mistakes can be costly. This checklist of key questions to ask during your search can help you assess alignment with your team’s goals, workflows, and constraints fast for software demos and trials. ### Questions to ask when assessing software **1\. Does it support your top three business goals for accounting?** Does the tool enable the goals you want to achieve in your business, such as easier reconciliation, better forecasting, or improved invoicing? **2\. Does it integrate with existing systems?** Does it effectively connect with your payroll, CRM, or tax software, and at a cost that is manageable? **3\. Does it fit your budget and team size?** Does the pricing model work with the headcount of your firm and its projected growth? **4\. Does it scale with your business?** Is there capacity for additional users, management layers, or complexity as your company grows? **5\. Does it match your team’s technical skill level?** Can your IT team effectively manage configuring the tool? Is the user interface (UI) intuitive enough for your accounting team, and do you need onboarding support? **6\. Does it meet essential security and compliance requirements?** Does the tool offer role‑based access for more sensitive information, good levels of encryption, and certifications expected in the accounting sector? **7\. Is reliable vendor support available?** Does the vendor offer responsive and accessible customer support, onboarding help, or a solid knowledge base for your team post‑sale? Our research shows that a key area of oversight falls around a lack of preparation. In many cases, this requires better needs and security reviews ahead of time. It’s very common for accountants to find they miss the ideal match too late. Some of the missed opportunities will come from failure to assess the needs of the business, either because they are based on older assumptions or a failure to map requirements around accounting software features. ### Steps to successful software selection 1. **Define outcomes:** Spend enough time in the early stages to map out the goals of the purchase and how the new software will adequately address them. This should consider budgets, security, features needed, and how new software may affect workflows. 2. **Explore solutions:** Focus on the goals you set and find solutions that match the needs of your business. Think about how provisions fit the requirements you’ve already set out.  3. **Narrow the list of options decisively:** When doing deeper research on products, it is important to prioritize information that provides clear details on the usability and practicality of a product in practice. In this sense, accounting buyers tend to prioritize software review and comparison sites, industry experts, and user reviews to find out how well products meet expectations.   4. **Get the best deal:** In the final phases before signing a contract, it is vital to prioritize testing of your final shortlist and to pay close attention to whether pricing models can fit around your intended budget. It’s wise to pay special care to identify potential extra costs, customer and technical support options, and security in this regard.   5. **Plan for success:** Treat the implementation stage of software adoption with as much focus as you do the planning and identification of the tool. Ensure the rollout is configured right, tasks are tested first, and training is given. This helps avoid resistance and friction to using a different system. Our [accounting buyers guide](https://www.capterra.com/accounting-software/#buyers-guide) explores these steps in finer detail. It reviews the best ways to plan a new accounting software system and also identifies some of the front-running systems based on verified user reviews. ## Rising to the challenges ahead in 2026 There are many areas where accountants need to exercise caution and strategy going into 2026. However, rising to the challenges ahead is non-negotiable, and mistakes must be avoided as much as reasonably possible. There’s no doubt that there are many varied and complicated factors in this, from rising inflation to new government tariffs. We’ve seen from our data that accountants are well aware of the issues impacting their activities and are taking action accordingly by focusing on ways to work around them. This is leading to a focus on technology adoption, particularly in the case of AI. However, buyers in this sector still find themselves all too often disappointed with their investment after discovering a better choice after buying. Whether adopting AI or any other kind of business software, companies need to ensure they are on top of their goal-setting and understand how a new tool will affect their working practices. This requires a bit of deep diving into details such as workflows, business requirements, and overall strategy, to ensure that purchases fit better around the goals set. * * * Sources 1. [GC Guide to Managing Tariff Volatility](https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/6133059), Gartner 2. [How Controllers Should Respond to the Accounting Talent Shortage](https://www.gartner.com/doc/6312947), Gartner 3. [Blake Oliver](https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliver), LinkedIn 4. [Convert AI Avoiders to AI Champions in Finance](https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/6978666), Gartner * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Authors [### David Jani](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/david-jani/) David Jani is a senior content analyst at Capterra. With a background in tech journalism, public relations, professional training, and marketing, he uses his extensive experience to investigate small business technology trends, with a focus on marketing and cybersecurity, to provide timely, actionable insights for small and midsize businesses. [### Caroline Rousseau](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/caroline-rousseau/) After three years of building surveys, analyzing data, and writing her own research, Caroline has been a senior content editor since 2022. Her previous experience as an analyst converged into a skill set that allows her to help her peers develop and produce compelling content about today’s business matters. ### RELATED READING - [Why Use Accounting Software? Buyers’ vs. Users' Priorities](https://www.capterra.com/resources/why-use-accounting-software/) - [How Much Does Accounting Software Cost in 2026? 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Business sizes represented in the survey include: 1,676 small (5-249 full-time employees), 822 midsize  (250-999), and 887 enterprise (1,000+). The goal of this study was to understand the timelines, organizational challenges, research behaviors, and adoption processes of business software buyers. Respondents were screened to ensure their involvement in business software purchasing decisions. For the purposes of this report, we focused primarily on the buyers who identified their primary industry as accounting (n=139).