software PM market analysis — 2026-09-12
The setup for enterprise software heading into the second half of 2026 is constructive. Businesses are lifting software budgets as they build out AI-enabled applications, according to reporting from Yahoo Finance, and that spending pattern points to demand that is broadening rather than concentrated in a single niche.
Within that growth, horizontal AI applications, particularly copilots, are cited by Menlo Ventures as the leading area of enterprise application-layer expansion. Workflow automation is acting as the practical layer underneath this trend: Activepieces notes that no-code and low-code tools are lowering the effort required to deploy automation while still leaving room for developer customisation, which makes AI adoption easier to operationalise inside existing organisations.
The open question is conversion rather than appetite. Sources highlight that sustained growth will depend on enterprises turning AI pilots into repeatable production workflows rather than one-off experiments, and incumbent software vendors may be best placed to capture this shift if customers favour bundled AI features over standalone tools. Competition among workflow-automation providers looks set to sharpen around integrations, governance and deployment flexibility as differentiation narrows.
Worth Tracking
- AI pilot-to-production conversionGrowth durability hinges on enterprises operationalising AI use cases, not just testing them.
- Bundled AI features from incumbentsEstablished platforms may capture demand if buyers prefer integrated tools over standalone AI products.
- Workflow-automation vendor differentiationCompetition is likely to shift toward integrations, governance and deployment flexibility.
This analysis was generated automatically and is for information only — not financial advice.