ERP systems continue to grow in popularity with all types of businesses, from SMBs to multinational companies. An ERP solution helps your organization to streamline its operations and connect all of its processes to improve efficiency. This article will go over some of the most relevant ERP statistics and trends that will help you understand how businesses perceive ERP software. Understanding how executives and ERP stakeholders view ERP software will help you gauge the value of an ERP system for your company. We’ve also included statistics and trends about the wholesale and distribution industries in the space of ERP software.
75 ERP & Distribution Statistics and Trends
ERP Market Share (Statistics)
- Statistics show that the ERP market is expanding, and the rise of ERP solutions is growing as time goes on.
- The ERP Software Market is expected to be worth $230 billion by 2032.
- The ERP software market is projected to reach $81.3 billion globally by the end of 2026.
- 4.1% of companies that use ERP systems are distributors and/or wholesalers.
- 3.8 million companies were expected to spend $147.7 billion on ERP software in 2025.
- North America is projected to hold 38.5% of global ERP revenue share by 2035, supported by advanced cloud infrastructure.
- Asia-Pacific’s ERP market will expand at a 16.5% CAGR from 2026 to 2035, fueled by rapid industrialization and government digital initiatives.
- ERP solutions accounted for 13% of global software spend in 2025.
- In 2025, 53% of businesses considered ERP as a priority investment, with manufacturing and distribution industries leading the adoption.
- ERP software makes up 4% of total IT spend.
- In 2025, Financial Applications and Human Capital Management (HCM) accounted for 27% and 23% of projected spend by ERP market buyers.
Distribution and Wholesale Market Growth Statistics
- The global wholesale market reached $60082.23 billion in 2025, and it is expected to grow to $82325.86 billion in 2030 at a 6.6% CAGR.
- Pharmaceutical wholesalers remain one of the fastest‑growing wholesale segments globally, projected to reach a value of $1571.02 billion in 2025 and maintain a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.45% from 2025 to 2033
- The industrial distribution market is expected to see a growth rate of 5.3% between 2025 and 2032.
- 92% of wholesalers and distributors are using ERP software.
- 80% of B2B buyers use mobile devices for research and transactions. Having a mobile-responsive website becomes an important factor for wholesale businesses.
- In the ERP software market, North America contributed more than 36% of revenue share in 2025.
- 2025 risk surveys point to geopolitics and tariffs—alongside labor, ESG, and cybersecurity—as the dominant supply‑chain threats.
- The U.S. wholesale industry is projected to employ approximately 5.76 million people by 2026.
- 32% of wholesalers experience resistance to change from employees and/or management.
ERP Implementation Statistics
The implementation stage is the most critical phase when adopting a new ERP system. The implementation process, however, can be challenging, and statistics show us the many challenges and preferences that companies have when implementing ERP software.
- The big-bang approach to data migration is less common than phased approaches, as only 23.8% of organizations use the big bang approach in data migration.
- 38.3% of businesses use some sort of phased approach in data migration.
- 37.8% of businesses use a hybrid approach in data migration.
- More than a quarter of organizations implemented software without any customization in 2024.
- 72.1% of organizations chose a SaaS deployment model for their ERP as opposed to a hosted or managed services model.
- 51% of businesses are challenged by implementation failure and operational disruptions.
- 63.4% of ERP implementation projects were completed on time.
- 64% of ERP projects experience budget overruns.
- Top overrun causes: 38% underestimated staffing, 35% scope expansion, 34% technical issues.
- Among ERP implementation, digital business transformation, and technology-enabled business improvement projects, 61% of organizations chose ERP implementation.
- Companies using ERP consultants report an 85% success rate.
- Internal alignment and leadership support are cited as critical by 77% of successful implementers.
ERP ROI Statistics
The ROI that ERP solutions bring is more important than ever for companies, possibly due to a difficult economy with rising inflation and interest rates. Companies have specific goals in mind and want their ERP system to reach those goals.
- The average ROI for an ERP project is 52%, meaning for every $1 invested, there’s an average return of $1.52.
- 83% of companies that performed an ROI analysis before implementation met their ROI expectations.
- For 2024, 46% of businesses believed that business cost savings is a “top 3” most important goal for ERP.
- 12% of businesses in 2024 believed that regulatory compliance is a “top 3” most important goal for ERP.
- 46% of businesses in 2024 believed that improving selected performance metrics is a “top 3” most important goal for ERP.
- 36% of businesses in 2024 believed that supporting growth is a “top 3” most important goal for ERP.
- In 2024, the biggest area where ERP has produced ROI for companies is reduced IT costs (40% of businesses).
- 9% believed that their ERP has had no ROI benefits to their company.
- 38% believed that their ERP has helped ROI through reduced inventory levels.
- 71% of businesses hope to use their ERP data to learn how to make their operations more efficient.
- 71% of businesses want to use ERP data for predictive analytics or to forecast what will happen.
- 63% of businesses want to use ERP data for descriptive analytics or to understand what happened.
- 71% of companies believe that decisions are delayed if ERP data is unavailable.
- 69% of companies believe that data analysis is delayed if ERP data is unavailable.
- Only 1% of companies believe that there are no negative ramifications if ERP data is unavailable.
- Only 1% of businesses believe that nothing is holding them back from leveraging their data to achieve business goals.
- 51% of businesses believe that integration problems hold them back from leveraging their data to achieve business goals.
- 46% of businesses believe that a lack of in-house skills (expertise) is holding them back from leveraging their data to achieve business goals.
Business Process Automation Statistics
ERP software seeks to automate business processes, especially processes that occur within the warehouse. Here are some statistics that will make you think about the processes you want to automate using your ERP system.
- Order-picking accounts for 50% of the time spent travelling in the warehouse.
- 37% of businesses in 2024 lacked confidence in a carrier’s ability to meet customer demands.
- In 2024, 38% of companies were planning to add more SKUs and barcode scanners for inventory accuracy.
Technology Statistics
Cloud software is becoming the norm over on-premises solutions all throughout tech, and ERP software is no exception.
- On-premises ERP systems are forecast to retain 62.5% market share through 2035, driven by data security needs in regulated sectors.
- 53% of businesses with ERP systems utilize cloud-based solutions.
- In 2024, 76% of businesses moved or started to move on-premises ERP to the Cloud.
- 75% of businesses are using more SaaS apps in 2025.
- In 2024, the primary motivation for 39% of businesses to move to the Cloud was to take advantage of better business processes. 32% of businesses' reasons were scalability and ROI.
- Over the next five years, $2 trillion in revenue will shift to companies that excel in personalized customer experiences powered by AI.
- 65% of organizations consider artificial intelligence (AI) critical to their ERP systems.
- By 2030, it is estimated that AI will automate 50% of current work activities, allowing teams to focus on creative problem-solving and value-added tasks.
- With 72%, the largest segment of Cloud computing is SaaS (Software as a Service).
- The entire Cloud Computing market is expected to be worth $947.3 billion USD by 2026.
- After moving to the cloud, 94% of businesses mentioned improvements in their security.
- Only 11% of businesses encrypt the majority of their cloud data.
- The North American B2B eCommerce market reached USD 5.17 trillion in 2025.
- 65% of B2B companies transact fully online, with eCommerce accounting for 18% of their revenue.
ERP Trends
As it pertains to ERP software, many new trends are growing stronger heading into 2024. Here are some of the biggest ERP trends.
- ERP trends for 2026 prioritize AI-enhanced supply chain visibility and industry-specific modules over generic platforms.
- Blockchain is integrating with ERP software to secure data with cryptographic codes.
- Organizations implementing AI-enabled ERP systems have reported a 20% improvement in forecasting accuracy and a 15% reduction in operational costs.
- Returns management: This is becoming more of a priority for companies due to changing consumer expectations and a rise in eCommerce since the start of the pandemic. There were double the amount of retail returns in 2022 compared to 2019, as they increased from $309 billion to $613.94 billion over this 3-year period. By 2025, the market reached $5.06 trillion.
- eCommerce Integration: The rise of eCommerce has also led to businesses focusing more on eCommerce integration with their ERP software. Businesses that previously stayed away from this channel are now gravitating towards it. By 2040, 95% of all purchases are expected to be through eCommerce.
- Online Ordering for B2B Companies: eCommerce’s rise has also led wholesale distributors and companies that sell to other businesses to adopt online ordering platforms that connect with their ERP systems. 100% of B2B buyers start their buying journey through an online search, so providing a channel through which buyers can purchase online is a golden opportunity.
- All-in-One ERP: Businesses today increasingly seek an all-in-one solution with more integration options for their ERP system than ever before. They want the ability to integrate all of their processes into one centralized database to ensure visibility and consistency. This includes connecting their shipping, logistics, warehouse management, eCommerce, sales, and accounting processes.
- Change Management: When adopting a major change, such as a new ERP system, companies are bound to deal with members of their organization who oppose the change or are slow to embrace it. In recent years, organizational change has occurred more frequently, making change management more important than ever. In a survey of 1,284 executives, 85% of senior executives stated that they noticed a huge increase in organizational change projects over the past five years.
