SaaS marketing is getting your software onto the shortlist, into a trial or demo, and onto a paid plan that sticks. Australian buyers lean on other users: in Capterra's survey of 281 Australian software buyers, 49% of those whose purchase went well used review and comparison sites, and 47% regretted at least one software purchase. So judge your marketing on paying customers who stay, not signups, and keep your sign-up honest: the Federal Court found in August 2026 that eHarmony misled people about automatic renewal and pricing.
Written by Dan Picken, founder. Last checked 6 November 2026.All four from Capterra's 2026 Software Buying Trends report for Australia. Buyers are still spending, but nearly half have been burned. The top cause of trouble for disappointed buyers was data migration, at 41%. A SaaS company that answers the hard questions before the trial starts has an edge most of its competitors leave on the table.
How software gets chosen
A buyer searches the job, reads reviews, asks an AI tool for 'alternatives to' whatever they use now, asks a peer, then tries the product. The pricing page and the first week of the trial decide whether a card goes in.
The psychology
Software is a commitment that looks like a small purchase. The price is monthly, but the hassle of setting it up, and of leaving, is not. Most of the worries are about getting stuck.
01
Data migration was the top cause of disruption for disappointed Australian buyers, at 41% in Capterra's survey. The fear of losing work weighs more than the promise of new features.
Show them: Exactly how data comes in, what you import, and whether someone helps.
02
An easy exit lowers the bar to starting. A hidden one is now a legal problem as well: from 1 July 2027, cancelling must be easy to find and straightforward.
Show them: How to cancel, how to export your data, and what happens to it after.
03
Buyers anchor on the headline per-user price. Budget overrun hit 36% of disappointed buyers, so the total for their team size is the number they really need.
Show them: A worked total for a team their size, add-ons included.
04
User reviews were the most used source for successful buyers, at 51%. Reviews from a business the same size and type count for more than a famous logo.
Show them: Reviews and examples by industry and size, on your site and on the review sites.
05
Four plans and a 40-row feature table can stall a decision. People find it easier to choose when the options are few and the differences are plain.
Show them: Two or three plans, who each one suits, and a clear 'start here'.
From my audits
These are the patterns that come up most in software marketing, and the first things I'd check.
Google Ads and Meta are told a trial signup is the win, so the bidding finds people who sign up and never pay. Send back paid conversions too. See tracking setup.
Searches for 'product name login' land on a paid ad and get counted as new demand. Brand campaigns look brilliant and teach you nothing.
People search 'alternatives to' the tool they want to leave, and the only pages answering are review sites and competitors.
Per-user prices with no worked example, add-ons in a footnote, or 'contact sales' for the plan most buyers need.
G2 and Capterra listings with old screenshots, old prices and a handful of reviews from years ago, while AI tools read them as current.
Ad budgets set on cost per trial, with no idea how long a paying customer stays. The calculator below fixes that.
Unit economics check
Put in last quarter's real numbers, monthly averages. Count paying customers only, not trial signups. Enter prices ex GST. The starting numbers are made up.
Lifetime value to acquisition cost
-
3:1 is a common rule of thumb in SaaS, not a law. A ratio built on six weeks of data, or on churn from your happiest customers, will flatter you.
AI search
Software buyers ask AI tools to name options, compare prices and list alternatives. In G2's March 2026 survey, 69% of software buyers chose a different vendor than planned because a chatbot recommended it. Google says its AI features are rooted in its core Search ranking and quality systems, so the work is clear, current pages, not tricks.
Prices, free plans and trial lengths change. Old blog posts and review profiles that still quote last year's plan give AI tools, and buyers, the wrong answer.
Successful Australian buyers named generative AI tools among their top five sources, alongside reviews and comparison sites. What G2 and Capterra say about you feeds what AI says about you.
What to do now
My take: in software, AI answers are only as good as the facts lying around the internet about you. Keep them current and consistent, and you give the tools nothing to get wrong.
Australian rules
Subscriptions are an ACCC priority, and a new law starts on 1 July 2027. In NSW, NSW Fair Trading enforces the same Australian Consumer Law alongside the ACCC. These come up most in software marketing, checked on 6 November 2026.
In August 2026 the Federal Court found eHarmony misled consumers on automatic renewal, cancellation, 'free' membership and the minimum total price. Penalties are still to be decided.
The ACCC sued Microsoft in October 2025, alleging its price rise emails left out the cheaper Classic plans. Microsoft apologised and offered refunds in November 2025.
From 1 July 2027, the Unfair Trading Practices Act requires clear subscription terms before sign-up and an easy way to cancel, online if sign-up was online. It covers consumers and small businesses on standard form contracts.
Since 9 November 2023, unfair terms in standard form contracts with small businesses can attract penalties of the greater of $50 million, three times the benefit or 30% of turnover. A right to change the service needs a fair way out.
Emails that sell an upgrade are marketing messages. The ACMA says they need consent, your details and an unsubscribe honoured within 5 working days.
From 10 December 2026, organisations covered by the Privacy Act must explain in their privacy policy decisions made by computer programs that could significantly affect people.
A marketer's summary, not legal advice. The full set is on the SaaS advertising and subscription rules page.
The channel mix
The saas and software hub
A common rule of thumb is 3:1: a customer brings in three times what it cost to win them, in gross profit. It's a rule of thumb, not a law. Work it out from paying customers only, with churn measured over several months, using the calculator on this page.
Not on their own. If a signup is the only goal, the bidding learns to find people who sign up and never pay. Track the signup, but send paid conversions back to the ad platforms and bid on those.
From 1 July 2027 the Unfair Trading Practices Act requires clear disclosure before sign-up and an easy way to cancel, and reminder rules may be set by regulation. Today, the Federal Court has already found that not clearly disclosing automatic renewal can mislead consumers.
Only if it is free for what you say. The ACCC says a 'free' offer can mislead when conditions turn up later in the fine print, and the court found eHarmony's 'free' membership claims misleading; the ACCC said members couldn't keep talking without paying.
Keep your facts current and consistent: one dated pricing page, honest comparison and integration pages, and review profiles that match your site. Google says its AI features rely on the same ranking and quality systems as Search.
They can. Standard form contracts with small businesses, those with fewer than 100 staff or turnover under $10 million, are covered, and unfair terms have attracted penalties since 9 November 2023.
Keep going
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next