Rigging the game in software evaluation and why vendor case studies fall short

In most areas of life, when you want to know whether a product is worth buying, the last place you would go for advice is the manufacturer. Independent reviews have become the foundation of how people judge quality and reliability, whether checking restaurant ratings on Google or reading verified feedback on Amazon.

Yet in software purchasing, many still expect vendors to provide case studies and comparisons that position their product against competitors. These methods persist even though both are inherently biased and offer little genuine value to buyers.

Why vendor case studies present an unrealistic picture

Case studies are written by vendors, not customers. Vendors choose the organisations that participate, and these are inevitably the ones with the strongest relationships or most positive outcomes.

The result is a curated, heavily filtered snapshot that showcases only the best possible scenarios. This creates a picture that is optimistic, selective and far removed from the varied experiences of real users.

Because of this, case studies rarely reflect how the product performs for a typical organisation. They are designed to highlight success, not provide balanced evaluation.

The problem with vendor driven competitor analysis

Competitor analysis comes with similar issues.

The number of competitors in most software markets is significant. Conducting a full assessment of every competitor is unrealistic and rapidly becomes outdated due to frequent product updates, new capabilities and changing pricing models.

Every hour spent analysing competitors is an hour not spent improving the vendor’s own platform. The output is a subjective comparison that is incomplete the moment it is published.

These limitations mean competitor analysis is often shallow, selective and designed to support the vendor’s narrative rather than help buyers make accurate decisions.

Why this outdated behaviour persists

People continue to ask for case studies because it reflects outdated buying habits. Before independent review platforms and open online communities, vendor case studies were often the only way to get insight into a product before using it.

The behaviour stuck, even though modern tools now make it far easier to evaluate products independently.

Better ways to evaluate software today

Evaluating software is easier and more objective than ever. Buyers do not need to rely on biased content created by vendors. More reliable methods include

• Signing up for a free trial and testing the product against real business needs
• Reading independent reviews from users on trusted platforms
• Asking for feedback in online communities such as Reddit where discussions are transparent and experience based

These approaches provide an up to date, independent and practical view of how a product performs in real environments.

Vendor created case studies and competitive comparisons are heavily skewed and provide limited value. Modern buyers are better served by tools that reflect actual user experience and allow for hands on evaluation.

‍