Our 2025 survey, conducted earlier this year revealed a powerful shift in focus which we can already see being born out in projects and high profile software development, AI integration and more - bespoke software is no longer just about operational efficiency but about enabling better decision-making, addressing global health issues, fostering ethical innovation, and supporting individual well-being. With AI powering connectivity and access to data, when integrated with bespoke software solutions the opportunities can be endless.

 

Ranking	2024 Priorities	2025 Priorities	Change
1	Increase operational efficiency and cost savings	Enable better decision-making through analytics	Shift
2	Enhance employee productivity and collaboration	Improve treatment of global health issues	Shift
3	Improve employee well-being and work-life balance	Improve employee well-being and work-life balance	No change
4	Boost revenue and market competitiveness	Enhance data security and privacy	Shift
5	Advance social responsibility and ethical practices	Provide better training and development	Shift

Shifting demands of bespoke software

1. From Efficiency to Intelligence
   Propel Tech’s research shows that companies are no longer content with software that just saves time — they want software that improves decision-making. 

This matches a broader trend identified by Gartner for 2025: Decision Intelligence is emerging as a top investment area. Propel Tech’s findings reveal that analytics-led, insight-driven bespoke solutions are now critical to unlocking smarter, fairer business practices.

2. Health and Wellbeing at the Core
   Improving global health inequalities jumped in priority across all sectors surveyed by Propel Tech. Instead of software simply boosting productivity, businesses want platforms that help tackle healthcare gaps, improve employee mental health, and promote overall wellness. 

This mirrors McKinsey’s tech report highlighting healthcare innovation as a key global investment focus for the next decade.

3. Ethical Innovation and Social Responsibility
   Advancing ethical practices is now seen as a vital responsibility for software developers. Propel Tech’s survey respondents emphasised that bespoke software should drive inclusivity, sustainability, and social good, embedding these principles deeply into business operations. 

This supports insights from TechCrunch, which predicts that “ethical innovation” will be one of the defining measures of technology success by 2030.

4. Learning, Empowerment, and Inclusivity
   Training and development shot up the priority list in Propel Tech’s findings, signaling that businesses now want bespoke learning platforms tailored to individuals.

Propel Tech research aligns closely with McKinsey’s prediction that “adaptive learning ecosystems” will soon be a must-have, helping businesses equip diverse teams for a rapidly evolving workplace.

5. Privacy and Trust by Design
   Data security and privacy moved higher in importance, showing that respondents see safeguarding data not as a regulatory requirement, but as a core part of brand trust and ethical practice. Propel Tech’s 2025 survey results parallel Gartner’s call for “privacy-first architectures” to be baked into software design from the ground up.
6. Creativity, Problem-Solving, and Human Imagination
   Finally, Propel Tech’s research showed a noticeable shift from automating repetitive tasks toward empowering human problem-solving and creativity.

This reflects a global trend noted by TechCrunch: bespoke software should enable humans to think more freely, solve more creatively, and drive innovation — not just execute predefined tasks.

What are the bespoke software trends to watch for in the rest of 2025 and beyond?

• Decision-First Design: Bespoke applications will prioritise decision support and ethics over pure automation.
• Process Innovation: More solutions focusing on making processes easier, remote access, and enabling greater visibility across systems .
• Ethical Technology: Standards and certifications that ensure ethical development will become a competitive advantage.
• Adaptive Learning Systems: Bespoke learning tools that support flexible, inclusive development for employees.
• Privacy-by-Design: Bespoke software will put user data protection at the heart of system architecture.

Empowering Innovation: Software that nurtures creativity, collaboration, and free-thinking will become vital.

Final thought

As Daniel Bell once said:

“Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.”

The bespoke software of 2025 is being shaped by a deeper understanding and purpose not just function: technology’s highest purpose is to empower people, enhance well-being, solve critical problems, and shape a fairer world, AI cant do this alone - data and bespoke software development needs to decide where AI is applied.

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At Propel Tech, we remain committed to our mission to make tech possible — by building software that keeps people, ethics, and imagination at its very core. Find out more about how we can make tech possible with AI consulting,  bespoke software development, systems migration services  and software management services. 

Talk to Propel Tech.