The emergence of real-time voice of the customer (VoC) data is exposing cracks in the traditional analyst advisory model – and could shift a long-established market dynamic.

Analyst advisory for tech buyers is a multi-billion-dollar business, now challenged by newcomers exploiting a core weakness: Flagship analyst research can be outdated even by the time it’s published.

There has long been a trade-off: speed vs. depth and credibility.

Challenger firms like HG Insights and Futurum are leveraging this weakness to break into the lucrative market for influencing the shortlisting and selection of tech vendors, which is currently dominated by industry analysts and sourcing advisors.

New Competitive Pressure Challenges the Status Quo: Buyers are increasingly hungry for data – the more recent, the better – and we expect this trend to intensify. The classic lifecycle of the evaluation report can’t keep pace as buyers expect fresh, real-time data to make informed decisions, since most analyst evaluations are only updated once a year, at best.

Gartner recognized this early, launching Peer Insights in 2015 to start tapping the Voice of the Customer. Last year, Gartner introduced Emerging Market Quadrant reports, updated monthly, and now updates MQs to reflect significant market shifts, such as takeovers or mergers.

In 2020, Omdia attempted to integrate TrustRadius data into Omdia Universe reports: a much-hyped but ultimately unsuccessful concept.

Now HG Insights, Futurum and Gartner are all pursuing AI technology to sift through the massive amounts of data at their disposal.

This is taking us to an inflection point where buyers can confidently combine analyst insights with customer truths.

HG Insights acquired TrustRadius: Move #1: HG Insights’ estimated $45M acquisition of TrustRadius was for access to a real-time data engine. TrustRadius has amassed hundreds of thousands of customer reviews, which are a powerful “signal point” now built into HG Insights’ centralized go-to-market data analytics offerings.

HG Insights provides sellers with a comprehensive understanding of the market landscape, based on high-quality data curated from multiple sources, including voice of the customer via TrustRadius. Its tools include a Market Analyzer to identify TAM (Total Addressable Market), SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market), and SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market).

HG Insights is increasingly competing with Forrester Research, as it moves beyond operational intelligence toward strategic GTM decision-making, targeting enterprise buyers who seek real-time insight as they shift toward data-driven decisions.

Futurum partnered with G2: Futurum is a rapidly growing analyst firm, and G2 is the largest and most visible tech review site, with an inventory of over 3,000,000 reviews.

In a new strategic alliance, Futurum is adding G2’s real-time, actionable VoC to bolster its analyst advisory business in the AI-fueled, on-demand era.

How might this impact industry analyst firms? The depth and breadth of real-time data could finally force industry analysts to pay more attention to third-party VoC. Some analysts still claim they pay no attention to customer voice sites like G2 or GPI, but as the volume and quality increase, that will inevitably change.

Another advantage of incorporating real-time review data into analyst insights is that firms like HG Insights and Futurum, which approach the same opportunity from different angles, can create an early warning system for vendors to detect when issues arise. This is another area where analysts have often been a source of truth for vendors – although usually with a time lag.

Many vendors today rely on their Customer Advisory Board, but CABs can be an echo chamber. The availability of real-world VoC marginalizes the CAB – or will necessitate its reinvention.

For buyers who benefit from real-time insights, there is no going back. Imagine a world without Google search, for example.

A Surefire Way to Combat Skepticism: By meshing G2 data with analyst insight, Futurum is making a power play to increase the authority of its recommendations and combat skepticism among buyers. Anyone who suspects that vendors manipulate their reviews can speak with an analyst. Conversely, anyone who believes analysts are coin operated by vendors can seek an alternative opinion by checking peer reviews.

This combination has the potential to bridge the gap between customer truth and analyst insight.

Futurum is not the first analyst firm to try this, but perhaps it will perfect it. Nevertheless, the success of its partnership with G2 depends on much more than “just” including VoC data into 2×2 evaluation reports.

If Futurum can get this right, it will redefine the influence of analysts in the enterprise tech buying process.

Regarding HG Insights – it is emerging as a new type of analyst firm. Vendors should closely monitor developments, particularly those related to agentic and co-pilots.

Destrier’s recommendation: Tech vendors seeking to capitalize on these two announcements must recognize what success looks like from the buyer’s perspective, and evaluate the impact of real-time buyer intelligence from HG Insights and Futurum on their sales cycle:

1. Always Updated, Focused Insights: Buyers gain access to up-to-date customer feedback, tracking emerging trends and providing the agility that traditional analyst reports often lack. Decisions can be made with current and credible data.
2. The Triangulation of Truth: Combining analyst insight, VoC data and vendor narratives creates a 360-degree view. Buyers can cross-check vendor claims and reduce the risk of being misled by any single source.
3. Early Risk Detection for Buyers and Vendors: Continuous access to real-time VoC signals, such as declining satisfaction, enables buyers to identify problems with incumbent vendors early, before renewal or escalation points. For vendors, there is no better time than now to start addressing issues, whether perceived or real.
4. Higher Confidence in Industry Analysts: By incorporating customer truth alongside their own judgment, analysts win buyer trust. Guidance becomes less subjective and more grounded, transparent, and deeply aligned with buyer priorities.
5. Better Vendor Discovery and Validation: Combining analyst coverage with peer reviews helps analysts stay ahead by surfacing high-performing, lesser-known vendors and confirming whether big players truly deliver. Buyers can create more informed shortlists and avoid post-purchase surprises.

Destrier is a leading global Analyst Relations agency. Our innovative and disruptive approach enables vendors to enhance, reimagine and refocus their AR programs. We empower in-house teams to make a bigger impact through taking a strategic approach to AR, leveraging ‘power law principles’ to enhance its effectiveness, and empowering senior executives to deal with the presence of analysts in their revenue stream.

Destrier eliminates the guesswork from effective AR investment. Working with Destrier, AR leaders gain confidence in investing their budgets where they will have the greatest impact. We find the right balance of influence, exposure, and a direct link to the bottom line.

Destrier’s data-driven approach helps AR teams confidently justify their investments — especially when pushing back on reprints or pay-to-play studies with questionable ROI.