Your 2025 Spend Index shows AI spend up 130% among large UK firms. What’s driving this surge, and which use-cases are delivering the fastest ROI?
We’re coming out the other side of the initial hype and buzz surrounding AI. What this means for businesses is that those previously erring on the side of caution during the initial surge in AI adoption and intentionally avoiding AI tools just because they sit in the limelight, are feeling more confident. Now they’re spending time and money on choosing tools that can deliver real, long-term impact. I’d expect this trajectory to continue as businesses learn more about new AI tools and see returns over a longer period.
ChatGPT, perhaps unsurprisingly, is at the fore of AI spending. While the number of customers using ChatGPT has increased by 52% in 2025, more remarkable is the 229% more that businesses are spending on ChatGPT in H1 of 2025, compared to H1 of 2024. The spending indicates that after initial adoption, businesses are seeing enough value from and ROI on the tool to allocate more funding towards greater implementation of the product after just one year.
With software spend rising 43% in the UK, how are finance leaders deciding which platforms to prioritise for scalability and impact?
Given recent economic turbulence, finance leaders are recognising the importance of agility and are spending time on identifying platforms that offer scalable, flexible models that help them stay responsive. To this end, CFOs are particularly prioritising software that drives efficiency and insight, while cutting recurring spend which is no longer providing value and growth.
Software and platforms that ease administrative burdens are also a core focus, the impact of which is a broadening of the capabilities of finance teams to guide, advise and forecast.
Professional services spend jumped 59%. What types of external expertise are businesses investing in, and why now?
Professional services spend is rising because businesses are facing an increasingly complex environment made up of economic uncertainty, rapid tech transformation and evolving regulatory pressures. Rather than building all capabilities in-house, it appears organisations are realising the value of turning to specialised external partners to plug gaps quickly and gain immediate access to high-value expertise.
This includes anything from consultants and experts in digital transformation, data strategy, AI implementation and regulatory compliance. As finance teams adopt more automation and intelligent tools, particularly AI for reporting and forecasting, they’re freed up to focus on strategic priorities. That’s driving demand for professional advisors who can guide long-term planning and help teams interpret and act on insights.
In short, it’s about enabling agility: using the right expertise at the right moment to stay ahead.
Operational costs rose 26%, but shopping-related spend climbed 33%. What does this tell us about how organisations are rebalancing their budgets?
The increase in shopping-related spend is probably symptomatic of two things. Firstly, the report highlighted how businesses are becoming increasingly mobile. Whilst the main indicator of this is the rise in T&E spending, this increase in travel will also likely be incurring increased shopping-related spend. Mobile workforces spend more time out in the field and meeting clients, and five years since the pandemic initially hit, they’re truly getting back into the swing of it, so their spend is no doubt going to increase too.
However, the comparative increase in shopping-related spend within general operational spend is not solely explained by this. In many industries, shopping-related spend accounts for the majority of untracked spend in companies. We’ve seen that in various sectors such as care. Complex regulatory processes, lack of budget transparency and laborious expense claim systems were causing employees to find workarounds; whether that’s using personal finances or allocating spend to different budgets to help get sign off. None of which shows up in the data. But as companies are increasingly adopting smarter systems that give employees the access they need, we’re beginning to see a more accurate picture.
How are finance teams using real-time data from platforms like Soldo to optimise spend, rather than simply cutting budgets?
Finance teams are using data driven insights to develop smarter strategies that help them navigate economic headwinds. Platforms like Soldo are liberating finance teams from outdated financial processes and stifled growth. Using real-time data allows more insightful spend, with long-term ramifications in mind. This is increasing their capacity to focus on long-term budget strategy, rather than reactionary cuts.
Which sectors are showing the most divergent spending patterns, and what explains those differences?
The care sector is showing signs of rapid spending growth, reflecting the reality of a mobile workforce with increasing day-to-day costs. Furthermore, with petty cash and backdated expense requests on the way out, administrative errors and untracked spending are declining. Not only are care workers spending more, but their spending is showing up on file more accurately, with more consistency.
Manufacturing is also seeing significant growth in spending despite cost fluctuations across the board. Whilst T&E spending and recurring spend showed steady increases at 6% and 7% respectively, construction related costs rose by 20%. Encouragingly, rather than limiting spend, finance leaders are responding to cost unpredictability and fluctuations with smarter, insight driven increases in spending on core business functions.
How can CFOs balance the need for cost discipline with the demand for innovative tools in an uncertain economy?
Those two things probably complement one another more than most people realise. By investing in innovative tools with a clear purpose, businesses are doubling down on platforms that genuinely move the needle. The cost of a handful of new, insight driving technologies leads to cutting an abundance of wasted money in redundant subscriptions and tools. Our Spend Index data supports this; vast increases in software spending yet reductions in recurring spend. Insight into ROI can therefore inform how CFOs respond to demands for innovative tools, with the data to match.
What best practices have emerged for managing rapid increases in specific categories without creating new inefficiencies?
New tools that automate manual tasks are alleviating the administrative burden on finance teams, while tools that provide insight and spend visibility are helping CFOs track company spend at the same time. This allows finance teams the time to complete the final piece of the puzzle: delivering action. These actions can remedy existing spend-inefficiencies at a much greater rate and ensure that rapid increases in spending are replacing these gaps, instead of creating new ones.
Looking ahead to H2 2025, what spending trends do you anticipate, and how should finance leaders prepare for them?
As the dust settles on the initial AI buzz, I’m anticipating further progression of and evolution in the trends outlined in the Spend Index: steady growth in AI and technology adoption and use, with huge increases in spending on already implemented technologies that prove their value. I also anticipate spending to continue to trend upwards in broad terms, with recurring spending continuing to decline as more finance leaders identify the resources that are under-serving them. Finance leaders must continue to streamline financial controls to ensure that they can match these industry-wide trends.
