Computer Software : A Multi-billion Dollar Market

Computers cannot run without some form of software.

Perhaps that statement above should be able to convince anyone to start selling software either as a full time job or on the side. It is essentially not just something many desire; it is needed. Evidence of this can be seen in the harsh economic downturn that is currently encompassing the globe. Last year security software (anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc) rose by 18.6%. It is surely one of the few industries that are still seeing a rise in profits when almost every other niche is setting its sights and expectations lower to accommodate the economic situation.

John W Tukey coined the idiom software back in 1958 when computers, as we know them today, were still a scientists dream. In essence, for those who do not know, your computer can be divided into two sections: software and hardware. Hardware refers to the actual physical components on your computer: RAM, hard drive, monitor, graphics card and so on. Software is all the programs installed on your computer: Word, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Media Player and so on and so forth. Software can again be split into many different categories: Operating systems, office tools, anti-virus etc but the purpose of this article is not to list the various forms that software can take. Instead its purpose is to look at the software market and analyze its potential.

Last year the online portion of software sales was around $30 billion and its potential to expand, grow and develop doesn't look like being curbed anytime soon. The key to the software market is either marketing or selling a piece of software that is useful. It should be functional and accessible to the user. Let us put this in perspective. As it has already been mentioned the anti-virus market rose by nearly 19% last year (2008). Millions of people daily are contracting viruses and spyware and adware and applications harmful to their system every day. If you've ever been unfortunate enough to experience this then you will know how annoying these viruses can be. Therefore they are willing to pay for software to scan their system and wipe any traces of the viruses. The fact that many pieces of spyware and adware are designed to steal your personal details give an extra incentive.

No compare this to a piece of software that, let's say, changes your desktop background every 10 minutes. Which do you think will sell more? Just because the software market is vast and expanding rapidly doesn't mean that everything will sell, you have to know the proper way of going about it. Which software is in demand, marketing techniques and digitized software over hard copy are all things that need to be fully understood before you enter the market.

Help is on hand and no one expects you to just be thrown right in at the deep end. A free online report called: Conquer the Software Niche' can provide you with the essential knowledge in allowing you to start selling software online right away.

Software sales do not look like declining anytime soon so it is advisable to get in while the going is good and start selling the product that every person with a computer needs.