Related articles

Photo of a central business district, where sustainable investing often occurs.
ESG: a game-changer for sustainable investing or greenwashing?
A business leader reducing business costs.
Reducing business costs: How to cut without ruining morale
Transportation driver
Trends in transportation: fleet managers convince their CFO that cash and fuel cards no longer work
Business

Soldo’s September Spend Index: Business trends and benchmarking for finance leaders 

1 October 2024  |  3 minutes read

Understanding the evolving business landscape has never been more crucial for finance leaders. Soldo’s September Spend Index looks at spending from over 18,000 businesses in light of recent political and economic changes. The Index also benchmarks spend by sector to help you understand how your peers are spending.

Download report

Dynamic shifts in advertising spend

Advertising spend has seen varied trends across regions. In the UK, businesses have pulled back, resulting in a 15% decrease, while Italian companies ramped up their advertising by 31%, betting on aggressive growth. This underscores the need for adaptable financial strategies that can quickly respond to external changes.

Utility spending and sustainability

Despite expectations of rising costs, spending on utilities has dipped in both the UK and Italy, thanks in part to new energy producers stabilising prices. This unexpected decrease presents an opportunity for CFOs to redirect savings towards sustainable technology and practices, aligning with growing environmental stewardship demands from stakeholders.

Download report

Rise of nomadic spending

Nomadic employees — those who frequently working away from traditional office settings —continue to influence travel and entertainment (T&E) expenses. Spending in these categories has risen by 11% year-on-year, highlighting the shifting landscape of work and the importance of a proactive, agile and orderly approach to decentralised spending.

AI integration deepens

Artificial intelligence adoption is accelerating with a significant 177% increase in companies investing in AI tools like ChatGPT. This surge is not just about keeping up with technological trends but is an important part of maintaining a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.

Download the report now to gain business insights and benchmark your business against your peers.

Related posts

Soldo’s 2024 recap: A year of innovation, liberation and accomplishment

Soldo’s 2024 recap reflects a standout year of innovation, growth and success. Key highlights include valuable tools like the CO2e Tracker, the launch of the Global CFO 100 Awards and empowering customer stories. 2025 promises new productivity tools and resources for even greater decentralised spend management.

Soldo News
1 week ago
What’s new at Soldo: New features for Winter 2024

Soldo’s Winter 2024 update offers new features for greater visibility and control over decentralised spending, empowering teams to scale with control and confidence 

Product update
4 weeks ago
How to do more fulfilling procurement work

Turn your procurement team from “PO processors” into strategic partners by automating admin and focusing on impactful, progressive work.

Spend management
1 month ago
Soldo® 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The website in all languages and for all markets is provided by Soldo Software Ltd., a company incorporated in the UK with company number 09233754 and VAT: GB204213566, whose registered office is 119 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PU, United Kingdom. All communications related to the website shall be sent to the registered office.

The software services provided to customers resident in or with registered office in an EEA country or in the UK are provided by Soldo Software Ltd a company incorporated in the UK with company number 09233754 and VAT: GB204213566, whose registered office is 119 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PU, United Kingdom. Soldo Software Ltd (data protection number: ZA 092035) complies with all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK and the EU including the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) and the Data Protection Act 2018. All the communications related to the software and related services shall be sent to the registered office. Soldo Software Ltd., 119 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PU, United Kingdom.

The software services provided to customers resident in or with registered office in Italy are provided by Soldo Italia S.r.l. , a company incorporated in Italy with company number 11864540965 at the Registry of companies of Milano, Monza, Brianza, Lodi, VAT: IT11864540965, and registered office at Via degli Olivetani 10/12, 20123 Milano (Italy). Soldo Italia Srl complies with all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in Italy including the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679). All communications related to the software and related services shall be sent to the registered office Soldo Italia Srl, Via degli Olivetani 10/12, 20123 Milano (Italy).

The financial services provided to customers resident in or with registered office in an EEA country are provided by Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC, a company incorporated in Ireland with company number 610705, and registered office at 33 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.  Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. The card is issued by Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC pursuant to a licence issued by Mastercard International Inc. Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC complies with all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in Ireland, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) and the Data Protection Acts 1988 - 2018. All communications related to financial services provided by Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC shall be sent to Soldo Financial Services Ireland DAC, 33 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.

The financial services provided to customers resident in or with registered office in the UK are provided by Soldo Financial Services Ltd., a company incorporated in the UK with company number 09495650, whose registered office is 119 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PU, United Kingdom, authorised as an Electronic Money Institution by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm registration number 900459). Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. The card is issued by Soldo Financial Services Ltd pursuant to a licence issued by Mastercard International Inc. Soldo Financial Services Ltd. (data protection number: ZA147304) complies with all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK and the EU including the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) and the Data Protection Act 2018. All communications related to financial services provided by Soldo Financial Services Ltd shall be sent to Soldo Financial Services Ltd., 119 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PU, United Kingdom.