Web Scraper Software Market

Market Overview

The global web scraper software market size was valued at USD 586 million in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 1,803 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period (2023–2031).

Web scraping also referred to as screen scraping, web data extraction, web harvesting, etc., is a method for obtaining vast data from websites. The data is gathered and stored in a local file on a computer or in a database in a tabular (spreadsheet) format. Web scraping software can be categorized into two types: first, locally installed on a computer, and second, cloud–browser-based. WebHarvy, OutWit Hub, Visual Web Ripper, etc., are examples of web scraping software that can be installed on computers, whereas Import.io, Mozenda, etc., are examples of cloud data extraction platforms.

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Increasing Demand from the E-Commerce Sector

Globally, the e-commerce sector has grown tremendously in the last decade and is expected to register a significant growth rate during the forecast period. The growing use of smartphones and the Internet in developing countries has further propelled the sector's growth in recent years. Many new companies are only running on the Internet as it reduces the cost of operations, enabling them to use the available funds for product development. In addition, the e-commerce sector has substantially improved consumer experience, allowing them to avail of products and services from the comfort of their home.

Furthermore, companies need to process large amounts of data to effectively market a product to understand the various factors influencing a consumer's decision. However, most companies have limited resources and can only invest a few hours in data collection. Hence, an increasing number of companies in the e-commerce sector are investing in purchasing web scrapping software with different configurations to understand the marketplace better. Increasing awareness among professionals in the e-commerce sector will likely increase the demand for web scrapping software substantially. Thus, the growing demand from the e-commerce sector is expected to drive the growth of the global web scraper software market during the forecast period.

Growing Demand for Business Intelligence

The recruitment industry is undoubtedly one of the economy's most active and rapidly expanding sectors and is a significant player in data scraping. It comprises job boards, HR consulting firms, and aggregators. Connecting the right organizations and businesses with the right pool of job seekers is one of this industry's most crucial jobs and concerns. To accurately match each of these people's skills and talents to the job descriptions and needs, there is only one promising method. Due to the abundance of available jobs, job site operators can acquire significant insight into market dynamics and prospects. Additionally, such programs may entice businesses and job seekers to pursue them. This widespread engagement will finally give the job platforms a credible and influential audience and increase their attractiveness.

Market Restraint

Availability of Free Tool

Most companies operating in the global web scrapping software market offer their products free of charge for a limited trial period with limited features. Many companies have also started offering the product for free due to the high competition. Furthermore, many client companies refrain from investing in the tool to reduce operational costs. Most clients in the global web scrapping software market are primarily small or medium-sized enterprises, which further declines the availability of financial resources to invest in paid software and use complimentary tools. Due to the availability of several software providers, numerous clients tend to switch service providers after the trial period is over.

Additionally, most companies do not require payment information during the free trial period leading to multiple sign-ups. However, many explore the website with little time for the software leading to unnecessary overhead costs for the software provider. Thus, the availability of free tools is expected to restrain the growth of the global web scrapping software market during the forecast period.

Market Opportunities

Rising Demand for Outsourcing Services

Companies depend on lead generation in today's competitive market to gain a larger market share and a more significant client base. Traditional lead generation techniques must be adequate in an increasingly competitive market. Several companies are availing technologies and services from different companies to enhance their lead generation process and, eventually, sales. Furthermore, as the number of companies in the e-commerce sector grows, the demand for outsourcing web scraping services is also expected to grow substantially, primarily as the majority of the companies in the e-commerce platform are small and medium-sized enterprises. Thus, the growing need for outsourcing lead generation services is expected to create a lucrative opportunity for the players operating in the global web scraping software market during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global web scraper software market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant contributor to the market and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period. North America dominates this market as a result of organizations' growing worries about data security and the resulting rise in demand for online scraping software. Monitoring and managing internet data flows is made easier with the aid of this software. The rising volume of unstructured data in numerous end-use industries is also a significant driver of software demand. In addition, the high demand from retail and e-commerce, as well as advertising and media verticals, is fueling the market growth in the region. Most of the large enterprises in the region use web scraper software to transform web information into actionable data, as it offers high-quality structured data to improve business outcomes and enable intelligent decision-making.

Furthermore, significant players using cutting-edge technology, like Smartlook.com, Inspectlet, and Dynatrace LLC, are contributing elements. Due to increased internet usage, rising data as a service (DaaS) demand, and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), businesses are increasingly dependent on products for business automation. Additionally, a greater understanding of internet consumer requirements is becoming available due to the growth in internet users and the acceptance of online buying. Further, the US has the largest market share in the North American market. Most significant, small, and medium enterprises across various industry verticals use the software.

Europe is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 13.1% over the forecast period. Europe is further divided into Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Russia, and the rest of Europe. The rest of Europe comprises countries such as Norway, Austria, Spain, and Benelux. Germany is expected to have the largest market size as the number of enterprises using web scraping software is the highest in the country. However, Italy is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period as the demand for web scraping solutions is increasing across verticals. In addition, the software is widely used by retail businesses, advertising agencies, and financial service providers in the area, boosting the global industry's expansion.

The market's fastest-expanding region is Asia-Pacific. The increasing demand from the e-commerce sector as the industry is booming in the region is driving market growth. Rapid technical innovations, digitalization, and rising internet penetration are some of the growth attributes driving the market in the region. Furthermore, the region's demand for outsourcing web scraping services is high. Various companies are also creating tool in-house that fuels market growth. China has the largest market share in the Asia-Pacific market. In contrast, India is expected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. The number of firms using web scraper software is highest in China, followed by India and Japan, respectively.

The rest of the world comprises South America and the Middle East and Africa. The South American market is further divided into Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and the rest of South America. Brazil is expected to have the largest market share in the region. The number of enterprises in the region is also growing, and many companies from the US and European countries are expanding their businesses. In addition, the Middle East and Africa is divided into South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and the rest of the Middle East& Africa. South Africa is expected to have the largest market size as the number of enterprises using web scraping software is the highest in the country. South Africa is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period as the region is advancing technologically, and Internet penetration is very high. Retail and e-commerce firms, tourism companies, and law firms, as well as companies from the finance sector, are expected to adopt the software soon, thereby boosting global market growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global web scraper software market is segmented into type and vertical.

Based on type, the global web scraper software market is divided into general-purpose web crawlers, focused web crawlers, incremental web crawlers, and deep web crawlers.

The general-purpose web crawler segment is the highest contributor to the market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% during the forecast period. General-purpose web crawlers are used for primary-level data extraction from across the web. General-purpose web crawlers are often used for basic research about pricing, and products, understanding the laws and regulations, understanding the industry functioning, etc. This technology can be used by businesses to generate leads, gather important information from rival websites, identify trends in document collections, and enhance the study of unstructured data. This versatile tool can help firms switch from paper to digital records.

A focused crawler is subject-specific and aims selectively at collecting web pages that are relevant to a given topic. A focused web crawler is a hypertext system that seeks, acquires, indexes, and maintains pages on specific issues representing a relatively narrow web segment. Each focused web crawler will be far quicker in detecting changes to pages within its focus than a crawler crawling the entire web. In addition, focused web crawlers are guided by a classifier that learns to recognize relevance from examples embedded in a topic taxonomy and a distiller which identifies topical vantage points on the web. This web crawler makes indexing more influential, ultimately helping in fulfilling the basic need for faster and more relevant retrieval of information from the world wide web. Many search engines have started using the technique to give users a richer experience while accessing web content, ultimately increasing their hit count.

Based on vertical, the global web scraper software market is divided into retail and e-commerce, advertising and media, real estate, finance, automotive, and others.

The retail and e-commerce segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.2% over the forecast period. E-commerce and retail companies use web scraping to collect competitors' information, such as monitoring the competitors' prices and title attributes, which can help build strategies to succeed against competitors. They also collect product reviews for sentiment analysis, from which they get to know the shortcomings of their products and help them in adjustment and refinement. Furthermore, considerations are significant for E-commerce start-ups, as they can use web scraping to collect reviewers' information for better decision-making.

The other segment includes research institutes, law firms, and travel and tourism enterprises. Travel companies use web scraping to find the latest traveling spots and scrape down travelers' profiles to gauge their will to travel. These companies then use the information to make touring plans that suit most potential customers. Also, travel companies can scrape a destination spot's data to build traveling projects, such as historical sites, hotels, and restaurants. On the other hand, law firms handle plenty of cases in which they use web scraping tools to look through the past judgment of the kind. Octopus Data Inc., one of the prominent players in the market, helps them scrape down entire cases.

Recent Developments

• November 2022- UiPath announced an expanded agreement with UiPath Diamond partner Neostella to deliver managed services to the midmarket company category.
• January 2023- UiPath announced significant upgrades to allow customers to modernize their software testing practices by migrating testing to the UiPath Business Automation Platform. With migration streamlined and comprehensive software testing natively available to all customers, UiPath provides CIOs and IT decision-makers the opportunity to save costs by consolidating and automating testing in a single platform.