Cybersecurity & AI Tools Searches Dominate Tier-2 & 3 Cities During 2025's Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales - Techjockey Insights Reveals

The Black Friday, Cyber Monday (BFCM), Holiday sales period is no longer just a B2C shopping frenzy. New analysis of search behaviour and market data from Techjockey for 2025's Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales reveals a massive, strategic surge in B2B software procurement, as Indian businesses especially in emerging tech hubs rushed to finalize their 2025 tech stacks.

While individuals were hunting for consumer deals, SMEs and mid-market companies were on a strategic hunt of their own. The "use-it-or-lose-it" year-end budget cycle, combined with widespread SaaS sales offering discounts of up to 80-90% on plans, created a perfect storm for digital transformation.

Our analysis of regional search patterns and market reports uncovered five key trends from the 2025 holiday sales season.

Cyber Security Dominates Search

A new and urgent trend for 2025 is the prioritization of digital defense. As digitization accelerates, so do threats, leading to a massive uptick in searches for security solutions.

Techjockey Analysis Highlight:

"45% of all B2B software searches during the BFCM period were exclusively for Cyber Security solutions, making it the most viral category of the season."

Antivirus & Endpoint Security: The Indian antivirus market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% (2025-2029). Techjockey data confirms this, showing a 3x increase in queries for "Cloud-based Endpoint Security" compared to Q3, as businesses moved beyond basic antivirus.

Mobile Security: With the workforce increasingly mobile-first, the demand for Mobile Security solutions exploded. Techjockey recorded a 50% month-on-month spike in searches for mobile device management (MDM) tools, aligning with global projections of a 21% CAGR.

This surge is driven by a rising volume of cyber-attacks and strict new regulatory mandates like the DPDPA (Digital Personal Data Protection Act), forcing SMEs to upgrade from "free" tools to enterprise-grade security compliance.

 

Collaboration Tools & Office Suites Searches Surge

Following closely behind security was a strategic surge in tools that facilitate the hybrid work model, specifically Office Suites and WhatsApp marketing automation.

Techjockey Analysis Highlight:

"User Search Queries for ' Office Suites' and 'WhatsApp Automation' collectively jumped by 55%, outperforming legacy categories like ERP for the first time in a holiday sale."

 

Office Suites: As remote and hybrid work models crystallize, demand for comprehensive Office Suites (such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace alternatives) saw a marked increase. Inquiries for "Business Productivity Suites" rose by 35%, as companies sought to replace fragmented standalone tools.

 

WhatsApp Marketing Tools: With "Mobile Optimization + WhatsApp Automation" becoming a critical mandate for 2025, search volumes for bulk WhatsApp marketing software and automation APIs surged. Businesses are moving beyond basic messaging to deploy chatbots and automated customer engagement flows.

AI-Powered & Vertical CRM Narrative Shows Strategic Intent

While security and collaboration led volume, the CRM category represented the highest strategic intent, defined by a dual shift toward Artificial Intelligence and Vertical Specialization.

"Listings tagged with 'AI' or specific industry verticals received 3x more search requests than generic CRM listings, signaling a definitive end to the 'one-size-fits-all' era."

The AI Shift: Market reports confirm that buyers were searching for specific features. During the BFCM 2025 period, searches for "AI-powered CRM" spiked significantly, aligning with a broader trend where 76% of Indian business leaders now believe AI will have a significant business impact. Techjockey's own data reflects this with a 40% year-over-year increase in searches specifically for AI-enabled tools.

The Rise of Vertical CRM: Alongside AI, there was a marked pivot toward industry-specific solutions over generic platforms, with queries like CRM for Automobile dealers, CRM for tour operators etc. saw a sharp uptake.

 

Metros Lead, Tier-2 Cities Explode

While traditional metros still hold the largest market share, the most aggressive growth in search interest came from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

"Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities demonstrated exceptional search intent. Non-metro hubs accounted for 46% of total platform searches and contributed to a staggering 52% of specific, bottom-of-funnel product queries."

 

Dominant Metros (The "Big Buyers")

South India (Bengaluru, Hyderabad): As India's primary tech and startup corridors, these cities led searches for cutting-edge, high-growth tools. Search queries were dominated by "AI-powered CRM," "SaaS management tools," and "product analytics software."

North India (Delhi, Gurugram, Noida): Led the nation in overall search volume for comprehensive Office Suites and business ecosystems. Demand was highest for WhatsApp automation and all-in-one marketing automation platforms.

West India (Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad): Showed the highest demand for robust, industrial-grade solutions. Searches for "Stock Market Software" and "cyber security" grew by 45% year-over-year in this region.

East India (Kolkata): Displayed strong, steady demand for foundational business software like "accounting software" and "payroll management."

Emerging Hotspots (The "High Growth")

Lucknow & Jaipur: These rapidly growing northern hubs showed a significant spike in searches for "HRMS software." Techjockey data specifically noted an 85% increase in HRMS queries from Lucknow alone, aligning with the broader 21% year-on-year growth in hiring observed in Tier-2 cities.

Coimbatore & Indore: These manufacturing centers saw a major increase in searches related to "Inventory Management Systems" and "Cloud ERP for SMEs."

 

A Perfect Storm of Budget and Opportunity

"The Q3 holiday period has become the new planning season for B2B," said Ratnakar Patrayudu, Head of SEO & Organic Growth at Techjockey. "Our analysis of search behaviour shows a massive spike in high-intent, long-tail keywords. Queries like 'AI-Powered Business Automation Platforms' or 'CRM for Automobile dealers' peaked during the BFCM Sale window."

Techjockey Analysis Highlight:

"The 'Use-It-or-Lose-It' rush resulted in a 200% spike in bulk license inquiries during the final 48 hours of the sale, driving average cart values up by 40%."

The BFCM 2025 spike was not an accident. It was driven by three converging factors:

The B2B Black Friday is Real: Dozens of major SaaS providers officially participated in BFCMSale 2025, offering deep discounts on annual plans. This has trained SME buyers to wait for November to make big purchases, contributing to a 20-25% sales surge seen across Indian retail and digital sectors.

"Use-It-or-Lose-It" Budgets: The Holiday season is the traditional time for IT and department heads to spend their remaining annual budgets. The alignment of these budget deadlines with major sales created a powerful incentive to buy.

The 2025 AI/Cloud Mandate: 2025 was the year Indian SMEs fully embraced the cloud. A CMR (CyberMedia Research) report noted that 2 in 3 Indian SMEs are now digitally equipped, with cloud adoption growing at a CAGR of over 24%. Businesses were actively searching for tools to start 2025 with a competitive edge, and the holiday deals provided the perfect, budget-friendly entry point.

"What we're seeing in the search data isn't just a trend; it's a new procurement mandate," said Ankur Vij, Chief Revenue Officer - Digital Sales, Techjockey.com. "Buyers are no longer just searching for 'CRM.' They are specifically searching for 'AI-powered CRM' and 'automation tools.' This tells us the market is educated, has moved past foundational software, and is now laser-focused on efficiency and ROI."

This sentiment is backed by platform data from Techjockey.com, which saw a 65% increase in lead submissions for products tagged with 'AI' or 'Automation' during the sale period.