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10 interactive demo examples by popular SaaS companies, and why they stand out

10 interactive demo examples by popular SaaS companies, and why they stand out

Here are some interesting stats from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report by TrustRadius — 44% of respondents wished vendors would not contact them when they were not ready to talk. 

The 2024 G2 Buyer Behavior Report also alludes to the same — 34% of its respondents preferred not to talk with the software vendor during the initial stages of their buying journey.  Put simply, buyers prefer making the first contact at their own pace, and sales and marketing teams just have to make it easy for them to get in touch. 

An interactive demo can be a great way to showcase your product as they’re both low effort and low commitment. Plus, there are many ways to organically (and subtly) nudge users toward your CTA during the demo. 

Quoting from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report again — 54% of enterprise buyers have tried an interactive demo before purchasing a product. By contrast, only 33% of them watched a recorded demo.

In this article, we’ll be checking out some of the more successful interactive demos to understand why they work and how they guide potential leads through the funnel or toward a call-to-action (CTA). 


The 4 key aspects of effective interactive demos

But first, let’s quickly go over what makes an interactive demo truly effective — and highly converting. 

The interactive demo should have a use case 

A whopping 59% of the respondents in the 2023 Buying Disconnect Report said a use-case-specific demo experience was “extremely important.”  35% of them said it was “somewhat important.” 

While this is a common opinion for all demos, it’s particularly important for interactive demos as they’re one of the first touch-points in the buyer journey. 

Plus, as most buyers arrive with specific use cases in mind, highlighting how your product solves those needs from the get-go can significantly increase engagement and nudge them toward the next stage of consideration.

The interactive demo should highlight your product’s usability  

Another reason customers like checking out interactive demos is to understand how easy it is to use a product. So ensure that your guided tour closely matches the actual user journey in the product. 

Other points to keep in mind when it comes to visual design are mirroring the website's (or brand’s) visual aesthetics and spacing out the interactive elements, so they don’t overshadow the actual product experience.

The interactive demo should lead to an ‘AHA’ moment

The AHA moment is for interactive demos, what Time-to-Value (TTV) is for product-led teams. The sooner you show a buyer the ‘true value’ they can gain from your product, the better. 

This is based on the concept of “business empathy” — where you not only give customers a user-friendly experience but also guide them toward achieving their business goals. 

One way to do this is the ‘trigger–build up–pressure’ framework — 

  • Give the buyer a glimpse of how your product solves their problem

  •  Build their excitement with a series of high-impact actions

  • Nudge them toward the final solution — the AHA moment

This way, they go from simply exploring your product to understanding how it solves a problem or fulfills a need.

The interactive demo should have a compelling CTA

Finally, your interactive demo should end with a relevant call-to-action (CTA) — one that guides users to the next desired action. They should be tailored to your target audience and the specific goals of the interactive demo. 

For example, a demo aimed at existing users showcasing a new feature might have a "Start Using Now" CTA, while a demo targeted at potential customers might have a "Schedule a Demo" CTA. Also, always make sure to accompany your CTA with your USP — telling users why they should take the next step is as important as showing them a relevant CTA. 

Don't limit your CTA to just the demo's conclusion, rather, consider a multi-pronged approach. Placing CTAs throughout the demo, like upon exiting specific sections, can capture users at different points of engagement. 

From micro-interactions and animations to AI narrations and gamification, there’s a lot that you can do to make your interactive demo interesting. Once you’ve got the basics in place, we suggest exploring some of these options — they can help you elevate your demo experience and improve brand recall.

Also read: Everything you need to know about interactive demos


10 best SaaS interactive demo examples

The best interactive demos prioritize user experience, focus on value — and most importantly — sit well with the rest of your GTM strategy. Let’s dive into some of the top interactive demo examples to see why they’re successful and how they support the brand’s overall marketing strategy.


1. Maxio

Why it works: It’s benefit-focused, rather than product-focused. 

Here are some interesting stats from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report by TrustRadius — 44% of respondents wished vendors would not contact them when they were not ready to talk. 

The 2024 G2 Buyer Behavior Report also alludes to the same — 34% of its respondents preferred not to talk with the software vendor during the initial stages of their buying journey.  Put simply, buyers prefer making the first contact at their own pace, and sales and marketing teams just have to make it easy for them to get in touch. 

An interactive demo can be a great way to showcase your product as they’re both low effort and low commitment. Plus, there are many ways to organically (and subtly) nudge users toward your CTA during the demo. 

Quoting from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report again — 54% of enterprise buyers have tried an interactive demo before purchasing a product. By contrast, only 33% of them watched a recorded demo.

In this article, we’ll be checking out some of the more successful interactive demos to understand why they work and how they guide potential leads through the funnel or toward a call-to-action (CTA). 


The 4 key aspects of effective interactive demos

But first, let’s quickly go over what makes an interactive demo truly effective — and highly converting. 

The interactive demo should have a use case 

A whopping 59% of the respondents in the 2023 Buying Disconnect Report said a use-case-specific demo experience was “extremely important.”  35% of them said it was “somewhat important.” 

While this is a common opinion for all demos, it’s particularly important for interactive demos as they’re one of the first touch-points in the buyer journey. 

Plus, as most buyers arrive with specific use cases in mind, highlighting how your product solves those needs from the get-go can significantly increase engagement and nudge them toward the next stage of consideration.

The interactive demo should highlight your product’s usability  

Another reason customers like checking out interactive demos is to understand how easy it is to use a product. So ensure that your guided tour closely matches the actual user journey in the product. 

Other points to keep in mind when it comes to visual design are mirroring the website's (or brand’s) visual aesthetics and spacing out the interactive elements, so they don’t overshadow the actual product experience.

The interactive demo should lead to an ‘AHA’ moment

The AHA moment is for interactive demos, what Time-to-Value (TTV) is for product-led teams. The sooner you show a buyer the ‘true value’ they can gain from your product, the better. 

This is based on the concept of “business empathy” — where you not only give customers a user-friendly experience but also guide them toward achieving their business goals. 

One way to do this is the ‘trigger–build up–pressure’ framework — 

  • Give the buyer a glimpse of how your product solves their problem

  •  Build their excitement with a series of high-impact actions

  • Nudge them toward the final solution — the AHA moment

This way, they go from simply exploring your product to understanding how it solves a problem or fulfills a need.

The interactive demo should have a compelling CTA

Finally, your interactive demo should end with a relevant call-to-action (CTA) — one that guides users to the next desired action. They should be tailored to your target audience and the specific goals of the interactive demo. 

For example, a demo aimed at existing users showcasing a new feature might have a "Start Using Now" CTA, while a demo targeted at potential customers might have a "Schedule a Demo" CTA. Also, always make sure to accompany your CTA with your USP — telling users why they should take the next step is as important as showing them a relevant CTA. 

Don't limit your CTA to just the demo's conclusion, rather, consider a multi-pronged approach. Placing CTAs throughout the demo, like upon exiting specific sections, can capture users at different points of engagement. 

From micro-interactions and animations to AI narrations and gamification, there’s a lot that you can do to make your interactive demo interesting. Once you’ve got the basics in place, we suggest exploring some of these options — they can help you elevate your demo experience and improve brand recall.  


10 best SaaS interactive demo examples

The best interactive demos prioritize user experience, focus on value — and most importantly — sit well with the rest of your GTM strategy. Let’s dive into some of the top interactive demo examples to see why they’re successful and how they support the brand’s overall marketing strategy.


1. Maxio

Why it works: It’s benefit-focused, rather than product-focused. 

Here are some interesting stats from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report by TrustRadius — 44% of respondents wished vendors would not contact them when they were not ready to talk. 

The 2024 G2 Buyer Behavior Report also alludes to the same — 34% of its respondents preferred not to talk with the software vendor during the initial stages of their buying journey.  Put simply, buyers prefer making the first contact at their own pace, and sales and marketing teams just have to make it easy for them to get in touch. 

An interactive demo can be a great way to showcase your product as they’re both low effort and low commitment. Plus, there are many ways to organically (and subtly) nudge users toward your CTA during the demo. 

Quoting from the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report again — 54% of enterprise buyers have tried an interactive demo before purchasing a product. By contrast, only 33% of them watched a recorded demo.

In this article, we’ll be checking out some of the more successful interactive demos to understand why they work and how they guide potential leads through the funnel or toward a call-to-action (CTA). 


The 4 key aspects of effective interactive demos

But first, let’s quickly go over what makes an interactive demo truly effective — and highly converting. 

The interactive demo should have a use case 


A whopping 59% of the respondents in the 2023 Buying Disconnect Report said a use-case-specific demo experience was “extremely important.”  35% of them said it was “somewhat important.” 

While this is a common opinion for all demos, it’s particularly important for interactive demos as they’re one of the first touch-points in the buyer journey. 

Plus, as most buyers arrive with specific use cases in mind, highlighting how your product solves those needs from the get-go can significantly increase engagement and nudge them toward the next stage of consideration.

The interactive demo should highlight your product’s usability  

Another reason customers like checking out interactive demos is to understand how easy it is to use a product. So ensure that your guided tour closely matches the actual user journey in the product. 

Other points to keep in mind when it comes to visual design are mirroring the website's (or brand’s) visual aesthetics and spacing out the interactive elements, so they don’t overshadow the actual product experience.

The interactive demo should lead to an ‘AHA’ moment

The AHA moment is for interactive demos, what Time-to-Value (TTV) is for product-led teams. The sooner you show a buyer the ‘true value’ they can gain from your product, the better. 

This is based on the concept of “business empathy” — where you not only give customers a user-friendly experience but also guide them toward achieving their business goals. 

One way to do this is the ‘trigger–build up–pressure’ framework — 

  • Give the buyer a glimpse of how your product solves their problem

  •  Build their excitement with a series of high-impact actions

  • Nudge them toward the final solution — the AHA moment

This way, they go from simply exploring your product to understanding how it solves a problem or fulfills a need.

The interactive demo should have a compelling CTA

Finally, your interactive demo should end with a relevant call-to-action (CTA) — one that guides users to the next desired action. They should be tailored to your target audience and the specific goals of the interactive demo. 

For example, a demo aimed at existing users showcasing a new feature might have a "Start Using Now" CTA, while a demo targeted at potential customers might have a "Schedule a Demo" CTA. Also, always make sure to accompany your CTA with your USP — telling users why they should take the next step is as important as showing them a relevant CTA. 

Don't limit your CTA to just the demo's conclusion, rather, consider a multi-pronged approach. Placing CTAs throughout the demo, like upon exiting specific sections, can capture users at different points of engagement. 

From micro-interactions and animations to AI narrations and gamification, there’s a lot that you can do to make your interactive demo interesting. Once you’ve got the basics in place, we suggest exploring some of these options — they can help you elevate your demo experience and improve brand recall.  


10 best SaaS interactive demo examples

The best interactive demos prioritize user experience, focus on value — and most importantly — sit well with the rest of your GTM strategy. Let’s dive into some of the top interactive demo examples to see why they’re successful and how they support the brand’s overall marketing strategy.


1. Maxio

Why it works: It’s benefit-focused, rather than product-focused. 

Checkout the Maxio's demo

Go to Demo

Maxio is a billing system for SaaS companies and seems to be mainly sales-led — wherein the primary CTA is for a prospect to book a demo with their sales team. However, they do have a second CTA called “Take a Tour” on their Home Page, and this leads to the Interactive Demo — which is also ungated, so super low commitment. 

The demo checks most of our boxes — it’s clean, has a progress bar, and is consistent with the brand’s visuals. And though they were long — ranging from 15 to 25 steps — Maxio’s copywriting team made sure to mention the benefits along with the actions.  

What stands out:

  • How they organized the demos into six use cases, one for each core problem that a SaaS company with a billing issue would face.

  • Maxio has also used ‘hover’ hotspots to explain various UI elements — what they are and how they help. Plus, these are designed to be optional, so users have the option to skip them as well.

CTA:

Each chapter ended with a call to “Book a Demo” — nudging users toward their original CTA.


2. Digital Ocean

Why it works: They have an entire demo library with detailed demos that can be a great onboarding resource.

Checkout the Digital Ocean's demo

Go to Demo

Digital Ocean is a cloud platform and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Whether it is the placement of the Demo Library or the actual demo experience — both focus on high-intent customers. Only serious prospects would scroll all the way down and as such they’ll also be interested in exploring your product in depth.   

That and the fact that Digital Ocean is a tech-heavy product means a user-guide-like demo works great here.

What stands out:

  • The focus bars and step-by-step instructions which mirrored the exact product experience.

CTA:

Users are asked to Sign up for Free after each demo.


3. Anrok

Why it works: A short, no-frills demo experience

Checkout the Anrok's demo

Go to Demo

Anrok is a sales-led SaaS platform that helps SaaS companies handle sales tax. With sales tax being a pretty complex function, they seem to prefer keeping the entire product experience gated — including the interactive demo. So you’ll need to fill out a form to access it. 

 The actual demo experience was super simple with only hot spots guiding you through the product, though there were a few text modals to add context. 

What stands out: 

  • The positioning of the CTA button at the end of the demo — with the blink effect — was another nice micro-animation that brought focus to the button.

CTA:

A Book a Demo pop-up at the end of the demo.


4. IBM Instana

Why it works: The scenario-based narrative which allows you to explore the product through the eyes of an ICP (Serena).

Checkout the IBM Instana's product demo

Go to Demo

IBM’s observability platform, Instana, comes with a simple click-through demo which can be accessed through the secondary CTA on their product page. An ungated demo, it walks prospective buyers through the trial experience, using the story of Serena, a DevOps engineer.

Being a three-part demo, it is pretty long but the storytelling makes it feel a little faster. Plus, IBM adds a lot of context in each step to give users enough context — but this works as the primary goal of the demo is helping users with onboarding, as opposed to selling them the platform. 

What stands out:

  • The detailed tooltips and text boxes that not only explained the feature or benefit but also added extra context like which version of the platform.

  • The concluding text block which cheered Serena for completing the task (and reaching the AHA moment) and using that excitement to nudge viewers toward their CTA or sandbox experience.

CTA:

An unobtrusive “Speak to an Expert” CTA at the top-right corner of the screen and another “Request a Demo” button when you complete the demo.


5. Gladly

Why it works: The conversational style of the demo which matches their brand’s casual vibe.

Checkout the Gladly's product demo

Go to Demo

Gladly is a customer service platform though the product is gated (no free plan or trial), the interactive demo is ungated. It’s hosted on a separate landing page called “Product Tour” and even has a highlights section that describes what will be covered in the demo —  a great way to pique a visitor’s interest.

The demo is a simple one — but what makes it stand out is its conversational style which reflects the brand’s light and casual tone of voice. 

What stands out: 

  • The microcopy in the text boxes which perfectly balanced feature explanations with storytelling using a real customer ticket.

  • The focus on one ICP (the agent) and their experience with one customer conversation gave the demo a smooth flow.

CTA:

A Get in Touch button at the end of the demo.


6. Gorgias

Why it works: A multi-pronged CTA approach, where users are asked if they’d like to book a meeting or move to the next demo.

Checkout the Gorgias's product demo

Go to Demo

Gorgias is another helpdesk solution — but unlike Glady — they’ve embedded the interactive demo in their Home Page as a way to show prospects the product in action. And while they do have the interactive demo hosted in a separate landing page as well, that page is not linked anywhere on the website including the footer —so it’s probably used during other marketing communications like email outreaches. 

The demo by itself is pretty simple and to the point — they’ve divided it into two parts showcasing one basic and one advanced feature. They’ve also got a progress bar at the bottom to display how far you’ve come in the demo. 

What stands out:

  • Gorgias has a CTA asking you to try the product once you finish exploring the first feature. Prospects who’ve reached their AHA moment would probably go for a free trial immediately. And for those who haven’t found value, they’re given the option to explore an advanced feature. 

CTA:

A “Try for Free” CTA both in the middle and at the end of the demo.


7. Prediko

Why it works: A showcase reel explaining how the product gives immediate value.

Checkout the Prediko's product demo

Go to Demo

Prediko is an inventory management app for e-commerce stores. And while Shopify provides a ‘demo store’ to help app partners display how their app works, Prediko has taken a “guided approach” using a click-through demo. 

Their demo is basically a collection of ten micro-AHA moments and how they can solve your problems — an interesting way to prove immediate value and differentiate yourself from competitors. This is also a great alternative for platforms that don’t have one major feature but a series of small but mighty ones.

What stands out:

  • The demo is focused — targeting Shopify stores with one specific use case, how they’re alerted about low stocks. 

  • The copy that accompanies the final CTA where they say they’d like to show store owners how they differ from other inventory app platforms. This is a great way to position yourself as there are around 897 apps on the Shopify App Store for inventory management.

CTA:

A button at the end asking people to book a demo.


8. Bigin by Zoho

Why it works: An interactive but unobtrusive widget so visitors can explore the different UI screens.

Checkout the Bigin's product demo

Go to Demo

Bigin (by Zoho CRM) is targeted at SMBs looking for a simple CRM and quick onboarding. So unlike the original CRM which targets enterprises, this one is for SMBs and as such, mostly self-serve. 

So having a simple interactive demo with just a few hotspots — no tooltips or text boxes — is a good way to give buyers a glimpse of how easy the product is to use, and reaffirm their promise of a 30-minute setup. 

What stands out: 

  • This is a great example of “show, don’t tell” because instead of using screenshots and marketing copy, you simply show the product to buyers. Plus, it shows how flexible interactive demos can be — they don’t have to be fully-fledged product or platform tours, they can also be a quick (and space-saving) alternative to product screenshots.

CTA: 

As the demo is simply a way to showcase the product’s UI, it doesn’t have any CTA.


9. Dooly

Why it works: Interactive demos for each feature.

Checkout the Dooly's product demo

Go to Demo

Dooly is a ‘connected selling’  tool that brings all your revenue tasks together. Being a product-led growth (PLG) company, they’ve made interactive demos a core aspect of their acquisition funnel — pretty much every feature comes with an interactive demo. 

They’ve also made the “Interactive Demo” the primary CTA on their Home Page — doubling down on their goal to be self-serve. 

What stands out:

  • The conditional branching option in the more advanced features gives buyers the option to only explore the modules they’re interested in. 

  • Dooly has a bold brand — with pink and black as its primary colors — and they’ve carried it over to the demo, giving a consistent visual experience. The option to view the demo in Full Screen is another small but thoughtful feature many people would appreciate. 

CTA:

A Get in Touch button at the end of each demo. But what makes it even better is that when someone visits the Book a Demo page, a pop-up appears asking if they’d prefer a self-guided, interactive demo.


10. Jellyfish

Why it works: The semi-gated video experience where you need to share your email address to view advanced features.

Checkout the Jellyfish's product demo

Go to Demo

Jellyfish is a sales-led DevFinOps company that uses an integrated approach — alternating between the  “Book a Demo” and “Take a Tour” CTAs. While there’s no demo library per se, it has an interactive demo for all of its products. 

Each demo takes the viewer through the main features in that platform explaining the various UI elements with text boxes. They also have multiple extra resources added to the demo via pop-ups — video explainers, testimonials, and more — giving prospects multiple ways to explore a feature and stay engaged.

What stands out:

  • The “freemium” approach to demos where you show prospects the value of the demo before asking for their email address.

  • How they’ve accompanied each interactive demo segment with a longer video that users can check out if they need more details.

CTA: 

An option to either continue with the interactive demo or book a demo, when you finish exploring each feature.

Also read: How to leverage interactive demos in sales enablement

Want more inspiration? Check out the Layerpath Showcase.

We’ve seen why some of these interactive demos are the best — and it’s now time to launch your own. Because, with the right UX and narrative, interactive demos have the potential to be a powerful tool in your GTM arsenal — helping you increase brand adoption and drive conversions. 

And anytime you need some extra inspiration, we invite you to check out the Layerpath Showcase — where we’ll be creating easy-to-replicate interactive demos of popular SaaS products. 

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the interactive demos we’ve created —

1. Hubspot

This is a quick 6-step demo that walks you through a specific feature in Hubspot — creating new deals — using a combination of hotspots, AI narration, and focus boxes. 

Want more inspiration? Check out the Layerpath Showcase.

We’ve seen why some of these interactive demos are the best — and it’s now time to launch your own. Because, with the right UX and narrative, interactive demos have the potential to be a powerful tool in your GTM arsenal — helping you increase brand adoption and drive conversions. 

And anytime you need some extra inspiration, we invite you to check out the Layerpath Showcase — where we’ll be creating easy-to-replicate interactive demos of popular SaaS products. 

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the interactive demos we’ve created —

1. Hubspot

This is a quick 6-step demo that walks you through a specific feature in Hubspot — creating new deals — using a combination of hotspots, AI narration, and focus boxes. 

2. Figma 

Here’s another slightly longer demo on the different ways you can share a file on Figma. This kind of interactive demo —with clear step-by-step instructions— can be a great way to add more context to your help guides or onboarding tour. 

Want to see the rest of our interactive demos? Head over to the Layerpath Showcase. 


Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. What should a good interactive demo look like?

Here are some characteristics of a good interactive demo:

  • Value-driven: Showcase the product's value proposition clearly, creating an "AHA moment" where users understand how it solves their problems.

  • Easy to explore: A smooth and intuitive UX that mirrors your product experience is another non-negotiable.

  • Has that little ‘extra’ factor: Branched user journeys or contextual AI narrations can also be used to make the interactive demo more engaging. 

2. How long is an interactive demo supposed to be?

It’s best to keep your demos short — with a maximum of 6-8 steps. If you have more steps or want to showcase your entire platform, you can either break it down into chapters or create branched narratives where users explore only the features relevant to their use case.

© Copyright 2024, Layerpath Inc.