What you need to know from the State of MarTech 2025

The latest State of MarTech 2025 report from Chiefmartec just dropped—a must-read for anyone curious about how CRM and marketing technology have evolved since 2011.

Even if you’ve never heard of the report itself, chances are you’ve come across its legendary “supergraphic”—the annual, ever-expanding tapestry of MarTech logos from around the globe. It’s as overwhelming as it is fascinating.

Don’t have time to sift through all 137 pages in English? No worries—we’ve got you covered with the 8 key takeaways you need to know.

Good reading! ⬇️

The 8 Essential Takeaways

1. MarTech solutions: still booming

2. AI is everywhere—but real-world use cases lag behind

3. AI is fragmenting: APIs take center stage

4. CEPs: the new heart of the MarTech stack

5. Data warehouses: now mainstream

6. CDPs: a category in flux

7. Creativity & experimentation: the new CRM superpower

8. Acronyms & buzzwords: the usual madness

MarTech Solutions: still booming

If you thought the MarTech landscape was crowded before, brace yourself: there are now 15,000 solutions out there, up from just 150 in 2011.

That’s explosive growth, driven largely by the surge in AI-powered platforms.

In fact, over 4,000 new tools launched between 2023 and 2025, with 77% labeled “AI-native.”

AI is everywhere, but real-world use cases lag behind

Feeling overwhelmed by AI hype, and underwhelmed by what you’ve actually put into practice? You’re not alone. 

The report shows that in B2C, nearly 90% of companies are still either experimenting (61.5%) or using only very basic AI workflows (30.8%).

Our take? Despite all the buzz, it’ll be a while before major brands fully hand over their customer relationships - and brand image - to AI.

AI is fragmenting: APIs take center stage

At Batch, we’re not just following the AI wave : we’re building our own roadmap to make CRM teams more productive (think: segment creation, workflow automation) and to help marketers get more out of their analytics (from report analysis to making sense of campaign histories). But we’re also convinced that, going forward, AI won’t come from a single place.

Whether it’s native models from Data Warehouses, internal data teams, external consultants, or purpose-built solutions (think Tinyclues, Moonfish, or Notify), AI will be everywhere, integrated across the entire MarTech ecosystem.

That’s why having highly connected, API-first Marketing Automation tools will be more important than ever. The report backs this up: only 20% of companies are sticking with the default AI modules in their MarTech suites.

CEPs: the new heart of the MarTech stack

Here’s a shift we didn't see coming: for the first time, most surveyed companies say their Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) is now the “center” of their MarTech stack: a jump from 19.4% to 26.1% in just one year.

Want a real-world example? Arthur Jamet, Head of CRM at Oscaro, shared how the company runs its entire CRM strategy using a CEP plugged into its Data Warehouse. (Check out the video for details!)

A forward-thinking case study you can watch (or rewatch) on video: How Oscaro runs a highly personalized CRM strategy for its 5 million customers with Batch.

Data Warehouses: now mainstream

Another major trend: Data Warehouses are everywhere. They’re now used by 56% of all companies in the survey and a staggering 92% of B2C brands.

What’s behind this boom? The single customer view is moving into the Warehouse, and Reverse ETL tools are pushing that data out to activation tools like CEPs, MAPs, analytics, ads, and support. Welcome to the composable stack era.

Top platforms cited:

1. Snowflake

2. Redshift/AWS

3. Google Cloud/BigQuery

4. Azure

5. Databricks

Want more? Check out Maddyness’ deep dive: How Data Warehouses are shaping the future of CRM.

CDPs: a category in flux

Only 12.5% of respondents now say the CDP is the hub of their MarTech stack. A sharp fall for B2C brands, from 26.9% to 17.4% in a year. Why? The traditional CDP is being redefined.

Some reasons why:

• The single customer view is moving to the warehouse

• CEPs are taking on more functions

• The warehouse + CEP combo just works

• “Composable” CDPs (like Hightouch or DinMo) stream data straight from warehouses, with Reverse ETL as the killer feature

• Classic CDP integration projects are complex and slow—according to Tealium*, it takes 3 years to get 37% satisfaction, and 4 years for 54%—unthinkable in today’s fast-moving, AI-driven world.

* The Future of Customer Data, Tealium, 2025. 

Creativity & experimentation: the new CRM superpower

A big theme in the report - and something we care about deeply at Batch - is helping marketers regain creative freedom and experiment faster as they move away from legacy CRMs.

The authors even suggest a formula: number of new CRM ideas tested x % of successful experiments = number of winning ideas!

This idea is central to how we build our product roadmap (see our CPO’s video interview for more).

Acronyms & buzzwords: the usual madness

It wouldn’t be MarTech without an avalanche of acronyms and buzzwords. The report rounds up the most popular for 2025.

How many do you know?

AI – Artificial Intelligence

BI – Business Intelligence

CDP – Customer Data Platform

CEP – Customer Engagement Platform

CMS – Content Management System

CRM – Customer Relationship Management

CSP – Customer Success Platform

DAM – Digital Asset Management

DB – Database

DCR – Data Clean Room

ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning

KB – Knowledge Base

LLM – Large Language Model (e.g. GPT-4)

MAP – Marketing Automation Platform

ML – Machine Learning

MDM – Master Data Management

PIM – Product Information Management

PRM – Partner Relationship Management

RL – Reinforcement Learning

Want more? Head over to chiefmartec to download the full State of MarTech 2025 report by Scott Brinker and Frans Riemersma.