8,000 marketing technology solutions! That’s how many software tools are currently available to help you achieve (marketing) goals faster, easier and/or more efficiently. That’s an increase of 13.6% compared to a year ago. In this article, we take you through the MarTech landscape of 2021.

We already know that the world of marketing technology has gained momentum in recent years, but where do we see the most important developments when we dive deeper into it? Several software vendors have made acquisitions, resulting in 615 tools being merged into a larger entity. That is a decrease of 8.7% in numbers, but the speed at which software solutions were created last year was much higher. In fact, a total of 1,575 software solutions were added to the landscape. Curious? Download the MarTech landscape of 2020 via this link.

8,000 marketing technology solutions! That’s how many
software tools are currently available to help you achieve
(marketing) goals faster, easier and/or more efficiently.

Within the MarTech landscape, six categories can be defined: advertising & promotion, content & experience, social & relationships, commerce & sales, data and management. The “data” category is by far the fastest growing at 25.5%. This is quite logical given the exponential increase in available datasets. The challenge is therefore not so much access to this data, but precisely how to convert it into commercial value or a better customer experience.

Looking at the fastest growing subcategories, we see interesting shifts in the areas of physical interactions (print, retail proximity, IOT), conversational marketing & chatbot, video marketing, compliance & privacy and project management.

The image below shows the full progression of the entire landscape since 2011. It shows how incredibly fast it has gone. This is an increase of a whopping 5,233%. Marketing technology is chasing the personal development of marketers, so to speak.

The role of MarTech in 2020 & 2021
Ultimately, the key issue is the extent to which an organization is able to make a selection of the right tools and connect them across its marketing infrastructure. For many organizations, several questions then arise when it comes to the application of technologies. Are we going to develop our own software or choose to purchase existing software (licenses)? Will we go for a suite solution or best-of-breed? These are logical questions, but….

…If we look at the developments within the market, the focus should be on the platform ecosystem in which suite solutions are combined with best-of-breed applications. In addition, as an expert today you no longer have to make a choice between software or service, but the focus is on models that combine software and services.

The impact of COVID-19
Over the next 10 years, the marketing technology industry will remain large and diverse. The possibilities are endless, but as we know, this year is a little different. The coronavirus is also impacting the marketing industry. There will be a greater focus on efficiency solutions. These solutions will substantially improve the productivity of marketers. Also, the relationship between MarTech investments and Sales results will become even more intense when choosing solutions. In the data solutions, the rapid deployment of ‘competitive data’ will play a greater role. Low-threshold – relatively inexpensive – solutions that directly influence the customer experience are also expected to be successful in a period when companies are under pressure.

The importance of digital transformation for organizations is more important than ever in this day and age. It gives companies the motivation to embrace and implement digital activities and digital customer experiences at an accelerated pace. Consider, for example, the growth of e-commerce or e-service channels in industries that are not yet mature in this area. In addition, many marketing technologies are focused on efficiency or commercial results, which helps marketers to cleverly combine investments with a business case, especially in these times. When the right choices are made, there are plenty of opportunities even in an economically challenging period!