The Gist<\/h3>\n\n- Consolidation is real<\/strong>. In 2024, over 1,200 martech tools disappeared \u2014 mostly pre-AI solutions unable to keep pace with market expectations.<\/em><\/li>\n
- AI-native tools dominate<\/strong>. 77% of new tools were AI-native, creating a new wave of instant software, agents and citizen-built solutions.<\/em><\/li>\n
- Global innovation is surging<\/strong>. While the U.S. leads in quantity, Europe and India are earning top ratings for quality and specialization.<\/em><\/li>\n
- User sentiment is rising<\/strong>. Smaller vendors and emerging markets are seeing the highest satisfaction scores, with categories like product management leading in love.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meet martech, a monster 100 times bigger than it was 14 years ago. <\/p>\n
The marketing technology landscape<\/a> grew to 15,384 solutions, according to the team that analyzes martech trends and solutions. <\/p>\n The martech supergraphic<\/a> \u2014 likely the most used slide in any marketing presentation ever \u2014 debuted today for 2025 thanks to the efforts of chiefmartec<\/a>\u2019s Scott Brinker and MartechTribe<\/a>\u2019s Frans Riemersma. Brinker was first dubbed by yours truly in 2015 as the Godfather of Martech<\/a>; yes, I first dubbed Scott the Godfather, not AdAge, as reported several times including in today\u2019s research report \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\nMy self-indulgence aside, Brinker delivered the first martech supergraphic in 2011. Riemersma, a CMSWire Contributor<\/a>, joined the team later. \u201cWe won\u2019t keep you in suspense. It grew. Again. It\u2019s now up to 15,384 solutions,\u201d Brinker and Riemersma reported in today’s report. \u201cBut inside that numbing number are very interesting dynamics of real consolidation, a new generation of AI-natives, a global phenomenon and a rising tide of user sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\nTable of Contents<\/h3>\n Surprise, Surprise? AI Has Impact on Martech<\/h2>\n
The hot trends this year? Surprise. Surprise.<\/p>\n
\n- No. 1 Surprise, Not Really:<\/strong> Artificial intelligence makes impact on\u00a0martech landscape<\/a>.<\/strong> After last year’s AI-fueled explosion of new martech products, there was only an 8.6% churn from last year’s landscape to this one. And most of the products that churned out weren’t from that massive new cohort, but rather products from the previous decade, 2010-2020, Brinker told CMSWire ahead of Martech Day<\/a>\u2019s webinar series launched Tuesday, May 6. And 64% of the ones that churned were launched before ChatGPT appeared. <\/li>\n
- Surprise No. 2, Really:<\/strong> The area with the most growth: SEO.<\/strong> Yes, search engine optimization, dead on ChatGPT\u2019s arrival<\/a> by many accounts. Not so. Percentage wise, the biggest growth area for marketing technology was SEO, that grew 24%, from 2023-2025. \u201cSurprising given the \u2018search is dead\u2019 talk,\u201d Brinker told CMSWire. \u201cBut not really surprising, since we put AI Optimization products in this category, as people work on optimizing for the answer engines of AI assistants.\u201d Aha, so AI is<\/em> disrupting here. Believe us, we get that. \u201cAI is changing marketing and martech, and it is changing it fast,\u201d Brinker and Riemersma noted in their research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here’s the big gotcha: 77% of the new marketing technology solutions added were AI-native. Three out of four? That’s impact.<\/p>\n
Related Article: Predict, React, Adapt: Martech Capabilities to Watch in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.cmswire.com\/-\/media\/f84f8ebe3e514fbcb04390940a31c9d2.ashx\"\/)
Martech Supergraphic<\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/strong><\/figure>\n <\/strong> <\/p>\nKey Dynamics Shaping the 2025 Martech Landscape<\/h2>\n
So what else did see in the martech landscape this year? Brinker and Riemersma did some work with a capital W on this one: the largest yet they produced together: 132 pages.<\/p>\n
So let’s talk big takeaways, as the martech researchers see them. There are a litany of trends, but let’s focus on these four from the 2025 marketing technology landscape. <\/p>\n
1. Real Consolidation for Martech<\/h2>\n
A wave of martech consolidation is finally underway. While AI-native tools are failing in some cases, the majority of product exits in 2024 came from older tools built before the ChatGPT era. <\/p>\n
Specifically, 1,211 products were removed from the landscape, and 64% of those were pre-GenAI tools. This shows that the AI revolution is not only spawning new tools but pushing legacy ones out. The Customer Data Platform (CDP)<\/a> category (e.g., ActionIQ, Lytics, mParticle) was a bellwether of this shift, with mixed outcomes ranging from successful acquisition to quiet shutdown.<\/p>\nReal Consolidation: The Martech Shakeout<\/h3>\n
Legacy tech is leaving the stage. In 2024, over 1,200 martech products vanished \u2014 and most weren\u2019t built for the AI era.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nType of Tool Removed<\/th>\n Count<\/th>\n % of Total Exits<\/th>\n Why It Matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\nPre-GenAI (legacy)<\/td>\n 774<\/td>\n 64%<\/td>\n Old tools lacked AI agility and scale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPost-GenAI (AI-native)<\/td>\n 437<\/td>\n 36%<\/td>\n Early AI startups failed to gain traction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTotal Removed<\/strong><\/td>\n1,211<\/strong><\/td>\n100%<\/strong><\/td>\nConsolidation era is here<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n2. A New Generation of AI-Natives<\/h2>\n
AI-native startups now dominate new entrants, comprising 77% of all new martech products in 2024. These tools aren’t just enhancements\u2014they\u2019re transforming how martech is developed, distributed and used. The rise of \u201cinstant software\u201d via AI agents and citizen development is creating a hypertail of custom, often temporary software solutions. Tools like Jasper and ChatGPT are extending martech’s reach well beyond technical users, fueling the fastest innovation pace ever observed in the landscape\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
AI-Natives Ruling the Day<\/h3>\n
AI is no longer an add-on \u2014 it\u2019s the architecture. Most new martech tools in 2024 were born AI-first.<\/em><\/p>\n
Meet martech, a monster 100 times bigger than it was 14 years ago. <\/p>\n
The marketing technology landscape<\/a> grew to 15,384 solutions, according to the team that analyzes martech trends and solutions. <\/p>\n The martech supergraphic<\/a> \u2014 likely the most used slide in any marketing presentation ever \u2014 debuted today for 2025 thanks to the efforts of chiefmartec<\/a>\u2019s Scott Brinker and MartechTribe<\/a>\u2019s Frans Riemersma. Brinker was first dubbed by yours truly in 2015 as the Godfather of Martech<\/a>; yes, I first dubbed Scott the Godfather, not AdAge, as reported several times including in today\u2019s research report \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n My self-indulgence aside, Brinker delivered the first martech supergraphic in 2011. Riemersma, a CMSWire Contributor<\/a>, joined the team later. \u201cWe won\u2019t keep you in suspense. It grew. Again. It\u2019s now up to 15,384 solutions,\u201d Brinker and Riemersma reported in today’s report. \u201cBut inside that numbing number are very interesting dynamics of real consolidation, a new generation of AI-natives, a global phenomenon and a rising tide of user sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n The hot trends this year? Surprise. Surprise.<\/p>\n Here’s the big gotcha: 77% of the new marketing technology solutions added were AI-native. Three out of four? That’s impact.<\/p>\n Related Article: Predict, React, Adapt: Martech Capabilities to Watch in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong> <\/p>\n So what else did see in the martech landscape this year? Brinker and Riemersma did some work with a capital W on this one: the largest yet they produced together: 132 pages.<\/p>\n So let’s talk big takeaways, as the martech researchers see them. There are a litany of trends, but let’s focus on these four from the 2025 marketing technology landscape. <\/p>\n A wave of martech consolidation is finally underway. While AI-native tools are failing in some cases, the majority of product exits in 2024 came from older tools built before the ChatGPT era. <\/p>\n Specifically, 1,211 products were removed from the landscape, and 64% of those were pre-GenAI tools. This shows that the AI revolution is not only spawning new tools but pushing legacy ones out. The Customer Data Platform (CDP)<\/a> category (e.g., ActionIQ, Lytics, mParticle) was a bellwether of this shift, with mixed outcomes ranging from successful acquisition to quiet shutdown.<\/p>\n Legacy tech is leaving the stage. In 2024, over 1,200 martech products vanished \u2014 and most weren\u2019t built for the AI era.<\/em><\/p>\n AI-native startups now dominate new entrants, comprising 77% of all new martech products in 2024. These tools aren’t just enhancements\u2014they\u2019re transforming how martech is developed, distributed and used. The rise of \u201cinstant software\u201d via AI agents and citizen development is creating a hypertail of custom, often temporary software solutions. Tools like Jasper and ChatGPT are extending martech’s reach well beyond technical users, fueling the fastest innovation pace ever observed in the landscape\u2019s history.<\/p>\n AI is no longer an add-on \u2014 it\u2019s the architecture. Most new martech tools in 2024 were born AI-first.<\/em><\/p>\nTable of Contents<\/h3>\n
Surprise, Surprise? AI Has Impact on Martech<\/h2>\n
\n
Key Dynamics Shaping the 2025 Martech Landscape<\/h2>\n
1. Real Consolidation for Martech<\/h2>\n
Real Consolidation: The Martech Shakeout<\/h3>\n
\n\n
\n \nType of Tool Removed<\/th>\n Count<\/th>\n % of Total Exits<\/th>\n Why It Matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Pre-GenAI (legacy)<\/td>\n 774<\/td>\n 64%<\/td>\n Old tools lacked AI agility and scale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Post-GenAI (AI-native)<\/td>\n 437<\/td>\n 36%<\/td>\n Early AI startups failed to gain traction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total Removed<\/strong><\/td>\n 1,211<\/strong><\/td>\n 100%<\/strong><\/td>\n Consolidation era is here<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n 2. A New Generation of AI-Natives<\/h2>\n
AI-Natives Ruling the Day<\/h3>\n