Marketers underutilize key features in their martech platforms
Most marketing teams are sitting on powerful tech stacks but only using half the fuel. According to SALESmanago, a marketing automation platform, 99% of eCommerce marketers admit they aren’t using all the features available in their martech systems. That’s nearly every team surveyed across the UK, Germany, Spain, and Poland, some of the most competitive digital markets in Europe.
What’s striking is that even with this low level of feature adoption, 92% of these marketers still believe their platforms are effective. That tells you how much untapped potential is sitting idle.
The data goes further, 62% of marketers only use 50% to 75% of their system’s capabilities. That’s not enough. If you’ve invested in software to drive personalization, automate campaigns, track performance, and provide insights, then not applying its full functionality is like paying a premium and driving half the speed.
C-suite leaders need to ask: are we seizing the full value of what we’ve paid for? The performance of your teams depends not just on what tools they have, but how well they use them. It’s time to shift focus from acquiring tech to activating it.
Lack of expertise and limited resources hinder full martech adoption
Skills and resources, or the lack of both, are limiting progress. 17% of marketing leaders said their teams don’t have the needed expertise to run their martech systems effectively. That number might seem small, but match it with another: 47% of respondents said they’re just managing to keep up with current workloads. When teams are stretched thin, learning how to maximize platform features slides down the list.
This is where leadership comes in. If your organization is investing in marketing automation and AI-driven customer engagement tools, then you need clear strategies for education and resource planning. Otherwise, the ROI diminishes fast.
Martech is evolving quickly, and without enough time, training, or support, your team will stay reactive instead of forward-looking. Smart companies are already turning this gap into a strategic advantage. They’re reallocating budget, hiring for martech fluency, and building agency partnerships to get more out of existing tools.
To stay competitive, you’ve got to invest aggressively, not just in platforms, but in the people and structures needed to run them. Let’s not wait around for a perfect moment. It won’t come. The ones who scale intelligently now will lead later.
Difficulty measuring ROI undermines confidence in martech investments
Let’s talk about ROI, because it’s where most martech discussions break down. The majority of marketing leaders are tracking performance, but almost half of them admit they can’t measure return accurately. In the data from SALESmanago, 96% said they monitor the performance of their martech stacks. Sounds promising. But 40% said it’s difficult to quantify the return. Another 18% said they don’t see any clear return at all.
That’s a problem. If you can’t measure effectiveness, you can’t iterate. And if you can’t justify performance, you’ll struggle to maintain or grow budget.
For executives, the takeaway is simple: integration and clarity have to improve. Martech platforms need to interconnect with operational data, sales results, and customer engagement metrics. It’s not just about tracking clicks or opens. You need systems that show business impact in real time, whether that’s increased conversion, higher retention, or better lifetime value.
If your marketing team can’t defend their martech spend with numbers, it doesn’t mean the tech isn’t working, it means measurement isn’t aligned. Fix that, and you’ll unlock significantly more value from your existing infrastructure.
Slow adoption of AI-Powered features persists despite potential for growth
AI adoption in marketing is moving, just not fast enough. Only 13% of marketers surveyed said they use AI to manage daily operations. That’s a low starting point considering the scale of potential impact. The good news: 50% are planning to increase AI use in the next two years. So the intent is there, but the deployment still lags.
There’s room for fast progress here. According to the research, 60% of marketers believe that more investment in AI would directly benefit their teams. That tracks. AI can handle enormous volumes of consumer data, adapt messaging, and personalize engagement at a level that traditional automation can’t compete with.
But the lag in usage points to two things: readiness and risk. Many teams aren’t yet structured to use AI properly. Others are cautious about investing in something they don’t fully understand.
From a leadership perspective, it’s time to move. You don’t need to deploy massive, end-to-end AI systems overnight. Start with functions that operate close to existing workflows, recommendation engines, smart segmentation, basic predictive analytics. Build internal comfort, measure performance early, and scale based on what works.
Industry momentum will shift faster than most expect. If your organization isn’t positioned to scale with it, competitive gaps will grow quickly.
Optimizing martech adoption delivers competitive advantages through highly personalized digital experiences
Marketing tech that sits idle creates no advantage. The brands that invest time and effort into optimizing their tech stacks, actually understanding and activating the full range of features, are the ones pulling ahead. The difference is execution. Not access.
Brian Plackis Cheng, CEO of SALESmanago, made this point directly: “Unlocking the full potential of martech requires smarter adoption, better training, and investment in AI-driven solutions that can deliver personalised customer experiences in a rapidly changing landscape.”
This isn’t just about feature usage. It’s about relevance. Consumers expect experiences that reflect their interests, behaviors, and timing. Martech platforms can deliver that, but only if they’re being used properly. Too many organizations are running basic automation when they could be deploying dynamic, personalized customer journeys at scale.
C-suite leaders should recognize that improving platform adoption has direct business implications. It shapes customer experience, drives retention, and increases conversions. And it’s not about deploying more tools, it’s about mastering the ones you already have.
Training, agency partnerships, and focused AI investment are all part of the answer. But the decision to prioritize martech optimization has to come from the top. Once that shift happens, you’re not just more efficient, you’re also competing at a level where many haven’t shown up yet.
Key highlights
- Underused martech features are limiting ROI: Most marketers (99%) aren’t using their martech platforms to full capacity, with 62% using only half to three-quarters of available features. Leaders should drive deeper internal adoption to unlock greater value from existing investments.
- Skill gaps and capacity issues block optimization: 17% of teams lack the expertise to fully operate their martech tools, while 47% are stretched too thin to explore advanced functionality. Leadership should prioritize focused training and reallocate resources to boost operational depth.
- ROI remains difficult to quantify: Although 96% of marketers track martech performance, 40% struggle to measure ROI and 18% see no clear return. Executives should enforce stronger integration between systems and standardize ROI measurement practices to justify spend.
- AI adoption is lagging, despite high interest: Only 13% of marketers currently use AI day-to-day, though 50% plan to expand its use and 60% cite it as a top investment need. Leaders should accelerate AI adoption in targeted areas to stay competitive and improve personalization.
- Martech optimization offers a competitive edge: Firms that fully activate their platforms gain a distinct advantage in delivering personalized digital experiences. Executives should champion a strategic push toward tool fluency, smarter adoption, and agency support to close the capability gap.
