European marketers want simplified tech systems
Right now, most European marketers like the tools they use. In fact, 61% say they “love” their current martech stacks. But that doesn’t mean everything is working. The issue isn’t quality, it’s quantity. That same group feels overwhelmed. Ninety-two percent say they’re “overstacked,” and 99% plan to simplify their martech stacks this year. That’s a near-universal shift in mindset.
Here’s what’s happening: marketing teams have slowly built complex tech environments over time. Every tool was purchased with good intent, performance boosts, better data, campaign management. But keep stacking tools, and eventually, you’re burning time and resources staying afloat rather than moving forward.
Now, leaders are taking a hard look at what’s essential. They’re not scrapping martech. They’re recalibrating for efficiency. The goal is clear: fewer tools, better-connected systems, and a faster path from idea to execution. This shift isn’t about radical change. It’s about tightening the feedback loop between tool investment and business value.
If you’re making martech decisions, think beyond individual tool satisfaction. Complexity costs time, and time kills velocity. Optimizing the stack isn’t an IT upgrade, it’s a business performance decision.
Operational bottlenecks are slowing marketing teams down
Here’s where most marketing leaders agree: it’s not a lack of imagination holding teams back. It’s the operational drag. When 50% of executives point to slow execution, 50% cite stack costs, and another 50% flag complexity and maintenance as their top challenges, you’re not looking at isolated complaints. You’re looking at systemic friction.
The SALESmanago survey puts the numbers in clear view. Thirty-four percent of decision-makers are under pressure to prove ROI. Thirty-one percent are weighed down by maintenance and integration overhead. Sixty percent are already planning a simplification initiative by 2026. Another 40% are deciding how far they want to go. The window for acting intentionally is open now.
The operational frustration isn’t about lack of capacity, it’s about wasted capacity. When systems don’t talk to each other, data doesn’t flow. Campaigns slow down. Teams spend more time solving internal tech puzzles than delivering customer value. And when only 42% of marketers say they control the full customer journey, it shows where fragmentation takes its toll: right at the customer experience layer.
This is not about turning strategy upside down. It’s about enabling execution. High-integrity systems do more than reduce cost, they remove the blockers between intent and action. For executives, that’s where real ROI lives. Not just in the feature set, but in the speed and clarity with which you can move.
Martech still delivers, when focused on what truly works
Simplifying the stack doesn’t mean value disappears. Far from it. Marketers still see strong benefits with their current platforms. The essentials, reporting, insights, onboarding, and personalization, are not in question. These capabilities deliver clear utility. Thirty-six percent of marketers identified reporting as the most valuable feature. Thirty-three percent pointed to straightforward onboarding. That matters. Fast ramp-up, clean data capture, actionable reports, this is where platforms prove themselves daily.
Personalization stands out. Ninety-six percent of respondents said their tools give them confidence in how they personalize customer experiences. That confidence isn’t blind. It’s grounded in data access and testability. Thirty-eight percent link it to the ease of testing and optimization. Thirty-five percent credit access to real-time or near real-time data. The take-away: marketers care less about theoretical potential and more about the mechanics behind execution.
What does that mean for decision-makers? Focus on keeping what scales. Tools that help you iterate, measure fast, and adapt based on real customer behavior are the ones that belong in your future stack. The rest may only look good on paper. In practice, leadership needs systems that deliver actionable feedback, not complexity masked as capability.
As you narrow down what to keep, these criteria matter: Can it move with your team? Can it adapt quickly? Can you link platform output directly to measurable business outcomes? If yes, keep it in play. If not, reconsider its role.
Integration and execution now outrank expansion in martech roadmaps
Looking ahead, stack evolution isn’t about expansion. It’s about performance. Marketers are clear on what they want to improve next: faster execution, cleaner onboarding, and sharper data cohesion. Thirty-five percent flagged speed and onboarding as top priorities. Another 35% named unified customer data. These aren’t feature requests, they’re structural needs.
Fragmented systems break customer experiences. They slow campaigns, duplicate outreach, and leave attribution gaps. That’s where many marketing leaders are stuck now. Integration isn’t optional, it’s core to execution. And without unified data, managing the full customer lifecycle becomes guesswork.
Only 42% of marketers say they have full control of the end-to-end customer journey. That number needs to go up fast, especially as customer expectations continue to rise across email, web, mobile, paid media, and service.
The message here is direct: get tools to talk to each other. Invest in fewer systems that can consolidate functions and scale with your ambitions. A smaller, more connected stack beats a big one that creates friction between teams. And the faster you can launch, test, and refine campaigns, all inside one system, the stronger your business outcomes will be.
Martech procurement is now centered on ROI, simplicity, and speed
Marketing tech used to be about adding features. Now it’s about removing friction. The shift is driven by a need for better return on investment (ROI), more agile workflows, and tools that actually accelerate execution. Teams are done chasing marginal upgrades. They want results they can measure, with platforms that are lean, connected, and clearly tied to growth.
That change is operational. Leaders are looking for systems that make it easier to launch a campaign, connect insights across departments, and prove outcomes. This isn’t about consolidating for control; it’s about streamlining for clarity. The fewer tools you maintain, the fewer integration points you manage. That saves time. That reduces overhead. That improves speed from concept to customer.
What C-suite executives should take seriously here is that teams are no longer buying tech for future promise. They’re buying for immediate performance impact. Systems are expected to fit into existing workflows without slowing them down. Every additional tool has to justify its presence in terms of speed, integration, and revenue contribution.
Phil Draper, CEO of SALESmanago, summed it up well: “Marketers still believe in [martech’s] value, but our research shows many are reaching a tipping point. They don’t want to break up with their technology; they want it to be simpler, fewer disconnected tools, lower costs and faster execution. The next phase of martech isn’t about adding more to the stack. It’s about bringing data and experiences together, simplifying day-to-day operations and being able to clearly prove real ROI.”
C-level leaders should read that carefully. The new procurement criteria aren’t about more, they’re about better. Less complexity. Faster outputs. Tangible returns. That’s the path forward.
SALESmanago aligns its strategy with changing market demand
SALESmanago isn’t waiting for the market to shift. It’s already adjusting. The company serves over 3,000 mid-sized eCommerce businesses, and it’s moving beyond traditional marketing features. Its platform now includes personalization, conversational marketing, and contact-center capabilities. That change didn’t happen by chance, it’s the result of strategic acquisitions like Leadoo and Thulium, both focused on customer engagement and service.
What’s happening here reflects where the market is headed. Businesses want platforms that operate across marketing, sales, and customer support while sharing data in real time. That kind of multi-functionality reduces friction and strengthens customer retention at every stage of the lifecycle. It gives teams synchronicity, and that translates into faster execution and smarter decisions.
For leaders assessing where to invest next, this matters. A solution that can operate across verticals, while reducing tool count, gives you leverage. It gives you more visibility and more efficiency. And it brings you closer to delivering a consistent, customer-first experience, regardless of entry point or channel.
SALESmanago is one example of this shift, but the strategic play is broader. Marketing tech providers who want long-term relevance are adapting just like their customers. They’re simplifying. They’re integrating. And they’re helping businesses operate faster and smarter.
Key highlights
- Simplification is the new priority: Marketing leaders across Europe are moving to reduce tool sprawl, with 99% planning to simplify their tech stacks, despite 61% saying they like their current tools. Leaders should prioritize simplification to counter rising complexity and inefficiency.
- Operational friction is killing speed: Half of marketers cite complexity, high costs, and execution delays as core pain points. Decision-makers should shift focus from expanding toolsets to optimizing workflows that directly improve delivery speed and campaign responsiveness.
- Core martech value remains strong: Reporting, onboarding, and personalization still deliver consistent ROI, with 96% of marketers confident in their personalization capabilities. Leaders should retain high-impact tools that enable measurable engagement and rapid iteration.
- Integration and clean data top the 2024 martech agenda: Unified data and faster onboarding are equal priorities (35% each), with fragmented workflows undermining control of the customer journey. Executives should prioritize integrated platforms that reduce disconnects across teams and channels.
- Procurement strategy is shifting toward performance and ROI: Martech buying decisions now center on platform agility, value clarity, and systems that scale without excess. Leaders should overhaul procurement criteria to favor fewer, more impactful tools that streamline execution.
- Market leaders are already adapting tech to match demand: SALESmanago’s expansion into personalization and service functions reflects a strategic shift toward unified engagement solutions. Executives should look for partners embedding this all-in-one model to drive longer-term flexibility and efficiency.
