Martech Day 2025: What the State of the Martech Ecosystem Tells Us (And Why It Matters for Your Strategy)

Yesterday, we celebrated Martech Day 2025, a key event for those of us shaping the future of technology-enabled marketing. But beyond logos and categories, this year’s event left us with concrete data and strategic insights into how the ecosystem is evolving—and where we need to go next.

Here are the main takeaways, and what they mean for marketing, technology, and business leaders:

1. 15,384 solutions: The Martech ecosystem isn’t slowing down

The Martech landscape grew 9% compared to 2024, reaching 15,384 tools across 49 categories.

This sustained growth reflects a mix of accelerated innovation—especially fueled by AI—and a strong shift toward specialization. For leaders, this creates two key challenges: avoiding “analysis paralysis” and building stacks that align with business objectives.

2. Silent consolidation: Not everything that grows survives

Over 1,200 solutions were removed from the landscape, many of them dating back to the last decade. Consolidation is here, primarily affecting tools that failed to reach critical mass or integrate meaningfully into broader ecosystems.

The “bloated stack syndrome” is real. Tool churn highlights the need for tech governance and transparent selection criteria. Not everything new is better, and not everything old is enough.

3. AI is no longer a trend—it’s the new normal

94% of organizations now use AI in their marketing strategies. In 2025, the focus will shift to generative AI applied to personalization, content, and real-time automation, along with ethical and privacy concerns.

AI is redefining marketing roles. It’s no longer just about campaign optimization, but co-creating experiences with algorithms. This demands new skills, ethical frameworks, and platforms with native AI integration.

4. Composable architectures and the rise of the “tailored stack”

Interest in composable architectures that enable flexible stacks built with best-of-breed solutions is growing. In fact, 10% of B2B companies now report using internally developed Martech platforms, a 5x growth from last year.

Flexibility and adaptability are key. This trend shows how many organizations seek control and differentiation through modular platforms or internal tools powered by low-code/no-code technologies.

5. CDPs: Boom or reinvention?

Among B2C and hybrid companies, the share of CDPs as the “center of the stack” dropped from 26.9% to 17.4%. There’s a clear shift toward composable data warehouses or direct integration into engagement and automation platforms.

CDPs aren’t disappearing—they’re evolving. Their value is being redefined as data orchestration enablers rather than standalone systems. The key is how well they connect with the broader ecosystem.

6. The “hypertail”: The invisible growth of custom software

Thanks to generative AI and low-code/no-code tools, we’re seeing an explosion of custom apps created by and for marketing teams, often on the fly using assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

This democratization of tech delivers instant value, but also raises concerns around control, scalability, and security. Shadow IT now lives in the hands of prompt engineers and citizen developers who build without asking for permission.

7. Winners and takeaways from the Stackie Awards

Every year, the Stackie Awards honor organizations that visualize and simplify their stacks in inspiring ways. More than just design, these visualizations serve as strategic communication tools for internal alignment.

Visualizing your stack isn’t decoration—it’s a way to align technology with processes, audiences, and goals. It’s a call to document, evangelize, and govern your Martech decisions more effectively.

So, what does Martech Day 2025 leave us with?

A clear lesson: growth doesn’t equal maturity. We’re in a transformation phase where innovation, consolidation, and democratization converge. The winners won’t be those with the most tools, but those who orchestrate capabilities with customer focus, agility, and responsibility.

The technology is ready. Now it’s the leadership’s turn.

Sources:

Brinker, S. (2025, May 6). 2024 Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic: 14,106 Martech Products, 27.8% Growth YoY. Chiefmartec.com.

Brinker, S. (2025, March 25). Everything You Could Want to Know About AI, Martech Stacks, and the 2025 Marketing Technology Landscape. Chiefmartec.com.

https://chiefmartec.com/2025/03/everything-you-could-want-to-know-about-ai-martech-stacks-and-the-2025-marketing-technology-landscape