Martech stack complexity fragments audience data

Seventy percent of marketers say identifying audiences across multiple touchpoints is harder than ever. Sixty-six percent say they are using 16 or more marketing solutions. The conclusions are based on a Forrester survey of 325 marketers in Q4 2024 supported by TruAudience from TransUnion.

It’s the complexity of the stack, Forrester concludes, that is throwing up increasing barriers to delivering personalization, scaling marketing efforts, onboarding AI and making marketing spend efficient. Conversely, utilizing identity resolution tools to connect fragmented data in the stack seems to be helpful with 93% of those marketers saying they are reaching their customer experience and understanding goals.

A snapshot of the research can be downloaded here (no registration required).

Why we care. Let’s be clear, TruAudience’s proffer is connecting your customer data across your marketing platform with one identity graph. That doesn’t mean the challenge isn’t real and that one or other ID resolution tool might help resolve the problem.

One thing to realize is this is a problem that is only likely to get harder to solve. Not only is the number of marketing channels continuing to grow (see retail media networks and CTV), but the number of outlets within those types is continuing to grow too (see Threads). We may see consolidation in martech stacks due to budget constraints, but don’t bet your budget on it. The Marketing Technology Supergraphic recorded a 27.8% growth in the number of martech applications available YoY. Somebody is using them.

Dig deeper: 3 approaches to merging profiles when resolving identities

Disparate data obscures single view of consumer. Said TransUnion:

While new touchpoints and technologies present fresh and exciting opportunities, they also introduce challenges in connecting all that disparate data. This can create an incomplete picture of consumer behavior…

No matter what business TransUnion’s TruAudience is in, that statement is surely accurate.