蘑菇AV

US B2B digital ad spend growth rates for key sectors like tech, finance, healthcare, and telecom will be 13.2 percentage points lower on average between 2023 to 2025 compared with 2017 to 2019, according to our forecast.

B2B digital ad spend growth is leveling out after a pandemic boom. Budgets for advertisers will be relatively flat throughout our forecast period. But significant shifts are happening in the way advertisers spend on digital ads.

What鈥檚 happening? Active user figures are falling on both X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) and Meta鈥檚 Threads, which started strong but has stumbled recently, with more than 80% of users logging off. Their loss could be LinkedIn鈥檚 gain, as both Gen Z use of the platform and B2B ad spend there increase.

The B2B buyer is younger, digital-first, and dominates the share of voice online. They鈥檙e demanding, but they鈥檙e also more engaged in the buying process. And they look to social content for education, inspiration, and solutions. As the number of young decision-makers only increases, social media鈥檚 importance in B2B marketing strategies is growing too.

Amazon looks to its B2B ecommerce division for growth: The retail giant sees significant opportunities to expand Amazon Business into new markets in Europe and elsewhere.

B2B companies are fighting over limited spend. In a flat economy, 鈥測ou鈥檙e going to have to take share,鈥� said Bruce Biegel, senior managing partner at Winterberry Group, during our 鈥淯nderstanding the New Buyer Journey鈥� Tech-Talk Webinar. That means focusing on retention, upselling, and cross-selling before pushing back toward acquisition in the long term. Here are six things to keep in mind during the process.

Half of US B2B marketers say that email marketing is the channel that has the biggest impact on their multichannel strategy, outpacing social media (33%) and content marketing (26%), per April 2023 Ascend2 and Zoominfo data.

Half of US B2B marketers say that social media contributes most to achieving top-of-funnel goals, per Ascend2. Email (43%) and in-person/live events (34%) were the second- and third-most effective top-of-funnel tactics.

31% of US B2B marketers are using AI for chatbots, coding, and design, according to an August 2023 survey from Sagefrog Marketing Group. Another 30% are using AI for content and presentations.

B2B is the largest segment of overall US payment volume, holding roughly five times that of consumer payments. It has been slower to digitize than the consumer sector, but finally passed the tipping point during the pandemic. Even now, almost a third of the market is up for grabs.

Fifty-seven percent of B2B marketers said creating the right content is a challenge.

A more accessible and expansive Walmart+ membership will help the retailer to reach 29 million subscribers this year, while in-store retail media formats could boost ad revenues. A push into B2B, logistics, and international markets may also prove lucrative.

After years of stronger growth during the pandemic, increases to marketing data outlays are slowing thanks to tighter marketing budgets, privacy regulations, and a need to show ROI.

Forty-two percent of marketers said they plan on exploring AI and automation as a strategy in 2023, according to an August 2022 Sagefrog survey

Gopuff looks to diversify its revenue streams: The company launched a platform to allow brands to fulfill ecommerce orders on their own websites.

B2B payments are fast becoming the biggest opportunity for stablecoins to gain traction鈥攏ow PayPal has to convince everyone else.

Podcasts surge in B2B marketing: 36% of B2B marketers plan to use them, citing flexibility and trust-building attributes.

B2B marketers are increasingly targeting younger, digital-first audiences on social media platforms, we noted in our B2B Digital Ad Spend Forecast 2023 report. While LinkedIn and Meta will account for a combined 42.2% of US B2B digital ad spend in 2024, according to our forecast, TikTok is emerging as a contender for organic and creator-based B2B marketing. Here鈥檚 the case for B2B marketing on TikTok.

Martech spending will be more conservative compared with previous years. Though economic forecasts are improving, B2B firms are still laying off staff and tightening their belts. Firms are reevaluating and consolidating their tech setups to maximize ROI. Many are 鈥渄isinvesting鈥� from technologies that fail to provide the desired outcomes.

Email is the top area where marketers are increasing their budgets. Some 62% of US B2B and B2C marketers had increased their email marketing campaign in the past 12 months, according to April 2023 data from SeQuel Response and ISG. But recent email updates from Apple and Gmail add new challenges to email marketing, especially for B2B marketer.

The No. 1 factor that impacts marketing and planning spending is the economic climate for B2B marketers and corporate financial performance for B2C marketers.

Amazon sits at the top of US ecommerce, accounting for 37.6% of sales this year, according to our forecast. In addition to generating billions of dollars in sales, Amazon鈥檚 ecommerce business propels its other ventures, including retail media and B2B ecommerce. By harnessing the power of generative AI, Amazon could leave its retail competition even further in the dust, and possibly catch up to the Google and Meta duopoly.