Marketers confident in martech but leave key features unused

New research has highlighted a disconnect between eCommerce marketers' confidence in their marketing technology and their actual use of available features.

The study, conducted by SALESmanago, surveyed over 150 eCommerce marketing leaders from the UK, Germany, Spain and Poland. The findings reveal that almost all marketers - 99% - admit to leaving key features of their marketing technology stacks unused, despite optimism about achieving business objectives using these tools.

Feature adoption

According to the report, 62% of marketers say they use only 50% to 75% of the available features in their martech stacks. This underutilisation suggests that brands may not be getting the full benefit from the investments they make in technology designed to improve customer engagement and drive sales.

Brian Plackis Cheng, CEO at SALESmanago, commented on the findings:

"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. Too often, organisations leave powerful features unused due to limited expertise or resources. Partnering with the right marketing agency can also be crucial to overcoming these gaps. Marketers that understand and optimise their technology - bridging the adoption gap - will gain a clear competitive edge in an increasingly tough market."

Persistent barriers

The research points to several barriers preventing marketing teams from utilising their martech stacks more fully. Seventeen per cent of respondents said their teams lack the expertise required to leverage all the functionality of their technology. Time and capacity are also significant issues: almost half of those surveyed (47%) reported they are just managing to keep up with workloads, suggesting that staff shortages or competing priorities may limit their ability to experiment with or implement new features.

Measuring return on investment (ROI) also poses challenges. Ninety-six per cent of marketers track the performance of their technology, but 40% said it is difficult to measure ROI accurately, and 18% do not see a clear return from their martech investments. This could reflect both a lack of integration between marketing systems and broader uncertainty around which features deliver the greatest impact.

AI adoption slow

Despite widespread discussion around artificial intelligence within marketing, uptake of AI-powered features remains low. Only 13% of respondents say that AI currently helps them manage their day-to-day duties. Nonetheless, there is an appetite to increase AI adoption, with half the surveyed marketers planning to implement more AI capabilities within the next two years.

When asked about potential resources to help them achieve their marketing goals, 60% mentioned that increased investment in AI would benefit their teams. Other priorities included additional funding for martech (53%) and hiring more staff (38%).

Confidence versus reality

Despite these operational challenges and missed opportunities, the vast majority of marketers - 92% - remain confident that their martech stacks deliver results. This optimistic view persists even as many leave advanced features untapped and struggle with measurement and staffing issues.

The findings suggest that while the sector has embraced marketing technology on a broad scale, there remains a need for additional training, resources, and agency support to unlock the full suite of features on offer. Skills shortages, time constraints, and a slow pace of AI integration present ongoing challenges for eCommerce firms seeking to deliver highly personalised digital experiences to their audiences.