New IDC Forecast Finds Worldwide Revenues for Marketing Software Solutions Growing to More Than $32 Billion in 2018

A newly published International Data Corporation (IDC) study forecasts that revenues for marketing software solutions are expected to grow from approximately $20.2 billion in 2014 to more than $32.3 billion in 2018, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%. From 2014 to 2018, IDC estimates that organizations will spend a total of $130 billion on software for marketing departments.

Key market drivers include:

• Changing consumer expectations
• Competitive advantage gained by early adopters
• Market investment by the world's largest IT providers
• Marketing as a Service (MaaS)
• The rise of agencies and business process outsourcers (BPOs) as alternative providers

"Marketing organizations are rapidly adopting new technology to better serve their customers, increase efficiency, and drive measurable business performance," said Gerry Murray, Research Manager with IDC's CMO Advisory Service. "As a result, there is enormous market opportunity for suppliers. However, the market will see a number of transformations as it evolves from point solutions to platforms to marketing as a service. The full potential of this market will only be realized when technology, creative and technical services come together. How that happens will determine the winners and losers."

The study, Software Solutions for Marketing 2014-2018 Forecast (IDC #251902) examines the software solutions for marketing market for the period from 2011 to 2013. The forecast covers 76 categories of software for marketing that are organized into four areas: interaction systems, content production and management, data and analytics, and marketing management and administration.