Time to streamline: Why B2B marketers are fed up with their tech stacks
Here’s an article on Time to Streamline: Why B2B Marketers Are Fed Up with Their Tech Stacks
Time to Streamline: Why B2B Marketers Are Fed Up with Their Tech Stacks
In the evolving world of B2B marketing, organisations are increasingly realising that more tools don’t always mean better results. Surveys and industry reports suggest that many marketing teams are reaching a breaking point with their “MarTech stacks” — the collection of tools, platforms, and technologies meant to optimise every part of their marketing process. Rather than making life easier, these stacks are becoming sources of complexity, inefficiency, and frustration. For many, the time has come to streamline.
The Scope of the Problem
A recent survey by Pipeline360 via the CDP Institute found that 57% of B2B marketers are dissatisfied with their current tech stacks; within that, 36% say their stack is “functional but limited.” (CDP Institute –) Another telling data point: 69% of marketers prefer delivered insights or managed services over acquiring new tools. Among high-performing teams, this rises to 81%.
Moreover, there is a clear under-utilization of existing tech. Gartner’s report reveals that marketers are using only about 42% of the capabilities available in their stacks — down sharply from earlier years. And yet, organisations continue to invest heavily; efficiency and adoption are lagging.
Finally, over 60% of B2B marketers describe their tech stacks as “too complex,” with many metaphorically stating theirs is “more complex than a black hole.”
Why the Frustration?
Several interlinked issues are causing marketers to feel overburdened by their tech:
- Tool Overload & Redundancy
As new needs arise (lead nurturing, attribution, ABM, personalization, analytics), many add tools piecemeal. Over time, the stack becomes crowded with overlapping capabilities. Teams often have redundant tools for similar purposes, which means paying for features twice (or more) and managing duplicate workflows. - Poor Integration & Data Silos
Tools are seldom seamlessly connected. Disparate systems store data in different formats, making it difficult to stitch together campaign performance, customer journeys, or attribution. Manual work becomes inevitable — copying or reconciling data across platforms. - Under-utilization of Capabilities
Even where tools are robust, many marketers report that large portions of those tools go unused, either because of lack of training, lack of clarity, or because the tools are too complex or misaligned with existing processes. - Skill & Capacity Gaps
Having a tool is one thing; making it do what you need requires people who understand both the tool and how it aligns with strategy. Many teams lack sufficient MarTech or marketing operations talent to manage, configure, integrate, or extract insights. This slows adoption, increases mistakes, generates inefficiencies. - Slow Decision Making & Execution
When tools don’t speak to each other, when data is scattered, when processes require approvals from many stakeholders, launching campaigns or reacting to market signals becomes slow. In fast-moving B2B environments, response time matters. If your stack slows you down, you lose momentum. - Cost, Hidden & Explicit
Beyond subscription fees and licenses, there are hidden costs: onboarding, training, tool maintenance, integration work, paying for features unused, managing licenses, potential licensing overlap. Those costs erode the returns you expect from tech investments.
Why Streamlining Helps
Streamlining the tech stack isn’t just about reducing number of tools—it’s about improving outcomes. Some major benefits:
- Clarity and Ownership: With fewer, well-chosen tools, responsibilities are clearer. Teams can master tools rather than constantly learning new ones.
- Faster Insights and Action: Integrated data pipelines enable quicker reporting. You know what’s working or not, faster.
- Cost Efficiency: Eliminating redundant tools or licenses, reducing training overheads, and minimizing manual work saves money.
- Strategic Alignment: Tools should serve the strategy—not drive it. When stack elements are aligned to buyer journeys, key metrics, and business goals, actions make more sense.
- Better Customer Experience: Unified data across touchpoints (email, content, website, sales) makes personalization possible, reduces friction, increases trust.
What Does a Streamlined Tech Stack Look Like?
Here are characteristics of a well-streamlined stack:
- Fewer Tools, with Overlapping Capabilities Removed: Use tools that serve multiple high-value functions when possible, while avoiding siloed point solutions.
- Strong Integration & Data Flow: Real-time or near-real-time connectivity among systems so data can be joined, dashboards unified, attribution possible, workflows smooth.
- Clear Ownership, Well-Defined Processes: Assign people (or teams) to own tools. Have documented workflows so it’s obvious who is responsible for what.
- Internal Training & Change Management: Ensure people using the tools are trained and confident. Change resistance drops when users see benefit.
- Regular Stack Audits & Rationalization: Periodic reviews to see which tools are underused, which could be replaced or merged. Else obsolete tools accumulate.
- Aligning Tech to Strategy & Buyer Journey: Before adopting a tool, be very clear: which part of the customer path or business objective does it serve?
Conclusion
In many B2B organizations, the tech stack was once a badge of pride—how many tools you had, how many functions were covered, and how modern your software was. But increasingly, marketers are coming to realize the badge is weighing them down. The future belongs to those who can do more with less: who can align tools tightly with strategy, streamline operations, refine for agility, and extract real value rather than just collect logos of tools.
If your marketing team is feeling the burden of too many tools, too much complexity, or seeing diminishing returns on your tech spend, that may be your signal: it’s time to streamline.
Comments are closed.