25 top marketing industry trends reports from 2023

One of the most effective ways that B2B and B2C brands are reaching new decision makers and engaging audiences is marketing research reports. We would know – our team has been working on consumer and executive survey reports for nearly a decade now.

Why are brands investing in market research report campaigns?

Market research reports provide the latest industry benchmarks and consumer insights for brand audiences. They’re a valuable tool that serve as a strategy guide for the year ahead while generating brand awareness and engaging leads.

HubSpot was an early brand to adopt this trend with the annual State of Marketing benchmark research report, along with Owl Labs and their State of Remote and Hybrid Work. Years later, data-driven content campaigns continue to influence readers, drive product adoption, and lead to revenue.

Results from SaaS industry trends report campaigns

HubSpot’s State of Marketing report gets over 40,000 annual downloads with a 30% net new contact rate and an average of a 140% return on investment.
DoorDash’s Restaurant Online Ordering Trends Report has exceeded annual organic content goals, driving over 25,000 unique sessions to the landing page, securing a 24% view to download conversion rate, and influencing 6% of viewers to use or sign up for DoorDash for Merchants.
The Lightcast Global Talent Playbook turned more than one third of page viewers into leads, and had a 30% average net new contact rate.

Let’s get into the top 25 industry trends reports and what makes each one great. (Hint: bookmark this page – you’re going to want to go back to it when it’s time to produce your own marketing survey report.)

Top 25 marketing research reports from 2023

Need SaaS marketing campaign inspiration? Here are some of our favorites from the past year.

Consumer trends reports

For SaaS businesses, more than 70% of revenue comes from existing customers. While driving new business is integral to growing and scaling, it’s incredibly important to maintain trust with recurring customers. As a way to help existing customers thrive and attract new prospects, consumer trends reports provide valuable information on where businesses should focus their efforts.

excerpts from the 2023 doordash restaurant online ordering trends report

Marketing survey reports

Everybody wants to know what other brands are investing in. What are other marketers doing? What’s working? By surveying decision makers in a given industry or niche, marketers can put together a sense of the current industry trends based on a sample of respondents, while adding actionable insights and brand resources.

excerpts from the 2023 YouTube Culture & Trends report

Executive facing reports

70% of enterprise decision makers currently use data to guide strategic decisions at their org most or nearly all of the time and 90% believe that data will become more important to decision making in the next 12 months. These reports are geared towards executives, with a leadership audience and thoughtful takeaways.

Industry benchmark reports

Industry benchmarks are more important now than ever – buyer expectations change more frequently and the ways that people shop are shifting along with technology. Brands are investing in annual or bi-annual industry benchmark reports for their customers and potential new leads.

excerpts from the hubspot 2023 state of marketing report

Examples of great data storytelling campaigns from SaaS brands

DoorDash produces market research reports to support their merchants using a combination of new consumer survey data and their own product data. By cross-referencing multiple sources, bringing in leadership insights from business owners and executives in the food and beverage space, and including actionable takeaways, they’re using data storytelling to achieve a number of organic marketing goals.

HubSpot knows their audience is data-driven, so they create super niche market research reports like the State of Marketing, AI Trends for Marketers, Sales Trends Report, and How AI is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy. Each of these reports appeals to a different decision maker audience and helps to provide industry context, specific benchmarks, and insights from leaders in the space to make sense of the data shared.

data visualizations and data storytelling examples from the doordash 2023 restaurant online ordering trends report

Looking for data storytelling services?

Our team at CXD Studio has data scientists, content strategists, experienced copywriters, and designers skilled in data visualization who can help marketing teams gather raw data and turn it into a cohesive report campaign. Learn more about our market research process and request a free consultation with our team.