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IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses 2025 Vendor Assessment

Roger Beharry Lall — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

The IDC study evaluates AI-enabled marketing platforms for small businesses, highlighting their transformative impact on customer engagement through automation, precision, and personalization. These tools, once exclusive to large enterprises, are now accessible to small businesses, automating tasks like social media scheduling and email campaigns while enhancing decision-making. However, the market is crowded with point solutions that may not fit business needs, leading to poor implementations. Effective AI tools should be intuitive, integrated, and aligned with operational needs, offering practical benefits without complexity. Ethical considerations, such as data handling and brand voice control, are crucial. This document advises small businesses to prioritize user-friendly platforms, responsive vendor support, and solutions that deliver measurable value. It emphasizes the importance of strategic alignment, transparency, and adaptability in AI adoption. The IDC MarketScape methodology assesses vendors based on capabilities and strategies, focusing on AI integration in marketing processes. Vendors must demonstrate significant investment in AI and proven customer success. This document serves as a decision-making tool for small businesses seeking competitive advantages through AI-enabled marketing platforms, advocating for thoughtful selection and deployment to enhance visibility, personalization, and responsiveness.

"AI is giving small businesses new tools to punch above their weight — turning everyday marketing into a competitive edge. No longer trapped between consumer hype and enterprise overkill, SMB-focused martech vendors are providing small businesses with AI-enabled platforms that are simple, powerful, and ROI driven." — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC

IDC ProductScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Medium-Sized Business ERP Applications, 2024–2025

Mickey North Rizza, Katie Evans — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

The IDC ProductScape offers a comprehensive guide on the key functionalities of medium-sized business ERP applications featuring products from Acumatica, Certinia, Deltek, ECI Software, Epicor, Infor, Microsoft, Oracle, Rockwell Automation, Priority Software, Ramco, Rootstock, Sage, SAP, Unit 4, and Workday. The status of each functionality is categorized as fully supported, partially supported, partner provided, road map, or not supported, aiding technology purchasers in quickly identifying which vendors align with their changing requirements.

Worldwide SMB Technology Spending Outlook, 2025

Elisabeth Clemmons, Katie Evans — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey provides a global overview of current and planned IT investments for global SMBs by company size. It also provides a breakdown of IT spending by technology split and investment priority. The document utilizes data from IDC's February 2025 Worldwide Small and Medium Business Survey (n = 2,979).

The U.S. SMB IT Buying Committee: Highlighting the Major Players in Each Step of the U.S. SMB IT Purchase Journey

Elisabeth Clemmons, Katie Evans — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey provides a U.S. view of the four steps of the SMB technology buying process: initial research, evaluation, recommendation, and final decision. It also highlights the key players in each phase of the purchase process and includes breakdowns by business size, number of employees, and vertical.

What Are the Top Factors Preventing SMBs from Investing in GenAI?

Elisabeth Clemmons, Katie Evans — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey Spotlight analyzes the top barriers to SMBs' GenAI adoption. It compares the factors limiting GenAI evaluation and further expansion for small businesses (1–99 employees) and medium-sized businesses (100–999 employees). This document draws data from the 2025 edition of IDC's Worldwide Small and Medium Business Survey.

U.S. SMB Communications Services Forecast, 2025–2029

Jason Blackwell — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation analyzes and forecasts the revenue for the U.S. small and medium-sized business (SMB) communications services market. The presentation provides IDC's definitions of SMB and telecom voice and data categories, and it presents a detailed forecast, beginning in 2024 and extending through 2029.

"Small and medium-sized businesses understand the necessity to invest in technologies and services that address their operational challenges and enhance customer interactions. This creates a lucrative opportunity for providers of voice and data communication services. However, SMBs have limited resources, so service providers should offer customized solutions, prioritize business outcomes, and guide their SMB customers through the overwhelming technology options." — Jason Blackwell, research director, SMB Communications and Consumer Communications Services

AT&T Launches Business Voice Service to Drive Migration from Legacy POTS Lines

Jason Blackwell — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

AT&T has unveiled a new Plain-Old Telephone Service (POTS)–line replacement solution, known as AT&T Business Voice. This is not AT&T’s first solution in this space, but this new offering strategically positions AT&T to compete with third-party POTS-line replacement solutions, aiming to minimize customer churn and secure revenue as businesses transition away from legacy voice services.

2025年国内ユーザー企業調査：産業分野別／企業規模別／地域別 IT投資動向と課題

Hitoshi Ichimura — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

本調査レポートは、2025年4月に実施したユーザー調査を基に、国内企業のIT投資動向について、産業分野別、企業規模別および地域別に分析を行ったものである。IT支出状況、IT部門の課題とその中でもレガシーシステムのモダナイゼーションにおける課題、最新テクノロジーの利用状況と特にAI（Artificial Intelligence：人工知能）システム、Generative AI（生成AI：以下、GenAI）の利活用状況、ならびにデジタルトランスフォーメーション（DX）／デジタルビジネスの取り組みの状況とその目的について調査した。

本調査レポートで分析した項目は以下の通りである。

産業分野別、企業規模別、地域別IT支出の動向：（2024年度／2025年度のIT支出見込み、IT支出予算増減の理由、IT支出領域）
IT部門が抱える課題：（IT部門の課題、レガシーシステムの稼働状況、レガシーシステムモダナイゼーションでの課題）
最新テクノロジー利用状況：（IT支出領域における活用テクノロジー、AI/GenAIの利活用の状況、AI/GenAIの利活用ユースケース）
DX／デジタルビジネス推進動向：（DX／デジタルビジネス取り組みの状況、DX／デジタルビジネスの目的）

Adobe FY 2Q25 Market Analysis: AI Transformation Drives Strong Performance

Gerry Murray — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Adobe released its 2Q25 results on June 12, 2025. Revenue and earnings highlights included:

Record revenue of $5.87 billion in its second quarter of FY25, which represents 11% year-over-year growth as reported and in constant currency.
GAAP operating income in the second quarter was $2.11 billion and non-GAAP operating income was $2.67 billion. GAAP net income was $1.69 billion and non-GAAP net income was $2.17 billion.
The company's subscription-based model continued to demonstrate resilience, with subscription revenue representing 96% of total revenue at $5.64 billion, growing 11.5% year over year as reported.

IDC Market Glance: AI Marketing Applications for SMB Organizations, 3Q25

Roger Beharry Lall — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Glance provides a comprehensive overview of the AI marketing applications landscape for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as of 3Q25. It maps the key segments and leading vendors across the rapidly evolving SMB AI marketing ecosystem, illustrating how AI is transforming core marketing functions and enabling SMBs to compete more effectively with limited resources.

This IDC Market Glance segments the market into areas such as AI-enabled marketing automation platforms, predictive AI journey optimization, SEO/keyword research, website creation, copywriting, creative apps for image and video generation, voice and music creation, and AI-enabled social marketing tools. It also highlights the importance of foundational AI infrastructure, including models, tools, and platforms that underpin these marketing solutions.

This IDC Market Glance defines each segment in detail, outlining the capabilities and benefits for SMBs, and visualizes a non-exhaustive selection of vendors active in each area. It also helps SMBs, vendors, service partners, and investors understand the competitive landscape, identify potential opportunities, and make informed technology investment decisions in the fast-growing AI marketing space for SMB organizations.