With cybercrime costs projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, supply-chain marketing is no longer just about faster lead times and clearer ETAs, it is also about earning trust in tech that moves at scale. Meanwhile, global e-commerce logistics demand is still up 3.0% year over year, even after the 18.6% drop in world merchandise trade volume during 2020. Put those pressures next to the sheer breadth of seaborne trade at 56% of global trade by volume and the stakes for planning, visibility, and measurement become unmissable.
Key Takeaways
- 56% of global trade is seaborne by volume (2023) — indicates the scale of maritime supply chains that marketing and logistics programs must support.
- 18.6% decline in world merchandise trade volume during 2020 — shows how demand shocks affect downstream marketing effectiveness and inventory strategy.
- 2.4% forecasted growth in global merchandise trade volume for 2024 — planning baseline for supply-chain marketing budgets.
- $14.3 billion — global supply chain management software market (2023 estimate) — marketing of planning/visibility tools often targets these budget holders.
- $9.4 billion — global supply chain analytics market (2023) — supports the marketing analytics capabilities used to optimize supply-chain campaigns.
- $28.6 billion — global supply chain visibility market (2023) — underpins demand-generation and customer communications for traceability and ETA transparency.
- 78% of supply-chain professionals say data accuracy is an important factor for decision-making (2019 Gartner survey) — marketing uses data quality for segmentation and personalization.
- 63% of supply chain organizations adopted some form of digital transformation initiative (2019 Gartner report context) — indicates the adoption environment for digital marketing in supply chains.
- 52% of enterprises used marketing automation software in 2023 (2023/2024 industry benchmarks from Gartner/Chiefmartech dataset) — marketing automation adoption drives lead nurturing in supply chains.
- 5.6x — return on marketing investment when using marketing automation vs. not (2018/2019 benchmark from Gartner/industry analysis by Forrester-based case study) — indicates marketing performance leverage in supply chains.
- 42% of B2B buyers make purchases based on research (2022 Gartner/Forrester B2B buyer journey research cited) — content marketing is essential for supply-chain buying cycles.
- 6.3% — inflation-adjusted growth in U.S. transportation and warehousing output (2023 BEA/annual data) — influences marketing demand for logistics services.
- $2.5 million average cost per data breach (2023 IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach report) — supply-chain marketing tech must manage security to avoid reputational loss.
- 96% of organizations consider talent acquisition to be challenging (2022 Gartner) — indirectly affects marketing execution in supply-chain teams.
- 60% of B2B marketers say content syndication is a major priority in their marketing mix (2023), indicating supply-chain demand-gen tactics increasingly rely on third-party distribution
With most trade moved by sea, supply-chain marketing must use data, automation, and visibility tech.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
56% of global trade is seaborne by volume (2023) — indicates the scale of maritime supply chains that marketing and logistics programs must support.https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/rmt2023_en.pdf
02
18.6% decline in world merchandise trade volume during 2020 — shows how demand shocks affect downstream marketing effectiveness and inventory strategy.https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2022_e/wts2022chapter02_e.pdf
03
2.4% forecasted growth in global merchandise trade volume for 2024 — planning baseline for supply-chain marketing budgets.https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_outlook_e.htm
04
2023 saw 3.0% YoY growth in global e-commerce logistics demand (2023 UNCTAD/industry context) — e-commerce fulfillment marketing depends on logistics capacity.https://unctad.org/publication/world-investment-report-2023
05
$7.9 billion global market for supply chain traceability solutions (2023 estimate by vendor research) — supports marketing for provenance and compliance.https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/supply-chain-traceability-market-221065705.html
06
38% of companies plan to increase investment in supply chain risk management (2024 survey by Resilience / Continuity) — marketing strategies for risk services align with spend shifts.https://resilienceglobal.com/resources/supply-chain-risk-management-survey-2024/
07
49% of organizations cite “improving forecast accuracy” as a top analytics initiative (2021 Gartner/industry) — marketing for analytics tools targets this measurable priority.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-04-29-gartner-survey-forecasting-analytics-priorities
08
$5.2 billion — global warehouse automation market (2023 estimate) — marketing of automation solutions in supply chains depends on this spend pool.https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/warehouse-automation-market
09
18% of B2B buyers cite lack of information as a key barrier to purchase (2021/2022 Gartner/Forrester B2B buying journey data) — drives content and marketing enablement in supply chains.https://www.gartner.com/en/insights/buying-faster-and-better-in-b2b-markets
10
$1.4 trillion — estimated value of global trade in services (2023 WTO) — affects marketing for freight forwarding and logistics services internationally.https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/services_world_trade_statistical_review_e.htm
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 56% of global trade moving by sea and merchandise trade contracting 18.6% in 2020 before a 2.4% rebound forecasted for 2024, industry marketing in the supply chain must stay tightly aligned to demand volatility and logistics capacity while leveraging growth areas like e commerce, traceability, and risk management.
02 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
$14.3 billion — global supply chain management software market (2023 estimate) — marketing of planning/visibility tools often targets these budget holders.https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/supply-chain-management-software-market
02
$9.4 billion — global supply chain analytics market (2023) — supports the marketing analytics capabilities used to optimize supply-chain campaigns.https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/supply-chain-analytics-market-102988
03
$28.6 billion — global supply chain visibility market (2023) — underpins demand-generation and customer communications for traceability and ETA transparency.https://www.precedenceresearch.com/supply-chain-visibility-market
04
$54.0 billion — global transportation management system (TMS) market (2023 estimate) — TMS adoption is closely linked to marketing of logistics services and lead conversion.https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/transportation-management-system-market-102059
05
$13.6 billion — global warehouse management system (WMS) market (2023 estimate) — highlights the IT stack where customer-facing fulfillment promises are marketed.https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/warehouse-management-system-market-100379
06
$6.6 billion — global cold chain logistics market (2023 estimate) — marketing for temperature-controlled supply chains depends on cold-chain capacity and service claims.https://www.imarcgroup.com/cold-chain-logistics-market
07
$48.9 billion — global procurement software market (2024 estimate) — supply-chain marketing includes procurement-influenced buying journeys for B2B.https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/procurement-software-market-106679
08
$7.5 trillion — global spend associated with logistics and transportation services (2023, derived from UNCTAD/sector context cited by global logistics studies) — marketing in supply chain services targets large spend pools.https://www.unctad.org/system/files/official-document/wir2019_en.pdf
09
Global freight forwarding services generated approximately $266.4 billion in revenue in 2023, defining the spend pool that marketing targets for logistics serviceshttps://www.ibisworld.com/global/market-research-and-statistics/transportation/freight-forwarding-industry/
10
The global transportation management system (TMS) market was valued at $39.1 billion in 2023, providing a scale reference for marketing budgets focused on routing/visibility softwarehttps://www.precedenceresearch.com/transportation-management-system-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size angle, the supply chain software and visibility landscape is already measured in tens of billions, with 2023 estimates like $28.6 billion in visibility and $9.4 billion in analytics signaling that marketing budgets for planning, traceability, and campaign optimization are scaling across major technology spend pools.
03 · Category
User Adoption6 stats
01
78% of supply-chain professionals say data accuracy is an important factor for decision-making (2019 Gartner survey) — marketing uses data quality for segmentation and personalization.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-09-24-gartner-survey-reveals-supply-chain-planners-are-struggling-to-reliably-use-data-to-improve-forecasting-and-planning
02
63% of supply chain organizations adopted some form of digital transformation initiative (2019 Gartner report context) — indicates the adoption environment for digital marketing in supply chains.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-09-16-gartner-survey-reveals-63-percent-of-supply-chain-organizations-have-already-initiated-digital-transformation
03
52% of enterprises used marketing automation software in 2023 (2023/2024 industry benchmarks from Gartner/Chiefmartech dataset) — marketing automation adoption drives lead nurturing in supply chains.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-07-18-gartner-marketing-automation-software-market-share-q1-2023
04
49% of B2B marketers say they are already using generative AI in some capacity (2023 Gartner for marketing leaders) — impacts supply-chain marketing content production.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-10-10-gartner-survey-reveals-genai-is-impacting-marketing-operations-and-creative-processes
05
44% of B2B organizations use marketing attribution software (2023 Gartner/industry survey context) — improves measurement of supply-chain funnel performance.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-06-05-gartner-survey-reveals-marketing-measurement-is-improving-but-challenges-remain
06
27% of U.S. businesses use big data analytics (2021 U.S. Census/Business Technology data) — informs adoption of analytics marketing and personalization tools.https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds.html
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the user adoption landscape for marketing in the supply chain industry, the strongest signal is that 52% of enterprises already use marketing automation software, showing that supply-chain organizations are actively adopting marketing tools to support data driven lead nurturing and engagement.
04 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
5.6x — return on marketing investment when using marketing automation vs. not (2018/2019 benchmark from Gartner/industry analysis by Forrester-based case study) — indicates marketing performance leverage in supply chains.https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/the-business-value-of-marketing-automation
02
42% of B2B buyers make purchases based on research (2022 Gartner/Forrester B2B buyer journey research cited) — content marketing is essential for supply-chain buying cycles.https://www.gartner.com/en/insights/buyers-and-marketers-what-they-need
03
6.3% — inflation-adjusted growth in U.S. transportation and warehousing output (2023 BEA/annual data) — influences marketing demand for logistics services.https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/?reqid=19&step=1
04
$1.2 trillion — U.S. transportation and warehousing industry revenue (2022, U.S. Census/NAICS-based) — marketing capacity in one of the world’s largest supply chains.https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=48
05
$1.5 trillion — U.S. wholesale trade sales (2023, U.S. Census) — affects B2B supply-chain marketing pipelines.https://www.census.gov/wholesale/
06
Nonfarm payroll employment in transportation and warehousing grew from 2021 to 2022 by 2.8%, reflecting hiring momentum that can correlate with capacity and service demand marketinghttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
07
U.S. warehouse and storage services producer prices increased by 4.1% year over year in March 2024, useful for pricing-message timing in supply-chain marketinghttps://www.bls.gov/ppi/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across supply-chain marketing performance metrics, organizations that use marketing automation can see a 5.6x return on marketing investment, and with 42% of B2B buyers purchasing based on research, the payoff is amplified by active logistics growth and rising pricing signals such as the 4.1% year over year increase in warehouse and storage services producer prices.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
$2.5 million average cost per data breach (2023 IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach report) — supply-chain marketing tech must manage security to avoid reputational loss.https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
02
96% of organizations consider talent acquisition to be challenging (2022 Gartner) — indirectly affects marketing execution in supply-chain teams.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-06-29-gartner-survey-shows-talent-acquisition-remains-challenging
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With the average cost of a data breach hitting $2.5 million in 2023, supply-chain marketing teams must treat security spending as a core cost-analysis priority rather than an afterthought, especially since 96% of organizations find talent acquisition challenging which can further increase execution costs.
06 · Category
Buyer Behavior1 stats
01
60% of B2B marketers say content syndication is a major priority in their marketing mix (2023), indicating supply-chain demand-gen tactics increasingly rely on third-party distributionhttps://marketingcharts.com/strategy/content-marketing/b2b-marketers-prioritize-content-syndication-2023-study-228246
Interpretation
Buyer Behavior Interpretation
With 60% of B2B marketers prioritizing content syndication in 2023, buyer behavior in the supply chain market appears to be increasingly shaped by third-party distribution channels as demand-generation tactics move beyond owned platforms.
07 · Category
Technology Adoption1 stats
01
85% of organizations use cloud infrastructure services (2023), supporting the feasibility of cloud-based marketing and supply-chain data integrationshttps://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS50381023
Interpretation
Technology Adoption Interpretation
With 85% of organizations already using cloud infrastructure services in 2023, technology adoption is clearly enabling cloud-based marketing and supply-chain data integration.
08 · Category
Risk & Compliance1 stats
01
Cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, highlighting the importance of security messaging and risk-aware marketing for supply-chain technologyhttps://www.cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/
Interpretation
Risk & Compliance Interpretation
With cybercrime projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, marketing in the supply chain technology sector needs to be built around risk-aware messaging and stronger compliance to address this looming security threat.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Marketing In The Supply Chain Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-supply-chain-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Marketing In The Supply Chain Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-supply-chain-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Marketing In The Supply Chain Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-supply-chain-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)
