Marketing ROI is getting harder to prove as spend rises. US ad spend is estimated at $646.62 billion in 2024, including $408.9 billion in digital. Even so, 42% of marketers report they lack a way to track ROI, leaving measurement gaps that complicate decisions across channels.
Key Takeaways
- $646.62 billion US ad spending in 2024 (est.)
- $408.9 billion in US digital ad spend in 2024 (est.)
- 5.2% CAGR for global email marketing market 2024-2030 (est.)
- $7.2 billion global influencer marketing market size in 2023 (est.)
- 78% of marketers say they use or plan to use marketing automation within 12 months (trend toward ROI-improving automation).
- 54% of marketers report difficulty in proving marketing ROI (measurement gaps trend).
- 42% of marketers report that they do not have a way to track ROI (NielsenIQ? none)
- Marketers cite that email is the channel with the highest ROI, at 23% (email ROI leadership affects marketing mix decisions).
- 64% of marketers say improved measurement is a top priority (better measurement increases the accuracy of ROI assessment).
- 10.5% annual growth rate of marketing technology spending in 2024 (more tooling can improve ROI measurement and execution).
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC) reduction: companies that implement marketing automation report a 10–20% reduction in marketing overhead on average (cost ROI lever).
- Google reports that shoppers who use Google to buy are 4.7 times more likely to purchase than non-users (attribution-impact basis for ROI models).
- 56% of marketers use landing page optimization (LPO usage increases conversion efficiency and ROI).
- 78% of marketers say improving measurement is a top priority
- 30% of marketers say they lack access to the data needed to measure ROI
With 78% prioritizing better measurement and analytics, marketers can unlock email and automation ROI despite weak tracking.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$646.62 billion US ad spending in 2024 (est.)
02
$408.9 billion in US digital ad spend in 2024 (est.)
03
5.2% CAGR for global email marketing market 2024-2030 (est.)
04
4.5% global ad spend growth in 2024 (indicates near-term environment for ROI improvements).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With US ad spending at $646.62 billion in 2024 and digital ad spend reaching $408.9 billion, the Market Size picture shows that most growth and ROI opportunities are likely concentrated in digital, supported by a 4.5% global ad spend increase in 2024 and a 5.2% CAGR in the email marketing market from 2024 to 2030.
02 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
$7.2 billion global influencer marketing market size in 2023 (est.)
02
78% of marketers say they use or plan to use marketing automation within 12 months (trend toward ROI-improving automation).
03
54% of marketers report difficulty in proving marketing ROI (measurement gaps trend).
04
63% of executives say they expect tighter alignment between marketing and sales organizations (improves ROI through better funnel handoffs).
05
B2B marketers report that 61% of leads are not sales-ready (funnel efficiency affects ROI).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show a clear ROI pressure point, with 54% of marketers struggling to prove marketing ROI and 63% of executives pushing for tighter marketing and sales alignment, even as the market shifts toward scale with a $7.2 billion influencer marketing industry and increasing use of marketing automation.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
42% of marketers report that they do not have a way to track ROI (NielsenIQ? none)
02
Marketers cite that email is the channel with the highest ROI, at 23% (email ROI leadership affects marketing mix decisions).
03
64% of marketers say improved measurement is a top priority (better measurement increases the accuracy of ROI assessment).
04
Marketing analytics adoption: 84% of marketers use analytics to measure marketing performance (enables ROI tracking practices).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Within performance metrics, the biggest trend is a measurement gap alongside growing analytics adoption, with 42% of marketers unable to track ROI even as 84% already use analytics to measure performance and 64% prioritize improved measurement, while email stands out as the highest ROI channel at 23%.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
10.5% annual growth rate of marketing technology spending in 2024 (more tooling can improve ROI measurement and execution).
02
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) reduction: companies that implement marketing automation report a 10–20% reduction in marketing overhead on average (cost ROI lever).
03
Google reports that shoppers who use Google to buy are 4.7 times more likely to purchase than non-users (attribution-impact basis for ROI models).
04
Marketing-generated leads have an estimated conversion rate of 13% (lead pipeline efficiency drives ROI).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the cost analysis perspective, rising marketing technology spend grew 10.5% in 2024 alongside evidence that marketing automation can cut overhead and CAC by 10 to 20% while lead conversion remains a key lever with marketing-generated leads converting at about 13%.
05 · Category
User Adoption1 stats
01
56% of marketers use landing page optimization (LPO usage increases conversion efficiency and ROI).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the context of user adoption, the fact that 56% of marketers use landing page optimization shows a strong push to improve how quickly new users convert and engage, boosting efficiency and ROI.
More related reading
06 · Category
Attribution & Roi2 stats
01
78% of marketers say improving measurement is a top priority
02
30% of marketers say they lack access to the data needed to measure ROI
Interpretation
Attribution & Roi Interpretation
For the Attribution and ROI category, the clearest trend is that while 78% of marketers prioritize improving measurement, 30% still lack the data needed to measure ROI, showing a direct gap between the desire to attribute performance and the ability to prove it.
07 · Category
Ad Spend Efficiency1 stats
01
$2.1 billion spent on marketing measurement and attribution software in 2023 (global, estimated)
Interpretation
Ad Spend Efficiency Interpretation
In 2023, marketers globally spent an estimated $2.1 billion on measurement and attribution software, underscoring that improving ad spend efficiency is being treated as a major investment area.
08 · Category
Customer Lifetime Value2 stats
01
5.3x average return on marketing investment attributed to personalization campaigns (vs. non-personalized)
02
74% of consumers expect personalized experiences from brands, and 59% get frustrated when personalization isn’t delivered
Interpretation
Customer Lifetime Value Interpretation
For Customer Lifetime Value, personalization is a clear lever since it can deliver a 5.3x average return on marketing investment and with 74% of consumers expecting it, yet 59% getting frustrated when it isn’t, brands risk weakening long term value if they fail to personalize.
09 · Category
Measurement & Analytics2 stats
01
47% of marketers report using dashboards/BI for reporting marketing performance
02
73% of marketers say they are planning to increase investment in analytics in the next 12 months
Interpretation
Measurement & Analytics Interpretation
Within Measurement & Analytics, the picture is clear as 47% of marketers rely on dashboards or BI to track marketing performance and 73% plan to boost analytics investment in the next 12 months.
10 · Category
Business Processes2 stats
01
56% of organizations have adopted formal service-level agreements (SLAs) between marketing and sales
02
41% of companies say they have a single source of truth for customer data used by both marketing and sales
Interpretation
Business Processes Interpretation
For the Business Processes lens, the data suggests alignment is improving but still uneven, with 56% of organizations using formal marketing and sales SLAs alongside only 41% reporting a single source of truth for shared customer data.
report visual · Key figures
Marketing ROI: Measurement, Automation, and Attribution
Marketing ROI is strongly tied to improved measurement and automation adoption, while many marketers still report difficulty tracking or proving ROI—highlighting a clear data/attribution gap.
54%
54% of marketers report difficulty in proving marketing ROI (measurement gaps trend).
42%
42% of marketers report that they do not have a way to track ROI (NielsenIQ? none)
78%
78% of marketers say they use or plan to use marketing automation within 12 months (trend toward ROI-improving automatio
84%
Marketing analytics adoption: 84% of marketers use analytics to measure marketing performance (enables ROI tracking prac
$2.1 billion
$2.1 billion spent on marketing measurement and attribution software in 2023 (global, estimated)
source-verifiedcampaignlive.co.uk · gartner.com · marketingautomationinsider.com · forrester.com · marketsandmarkets.com2023
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
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Marketing ROI Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-roi-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Marketing ROI Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-roi-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Marketing ROI Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-roi-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)