The Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs, Q1 2023

Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

Key features and pros and cons of top Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs products:

Adobe - Leaders

Pros:

Delivers on next-generation CCMH offering with Adobe Journey Optimizer powered by Adobe Experience Platform
Strong foundation for customer profiles and preferences, identity resolution and privacy, and digital intelligence
Superior CCMH vision centered on enabling brands to personalize at scale across the CX spectrum
Vast innovation investments across portfolio, enterprise-scale services, and extensive partner ecosystem
Serves more than 1,400 CCMH customers globally with nearly half being large enterprises

Cons:

Experience Platform transition may create change management and complex implementation requirements
Functional disparity exists for CCMH users between Adobe Campaign and Journey Optimizer
Many clients still rely on Adobe Campaign for federated data access
References expect simplified pricing structure and improved education, training, and out-of-the-box integration

Braze - Leaders

Pros:

Successfully transitioned from mobile engagement automation platform to full-fledged CCMH for digital channels
Superior innovation roadmap balancing investments across ease of use, platform depth, and workflow flexibility
Solid capabilities for digital intelligence, offers and promotions, personalization, and mobile
Innovative products and expert services to help clients build human connections regardless of size or technical competence
Rapid growth continuing following 2021 IPO with over 1,700 clients globally

Cons:

Focuses mostly on digital messaging with little native functionality for offline or human-assisted channels
Needs to further extend support for social media engagement and integrations with digital advertising platforms
Must invest in UX localization and more regional data centers as it expands globally
References echoed need to adapt to local go-to-market needs

Salesforce - Leaders

Pros:

Largest install base in study with more than 5,000 CCMH clients across geographies and vertical sectors
Genie real-time customer data management solution shows great promise as enabling framework
Mature orchestration capabilities provide solid foundation for seamless, personalized CX based on trust
Sophisticated email capabilities with Journey Builder, Personalization (Evergage), and Intelligence (Datorama) across broad mix of digital and offline channels
Data and analytics tools getting boost with embedded Einstein AI and AWS capabilities

Cons:

Disparate data store integration across Salesforce Marketing Cloud modules remains work in progress
References looking for more advanced modeling and optimization functionality
Need better out-of-the-box integration and more partners with specific vertical expertise
Must continue to deliver on data integration and activation roadmap

SAS - Leaders

Pros:

Excels at insights-driven customer understanding with robust CCMH delivering on vision of complete customer understanding
Earns near-perfect marks across data management, analytics, optimization, and personalization criteria
Embeds intelligence into planning, automation, and scheduling workflows
75% of 1,600 clients are billion-dollar-plus enterprises with 70% from outside North America
Highly scalable solution with expert services for enterprises requiring analytically driven marketing tools

Cons:

Real-time customer state service remains domain of power users with more advanced skill sets than most digital marketers
Usability and adoption among digital marketers undermine enterprise CCMH dominance
Many clients connect SAS to other solutions for channel delivery
Received lowest reference scores in study for usability
References agree need to improve third-party integration

Capillary Technologies - Strong Performers

Pros:

Offers CDP (Insights+), loyalty solution (Loyalty+), and CCMH (Engage+) for full customer lifecycle engagement
Rapidly expanding in Americas and EMEA with nearly half of 400+ customers being enterprises with $1 billion+ revenue
Supports APAC needs for mobile, e-commerce, and marketplaces better than most Western vendors
Innovative AI-based natural language recommendations to help users optimize marketing strategy and performance
Unique features leveraging emotional loyalty for segmentation and activation

Cons:

Needs to further improve use of dynamic content for more contextual real-time experiences
Must improve user adoption for offline and human-assisted channels
References cited improved third-party integration and peer networking with other users as areas for improvement
Brands can best achieve vision when investing in all three solution modules

Insider - Strong Performers

Pros:

Raised $121 million in Series D funding, achieved unicorn status in 2022
Doubled business in Americas since 2021 evaluation
CX-oriented vision resonates with marketers ready to shift from sales to experiences embracing consumers' individuality
Packages handy Trello-based tools to kickstart ideation, manage projects, and facilitate marketing collaboration
Integrated automation and optimization for mobile apps, mobile messengers, and e-commerce marketplaces stand out
References reported impressive ROI and positive impact to average order values, retention rates, CLV, and revenue

Cons:

Email features are fairly standard
Areas for improvement include UX for technology users and account management
Needs to deliver on CCMH and CX alignment to challenge enterprise rivals
Must continue expansion beyond APAC and EMEA regions

Microsoft - Strong Performers

Pros:

Increased B2C focus with 2021 launch of customer journey orchestration capabilities
Superior vision for helping marketers digitally transform customer experiences as 'the elusive differentiator'
Comprehensive portfolio enables marketers to engage customers across entire CRM spectrum
Marketer-friendly automation workflows with built-in support for Teams collaboration and Power BI analytics
Roadmap promises natural language analytics as part of billion-dollar investment in open AI

Cons:

Consumer brands account for only 20% of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing install base
Competitors offer more sophisticated modeling and optimization tools
Reference customers based on relatively small customer databases
References mentioned need for service and support improvements
Out-of-the-box data and channel integration still evolving

MoEngage - Strong Performers

Pros:

Fastest growing vendors, nearly doubling CCMH install base since 2021 evaluation
$77 million in Series E funding in 2022 on top of $62.5 million in 2021
Differentiates with local approach to innovation including regional development, integration, and privacy by design for channels like WhatsApp, Viber, and Meta Messenger
Highly scalable data ingestion and customer profile management with AI-driven visualization and performance reporting aligned with customer satisfaction metrics
References reported using MoEngage for average of 10 channels each with further six channels in works

Cons:

Social media and digital advertising channels aren't as strong
Could tighten up integrations with content repositories
References called out content repository integration as area for improvement
Needs more enterprise investments to turn mobile growth into CCMH success

SAP - Strong Performers

Pros:

Good match with Emarsys serving e-commerce marketers in historically strong SAP verticals like retail, consumer goods, travel, media, and entertainment
Single-minded focus on giving 'power' to marketer via extensible platform connecting marketing with sales and service
Earns middle-of-the-road scores throughout evaluation with solid functionality across CCMH requirements
Robust, marketing-friendly email capabilities outshine other commerce-centric competitors
References generally happy with Emarsys performance

Cons:

Only 21% of 1,700+ clients are enterprises
Entrusts more visionary CX endeavors to SAP cohorts rather than focusing on comprehensive CX analysis
Doesn't focus as much on social media and digital advertising channels for retargeting
References mentioned collaboration tools, marketing alignment with CX, UX, and integration as areas for improvement

Bloomreach - Contenders

Pros:

Acquired Exponea in 2021 to add CCMH capabilities to digital experience platform
Robust customer profile and preference management via native CDP
DXP integrations add content management, offers and promotions, and web personalization tools
References consistently reported more than 50 million customer records and impressive 12 channels on average
Customers recognized rapid product iteration and appreciated seeing feature requests in software updates

Cons:

CCMH vision focuses exclusively on e-commerce and digital transactions versus longer-term CX initiatives
Less than 20% of 1,100 clients are enterprise organizations
Needs to further improve planning and collaboration tools
Must increase mobile adoption, provide UX localization, and expand data centers for global deployments
References want additional partners for specific vertical or regional needs and more user community activities

CleverTap - Challengers

Pros:

Expanded from APAC-centric mobile engagement roots to pursue CCMH opportunities in Americas and EMEA
Acquired US-based Leanplum in 2022
Product vision focuses on TesseractDB for unified data management, analytics, and engagement
With mobile-first heritage, offers competitive mobile engagement
References generally happy with CleverTap as partner and rated highly for personalization

Cons:

Transition to more fully featured CCMH solution neither as fast nor comprehensive as rival mobile-savvy APAC peers
Only 15% of 2,000 clients are enterprise firms
References still refer to it as 'the best mobile engagement tool' rather than full CCMH
Long list of technical improvements needed including more cross-channel functionality, advanced analytics, and integration
References want more vertical expertise and a user community

CM Group - Contenders

Pros:

Top-notch email technology and services
Serves 450 Cheetah Digital customers globally with retail, entertainment and leisure, and financial services as top sectors
Articulates ambitious vision for helping brands understand customers, activate insights, and deliver personalized experiences
References consider it strategic partner that understands their business needs
Social media engagement capabilities via Experiences module

Cons:

Email-centric approach doesn't fully deliver on CCMH vision
Functionality and user adoption for channels other than email lag behind competitors
References predominantly use Cheetah Digital for email marketing and limited mobile use cases
References critical of innovation roadmap and AI capabilities
References want better out-of-the-box integration, support, and training

HCLSoftware - Contenders

Pros:

Invested heavily in modernizing Unica from UX to underlying infrastructure
Containerization for public or private cloud deployment in addition to hosted and on-premises options
Planning and collaboration capabilities satisfy enterprise requirements
Nearly half of clients (with average tenure over 10 years) have increased investments
Added CDP capabilities in 2022

Cons:

Lags behind digital innovators - adding personalization tools to legacy campaign workflows designed for traditional outbound marketing
Won relatively few new prospects
Analytics, experience orchestration, and optimization tools lag behind competitors with features for digital-native users
Limited reference feedback secured from Unica clients
References called for more sales engagement, better content integration, and improved analytics and optimization

Netcore Cloud - Challengers

Pros:

25-year martech veteran with planned 2023 IPO in India
Accelerated expansion to North America and Europe in 2022
Competes at attractive price point with 80% of clients being midmarket firms
2022 Unbxd acquisition adds AI-powered search, merchandizing, and product recommendations
References gave high marks as strategic partner and praised ease of use

Cons:

Vision translates to automated acquisition, conversion, and loyalty campaigns based on RFM indicators compared to more sophisticated enterprise players
Self-service analytics are basic compared to enterprise rivals
Personalization focuses on templated journeys and product offers
Lacks planning and collaboration tools to ensure cross-channel consistency
References (all under $500 million revenue) cited local and vertical expertise, channel integration, advanced analytics, and AI as areas for improvement

Optimove - Contenders

Pros:

Articulates convincing CCMH vision for customer-centric marketing automation versus manual effort
Advanced data ingestion leveraging Snowflake for batch and Kaa for streaming data
Robust AI recommendations for insight discovery and performance optimization
Strong mobile analytics and digital intelligence capabilities including universal events
References especially complimentary of UX, native and third-party integration, and personalization tools

Cons:

Markets primarily to midmarket retail, media, and entertainment firms
Revenue growth shows steady progress but similarly sized rivals demonstrate greater momentum
User adoption for cross-channel orchestration capabilities centers on email, mobile push messaging, and in-app personalization
References want better content management and more user group activities
Acquired Kumulos (now OptiMobile) and Graphyte in 2022 - integration ongoing

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

A: Adobe, Braze, Salesforce, SAS

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in the Forrester Wave represent vendors with the strongest current offerings and strategies in the Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs market. They demonstrate sophisticated cross-channel capabilities at enterprise scale, help marketers deliver both business and customer outcomes with real-time dashboards aligning customer metrics with marketing and business metrics, and offer AI-based optimization tools that ease human workloads with recommendations in business language. Leaders have strong product visions focused on transforming campaigns into personalized experiences, robust innovation roadmaps, comprehensive partner ecosystems, and significant enterprise customer bases using their solutions across multiple channels globally.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs in 2023

Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

Reference