Spotlight

Report:

The Forrester Wave™: Intent Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2025

How does Forrester define the Intent Data Providers For B2B market in 2025?

B2B intent data providers are raising the bar with rapidly advancing capabilities driven by increased investment and technical advancement. Since the 2023 evaluation, advances in generative AI have enabled intent capture across 150+ languages and from unstructured data sources like audio and video. Improvements in identity resolution and device ID graphs are expanding capabilities to parse account-level intent signals by contact persona. The market now features four distinct business models: traditional data providers, software platforms, campaign execution firms, and walled gardens - each with differing strengths for various customer needs.

Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Intent Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2025 in 2025

How did the Intent Data Providers For B2B market evolve in 2025?

What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?

What are the common features of top products in the Intent Data Providers For B2B space?

No common features specified.

Scope Exclusions

Inclusion Criteria

Vendors must, among other requirements:

Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting

Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting

FAQs

Q: What does this research cover?

A: This research evaluates 15 intent data providers for B2B across current offering capabilities and strategy. The evaluation covers providers' signal volume and quality, geographic and keyword coverage, collection methodologies, identity resolution, accuracy and noise filtering, data security and compliance, buying cycle and persona-based analysis, buying group prediction, reporting and visualization, insight generation, and data integration capabilities. It also assesses their vision, innovation, roadmap, partner ecosystem, adoption support, and pricing flexibility.

Q: Who should use this research?

A: B2B marketing and sales professionals evaluating intent data providers should use this research to understand the competitive landscape and identify providers that best match their specific needs. Companies should use this evaluation to assess providers based on their geographic requirements (especially those operating outside North America), persona-level insight needs, and preferred business model (traditional data provider, platform, campaign execution firm, or walled garden). The research helps buyers understand which providers excel in areas like analytics capabilities, data quality, customer support, and specific use cases such as ABM, demand generation, or sales enablement.

Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?

A: Vendors must offer second- or third-party proprietary intent data that they collect through their own means and make available to all intent clients (not exclusively captured for individual clients). They must demonstrate substantial market presence with at least $10 million in annual revenue from intent data offerings and significant mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients through frequent mentions in client interactions over the past 12 months.

Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?

A:

  • Vendor is a pure data aggregator or reseller without proprietary data collection capabilities
  • Annual revenue from intent data offerings is below the $10 million threshold
  • Lack of significant mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients
  • Intent product is no longer generally available for sale (offered only to specific partner networks)
  • Company has repositioned away from competing as a full-service intent data provider
  • Vendor declined to participate in the full evaluation process
  • Provider only offers first-party intent signals captured exclusively for individual client use

Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?

A:

  • Evaluate available data across geographies outside North America - most providers have invested in increasing intent offerings in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM with AI-based translation capabilities
  • Assess growing capabilities for persona-level insight and buying group prediction, which rely on mapping device IDs and anonymized identifiers without including PII
  • Focus on providers with a business model built for your specific needs - traditional data providers, software platforms, campaign execution firms, or walled gardens each have different strengths
  • Consider the provider's partner ecosystem and how intent data integrates with your existing revenue technology stack
  • Evaluate the provider's customer adoption programs and support capabilities to maximize your investment
  • Assess pricing models - some providers offer flat fees with no data caps while others charge separately for platform and data access
  • Review the uniqueness and future-proofing of data collection methodologies given privacy regulation changes
  • Determine whether you need contact-level intent, persona-based analysis, or account-level signals based on your use cases

Q: How has the Intent Data Providers For B2B market evolved in 2025?

A:

  • Rapid advancement of generative AI (genAI) capabilities fueling intent capture across over 150 languages
  • AI-enabled scaling of insight capture from unstructured data sources like audio and video recordings
  • Improvements in identity resolution including advanced device ID graphs enabling persona-level intent analysis
  • Expansion of intent offerings in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regions beyond traditional North American focus
  • Growing capabilities for persona-level insight and buying group prediction using anonymized persistent identifiers
  • Introduction of advanced identity graphs (like Intentsify Orbit in 2024) representing significant market innovations
  • Increased importance of driving intent adoption to maximize customer investments
  • Evolution of four distinct business models: traditional data providers, software platforms, campaign execution firms, and walled gardens

Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?

A: Strength of Offering (vertical axis) evaluates the current capabilities of each provider's intent data solution, including data volume, quality, coverage, analytics, and integration capabilities. Strength of Strategy (horizontal axis) assesses the provider's vision, innovation, roadmap, partner ecosystem, customer adoption programs, and pricing approach - essentially their ability to execute and maintain market position over time.

Reference

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