Report:
The Forrester Wave™: Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2026
How does Forrester define the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market in 2026?
In our evaluation of B2B marketing and sales data providers, we identified the most significant ones and researched, analyzed, and scored them. GenAI is driving the largest disruption to B2B data providers in decades. Traditional AI and ML have long been a staple of data capture at scale. Today, LLMs are now similarly embedded in data collection, validation, and exploration. The impacts on the market have been dramatic — equal parts predictable and unexpected. Data consumers are placing greater urgency on data quality and unification to power their own AI aspirations. Among providers, the ability of LLMs to handle translation delivered highly anticipated growth in data collection in which language was formerly a barrier. The relative ease of account and contact collection and the emergence of LLM-powered tools allowing self-service web scraping are driving commoditization.
Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2026 in 2026
- Publication Date: 20-Mar-2026
- Document ID: 001a000001SIo7WAAT
- Summary: In our evaluation of B2B marketing and sales data providers, we identified the most significant ones and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps you select the right one for your needs.
- Authors: Brett Kahnke
How did the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market evolve in 2026?
- GenAI is driving the largest disruption to B2B data providers in decades
- LLMs are now embedded in data collection, validation, and exploration
- Data consumers are placing greater urgency on data quality and unification to power their own AI aspirations
- Average available contacts grew by 28% in EMEA, 31% in Asia Pacific, and 33% in Latin America since the previous Wave evaluation
- Total available contacts in North America decreased slightly
- LLM translation capabilities delivered highly anticipated growth in data collection where language was formerly a barrier
- The ability to parse unstructured data is growing signal collection and insight generation
- The relative ease of account and contact collection and emergence of LLM-powered tools is driving commoditization
- Some providers are betting on increased demand for trusted data, while others are worried about blurred differentiation
- 11 providers were evaluated in this assessment
What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?
- Meaningful market share as a primary account and contact data provider to enterprises. Vendors must offer, at a minimum, legally compliant firmographic and demographic (account and contact) data to support customers' B2B marketing and sales databases across multiple industries while actively positioning themselves to be the primary source of these data types among their customers, particularly within the enterprise market.
- Substantial revenue in the market. The vendor has at least $10 million USD in annual revenue from B2B marketing and sales data and related data management services in the last four quarters.
- Mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients. Forrester clients frequently mention the vendor's data offering as one they are considering before a purchase. We have heard about the vendor from our clients in the form of inquiries, advisories, consulting engagements, and other interactions over the past year. Other vendors mention this vendor as a key competitor.
What are the common features of top products in the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B space?
No common features specified.
Scope Exclusions
- Vendors with less than $10 million USD in annual revenue from B2B marketing and sales data
- Vendors that no longer prioritize competing in the enterprise market (e.g., Apollo.io, Lusha)
- Vendors that changed strategic direction and no longer position themselves as data providers (e.g., DemandScience)
- Consumer (B2C) only data providers
- Vendors without meaningful market share as primary account and contact data providers to enterprises
- Vendors lacking mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients
Inclusion Criteria
Vendors must, among other requirements:
- Meaningful market share as a primary account and contact data provider to enterprises
- Must offer legally compliant firmographic and demographic (account and contact) data to support B2B marketing and sales databases across multiple industries
- Must actively position themselves to be the primary source of these data types among customers, particularly within the enterprise market
- At least $10 million USD in annual revenue from B2B marketing and sales data and related data management services in the last four quarters
- Mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients - frequently mentioned as vendors being considered before purchase
- Mentioned by other vendors as a key competitor
Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting
- Depth of account data — 5%
- Account hierarchies — 5%
- Geographic coverage of account data — 5%
- Industry and vertical account detail — 4%
- Depth of contact data — 6%
- Email and mobile coverage — 4%
- Geographic coverage of contact data — 6%
- Buying group detail — 5%
- Intent data — 6%
- Technographic data — 6%
- Data sourcing — 4%
- Identity resolution — 4%
- Data quality and validation processes — 4%
- Data discovery and visualization — 5%
- Data integrations — 5%
- Internal data security practices and certification — 2%
- Privacy framework certification and transparency — 4%
- Data enrichment and normalization — 5%
- Data unification, orchestration, and capture tools — 5%
- Data unification services — 4%
- AI data readiness — 6%
Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting
- Vision — 25%
- Innovation — 20%
- Roadmap — 20%
- Partner ecosystem — 15%
- Pricing flexibility and transparency — 10%
- Supporting services and offerings — 10%
FAQs
Q: What does this research cover?
A: This research evaluates the 11 most significant B2B marketing and sales data providers. It analyzes their current offerings, strategies, and customer feedback across key criteria including data quality, coverage, validation processes, AI capabilities, privacy compliance, and data management tools. The evaluation focuses on providers offering firmographic and demographic data to support enterprise B2B marketing and sales databases.
Q: Who should use this research?
A: This research should be used by organizations evaluating B2B marketing and sales data providers to understand vendor positioning, strengths, and weaknesses. It helps buyers identify which providers best match their specific needs based on factors like geographic coverage requirements, data types needed, AI/data unification capabilities, industry focus, pricing transparency, and whether they need a full-service partner or supplemental provider.
Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?
A: Vendors must offer legally compliant firmographic (account) and demographic (contact) data to support B2B marketing and sales databases across multiple industries. They must actively position themselves as the primary source of these data types for enterprise customers, generate at least $10 million USD in annual revenue from B2B marketing and sales data services, and demonstrate significant mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients through frequent consideration in purchasing decisions.
Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?
A:
- Insufficient revenue (less than $10 million USD annually from B2B marketing and sales data)
- No longer prioritizing the enterprise market (shifted to SMB focus)
- Changed strategic direction away from data provider positioning
- Lack of meaningful market share as primary data provider to enterprises
- Insufficient mindshare among Forrester's enterprise clients
- Not mentioned by clients or other vendors as a key consideration or competitor
- Does not offer compliant firmographic and demographic data across multiple industries
- Does not actively position as primary source for enterprise customers
Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?
A:
- Data quality and unification capabilities to power AI aspirations
- Geographic coverage requirements (North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latin America)
- Need for trusted versus commoditized data sources
- Integration with existing GTM platforms and technologies
- Balance between standardization and customization requirements
- Pricing transparency and flexibility
- Depth of contact data including email and mobile coverage
- Account hierarchy and firmographic data accuracy
- Intent and technographic data capabilities
- AI readiness and support for advanced data use cases
- Privacy compliance and data security certifications
- Supporting services for data management and unification
Q: How has the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market evolved in 2026?
A:
- GenAI and LLMs are now embedded in data collection, validation, and exploration
- Data consumers placing greater urgency on data quality and unification to power AI aspirations
- LLMs enabling growth in data collection where language was formerly a barrier (28% growth in EMEA, 31% in Asia Pacific, 33% in Latin America)
- Total available contacts in North America decreased slightly
- Ability to parse unstructured data is growing signal collection and insight generation
- Relative ease of account and contact collection driving commoditization
- Emergence of LLM-powered tools allowing self-service web scraping
- Some providers betting on increased demand for trusted data, while others worried about blurred differentiation
Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?
A: Current Offering evaluates each vendor's position on the vertical axis and indicates the strength of its current offering across 21 criteria including data depth, coverage, quality, and capabilities. This focuses on what vendors deliver today. Strategy evaluates placement on the horizontal axis and indicates the strength of vendors' strategies across 6 criteria including vision, innovation, roadmap, partner ecosystem, pricing, and supporting services. This focuses on the vendor's future direction and market approach.
Reference
- Forrester, The Forrester Wave™: Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2026, 20-Mar-2026, ID 001a000001SIo7WAAT
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