Account-Based Marketing Statistics 2026: Adoption, ROI, Budgets and Intent Data
Nearly 80% of surveyed B2B organisations were running an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report, up from 71% in its 2025 survey. ABM took 30% of the average B2B marketing budget in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA, and 66% of practitioners planned to spend more in 2024. Proof is the weak spot. Only 52% measured ABM ROI in 2023, and proving ROI was the most cited ABM challenge in 2025, named by 47%.
Key statistics
- Nearly 80% of surveyed B2B organisations were actively running an ABM strategy in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report.
- ABM took 30% of the average B2B marketing budget in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
- 52% of ABM practitioners measured ABM ROI in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
- 47% of ABM practitioners named proving ROI or attribution as a challenge in 2025, the most cited, according to Demand Gen Report.
- Self-rated ABM success ranged from 26% to 93% across surveys, N.Rich in 2025 against Foundry in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
Account-based marketing adoption statistics
ABM means picking a set of named accounts and marketing to them as markets of one or a few. Demand Gen Report is the only free source that has asked the same adoption question in recent years.
ABM is now the norm among the B2B marketers who answer these surveys. Demand Gen Report found 71% running ABM in its 2025 survey and nearly 80% in its 2026 survey. Its 2025 figure was four points up on the year before, which puts 2024 at 67%. Another 23% planned to start in 2025, so almost no one in the sample ruled ABM out.
Most programmes are still young. Only 26% of Demand Gen Report's 2025 respondents had run ABM for more than two years. In Forrester's 2022 survey, around 80% of programmes were under two years old and 39% were still pilots.
Adoption figures also flatter the label. Forrester judged 26% of the programmes it surveyed in 2022 to be ABM in name only. Momentum ITSMA counted just 17% of its 2023 respondents as ABM leaders.
Source: Demand Gen Report ABM Benchmark Surveys 2025 and 2026. 2024 calculated by StatisticsGlobal from the 2025 report (71%, up four points). 2026 is reported as nearly 80%.
-
Nearly 80% of surveyed B2B organisations were actively running an ABM strategy in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
71% of B2B marketing practitioners used an ABM strategy in 2025, up four points on the year before, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
67% of B2B marketing practitioners used an ABM strategy in 2024, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Demand Gen Report data.
How we calculated it: Demand Gen Report 2025 adoption of 71%, described as up four percentage points from last year: 71 - 4 = 67%.
-
ABM adoption rose about 9 points between Demand Gen Report surveys, from 71% in 2025 to nearly 80% in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
How we calculated it: Nearly 80% (2026 survey, published May 2026) - 71% (2025 survey, published October 2025) = about 9 points. The 2026 figure is given only as nearly 80%, so the change is approximate.
-
A further 23% of B2B marketing practitioners planned to add an ABM strategy in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
94% of B2B marketing practitioners ran ABM or planned to add it in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Demand Gen Report data.
How we calculated it: 71% currently use an ABM strategy + 23% plan to add one = 94%.
-
26% of B2B marketing practitioners had run ABM for more than two years in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
Around 80% of ABM programmes were under two years old in 2022, including 39% still in pilot, according to Forrester.
-
Forrester judged 26% of the B2B ABM programmes it surveyed in 2022 to be practising ABM only loosely, if at all.
-
17% of ABM practitioners surveyed counted as ABM leaders in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
| Measure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running an ABM strategy | Nearly 80% | 2026 | Demand Gen Report |
| Running an ABM strategy | 71% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Planning to add ABM | 23% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Running ABM for more than two years | 26% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Programmes under two years old | Around 80% | 2022 | Forrester |
| Programmes still in pilot | 39% | 2022 | Forrester |
| Practising ABM loosely, if at all | 26% | 2022 | Forrester |
| Respondents classed as ABM leaders | 17% | 2023 | Momentum ITSMA |
ABM ROI statistics
Most practitioners say ABM pays back better than other marketing. Far fewer can show it, because only about half measure ABM ROI at all.
In Momentum ITSMA's 2022 study, 72% said ABM delivered higher ROI than other types of marketing. Its 2023 study shows the gap behind that belief. Only 52% measured ABM ROI, 35% did not and 13% did not know. So 48% could not put a number on it.
Reported gains are broad but shallow. In 2023, 85% saw better engagement with their selected accounts, 78% saw pipeline growth and 74% saw revenue growth. Momentum ITSMA notes that relatively few programmes see significant improvement in revenue metrics. Both pipeline and revenue shares were lower than in the 2022 study, at 84% and 77%.
Revenue attribution is modest where it is measured. In N.Rich's 2025 survey, 55% said ABM influenced no more than a fifth of company revenue. For the content that drives returns, see our personalisation statistics.
-
72% of ABM practitioners said ABM delivered higher ROI than other types of marketing in 2022, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
52% of ABM practitioners measured ABM ROI in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
48% of ABM practitioners did not measure ABM ROI or did not know if they did in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Momentum ITSMA data.
How we calculated it: 35% said they do not measure ABM ROI + 13% did not know = 48% (N=208).
-
85% of ABM practitioners reported better engagement with their selected accounts in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
78% of ABM practitioners reported pipeline growth from ABM in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
74% of ABM practitioners reported revenue growth from ABM in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
The share of ABM practitioners reporting pipeline growth fell from 84% in 2022 to 78% in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Momentum ITSMA data.
How we calculated it: 78% reported pipeline growth in the 2023 study (N=111) - 84% in the 2022 study (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance release, December 2022) = -6 points. Revenue growth: 74% - 77% = -3 points.
-
47% of B2B marketers named personalised content as the ABM tactic with the highest ROI in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
55% of B2B organisations said ABM influenced 0% to 20% of company revenue in 2025, according to N.Rich.
| Outcome | 2022 | 2023 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline growth | 84% | 78% | -6 |
| Revenue growth | 77% | 74% | -3 |
| Engagement with selected accounts | 90% | 85% | -5 |
ABM budget statistics
ABM claims a large slice of B2B marketing money. Growth in that slice has slowed, and the only dollar figure in free research is from 2022.
Momentum ITSMA put ABM at 28% of B2B marketing budgets in 2022 and 30% in 2023. The share planning to spend more fell from 71% to 66%. ABM budgets were still rising for most, but more slowly.
Forrester is the only free source with a dollar figure. It found ABM budgets fell 16% from 2020 to $590,000 in 2022, which implies about $702,000 in 2020. Its 2022 sample had more small companies than before, which may pull the figure down.
Foundry's numbers run hotter. In 2022, 87% of its B2B tech marketers said ABM investment had grown in the past year. Foundry's sample is all technology firms, where ABM is most common. For wider sales spending, see our sales statistics.
Source: Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark studies, 2022 and 2023.
-
ABM took 30% of the average B2B marketing budget in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
ABM took 28% of B2B marketing budgets in 2022, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
ABM's share of B2B marketing budgets rose 2 points, from 28% in 2022 to 30% in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Momentum ITSMA data.
How we calculated it: 30% of 2023 marketing budget dedicated to ABM (7th annual study) - 28% in 2022 (6th annual study) = +2 points.
-
66% of ABM practitioners surveyed in 2023 planned to increase ABM spending in 2024, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
71% of ABM practitioners surveyed in 2022 planned to increase ABM budgets the following year, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
The share planning bigger ABM budgets fell 5 points, from 71% in 2022 to 66% in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Momentum ITSMA data.
How we calculated it: 66% planning to increase ABM spending in 2024 (survey August 2023) - 71% planning to increase budgets the next year (2022 study) = -5 points.
-
87% of B2B tech marketers said their ABM investment grew over the previous 12 months in 2022, according to Foundry.
-
ABM budgets fell 16% from 2020 to $590,000 in 2022, according to Forrester.
-
ABM budgets were about $702,000 in 2020, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Forrester data on a 16% fall to $590,000 by 2022.
How we calculated it: $590,000 / (1 - 0.16) = $702,381, rounded to about $702,000. Forrester gives the 2022 figure and the 16% drop, not the 2020 figure itself.
| Measure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of B2B marketing budget for ABM | 30% | 2023 | Momentum ITSMA |
| Share of B2B marketing budget for ABM | 28% | 2022 | Momentum ITSMA |
| Planning to increase ABM spend next year | 66% | 2023 | Momentum ITSMA |
| Planning to increase ABM spend next year | 71% | 2022 | Momentum ITSMA |
| ABM investment grew in past 12 months | 87% | 2022 | Foundry |
| ABM budget | $590,000 | 2022 | Forrester |
| ABM budget (implied) | About $702,000 | 2020 | Calculated from Forrester |
ABM technology, intent data and AI statistics
Intent data and AI are the two tools most ABM vendors sell on. Survey answers on both depend heavily on who was asked.
Intent data use varies a lot by source. Foundry found 91% of B2B tech marketers using intent data to prioritise accounts in 2023. Demand Gen Report found 58% using behavioural or intent signals in 2025. Foundry asked only technology marketers; Demand Gen Report's sample includes many small firms.
ABM runs mostly on everyday channels. In 2025, 92% used email and 72% used in-person events to reach target accounts. Only 22% of N.Rich's respondents had a dedicated ABM platform, and 29% ran ABM in spreadsheets. See our B2B email marketing statistics for email benchmarks.
Lists are small. In 2025, 70% of programmes targeted 100 accounts or fewer. Momentum ITSMA's 2023 median was 250 accounts.
AI is where sources disagree most. In Demand Gen Report's 2025 survey, 37% used AI tools and nearly 70% said AI had not yet made an impact. Seven months later its 2026 survey scored AI at 7.3 out of 10 for improving campaign outcomes. Momentum ITSMA's 2023 programmes rated their generative AI use at just 1.9 out of 5.
-
91% of B2B technology marketers used intent data to prioritise accounts in 2023, according to Foundry.
-
58% of B2B marketing practitioners used behavioural or intent signals for ABM in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
Intent data use for ABM was 33 points lower in Demand Gen Report's 2025 survey than in Foundry's 2023 study, 58% against 91%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
How we calculated it: Foundry 2023: 91% use intent data to prioritise accounts (500 B2B tech marketers). Demand Gen Report 2025: 58% use behavioural/intent signals. 91 - 58 = 33 points. The samples and questions differ.
-
22% of B2B organisations used a dedicated ABM platform in 2025, according to N.Rich.
-
29% of B2B organisations ran ABM manually with spreadsheets in 2025, according to N.Rich.
-
92% of ABM marketers used email to engage their target accounts in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
72% of ABM marketers used in-person events to engage their target accounts in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
The median ABM programme targeted 250 accounts in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
-
70% of ABM programmes targeted 100 accounts or fewer in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Demand Gen Report data.
How we calculated it: Accounts per ABM programme: 1-25 (30%) + 26-50 (21%) + 51-100 (19%) = 70%.
-
Marketers scored AI at 7.3 out of 10 on average for improving ABM campaign outcomes in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
37% of ABM practitioners used AI tools in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
Nearly 70% of ABM practitioners said AI had not yet made an impact on their ABM in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
ABM programmes rated their use of generative AI at 1.9 out of 5 in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA.
| Measure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use intent data to prioritise accounts | 91% | 2023 | Foundry |
| Use behavioural or intent signals | 58% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Use email to engage ABM accounts | 92% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Use in-person events | 72% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| Use a dedicated ABM platform | 22% | 2025 | N.Rich |
| Run ABM in spreadsheets | 29% | 2025 | N.Rich |
| Use AI tools for ABM | 37% | 2025 | Demand Gen Report |
| AI effectiveness score | 7.3 out of 10 | 2026 | Demand Gen Report |
| Generative AI use score | 1.9 out of 5 | 2023 | Momentum ITSMA |
ABM challenges and success rates
How successful ABM looks depends on who runs the survey. Self-rated success ranges from about a quarter to more than nine in ten.
Measurement is the most common problem in every survey that asks. In 2025, 47% of Demand Gen Report's respondents named proving ROI or attribution as a challenge, the top answer, and 43% named sales and marketing alignment. In Foundry's 2022 study, 81% struggled to quantify ABM results.
Success ratings split by source. Foundry found 93% rating ABM extremely or very successful in 2023, up from 84%. Demand Gen Report found 85% saying ABM met or exceeded expectations in 2026. N.Rich found only 26% calling their programme successful in 2025, and 31% calling it unsuccessful. N.Rich's sample is smaller and mostly European software firms.
Resourcing separates the leaders. Momentum ITSMA's ABM leaders were 31 points more likely than other programmes to have full-time ABM staff in 2023, 82% against 51%.
Sources: Foundry (extremely or very successful), Demand Gen Report (met or exceeded expectations, summed by StatisticsGlobal), N.Rich (successful or very successful). Questions differ.
-
47% of ABM practitioners named proving ROI or attribution as a challenge in 2025, the most cited, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
43% of ABM practitioners named sales and marketing alignment as a challenge in 2025, according to Demand Gen Report.
-
81% of B2B tech marketers named quantifying ABM results as a challenge in 2022, according to Foundry.
-
93% of B2B technology marketers rated their ABM efforts extremely or very successful in 2023, according to Foundry.
-
Foundry's ABM success rating rose 9 points, from 84% in 2022 to 93% in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
How we calculated it: 93% extremely or very successful in 2023 - 84% in 2022 = +9 points. Both years surveyed 500 B2B tech marketers.
-
85% of B2B marketers said ABM met or exceeded expectations in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Demand Gen Report data.
How we calculated it: 52% meeting expectations + 23% exceeding + 10% greatly exceeding = 85%. Demand Gen Report presents these as separate ratings; the question text is not published.
-
26% of B2B organisations described their ABM programme as successful in 2025, according to N.Rich.
-
31% of B2B organisations called their ABM programme unsuccessful in 2025, according to N.Rich.
-
Self-rated ABM success ranged from 26% to 93% across surveys, N.Rich in 2025 against Foundry in 2023, calculated by StatisticsGlobal.
How we calculated it: Foundry 2023: 93% extremely or very successful (500 B2B tech marketers). N.Rich 2025: 26% successful or very successful (107 respondents). 93 - 26 = 67 points. Answer scales differ.
-
96% of B2B tech marketers had a documented ABM strategy in 2022, according to Foundry.
-
76% of B2B tech marketers rated their sales and marketing alignment as strong in 2022, according to Foundry.
-
ABM leaders were 31 points more likely than other programmes to have full-time ABM staff in 2023, 82% against 51%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Momentum ITSMA data.
How we calculated it: Full-time ABM staff: ABM leaders 82% (N=19) - all others 51% (N=94) = 31 points.
| Challenge | Share naming it |
|---|---|
| Proving ROI or attribution | 47% |
| Sales and marketing alignment | 43% |
| Scaling existing ABM efforts | 40% |
| Lack of resources, budget or executive support | 35% |
| Personalisation at scale | 35% |
How the ABM surveys measure things
Every source here is a survey of marketers. None measures ABM results directly, and most sell ABM services or data.
Momentum ITSMA runs its benchmark with the ABM Leadership Alliance, a group of ABM vendors. Its 2023 study surveyed 320 ABM practitioners in August 2023, 69% in North America. Many questions have smaller bases, such as 111 for outcomes. Its March 2023 press release labels the 28% budget share as 2023 budget. We follow its December 2022 release, which gives it as 2022.
Foundry, part of IDG, surveyed 500 B2B technology marketers in each of 2022 and 2023. Its sample is all technology, so its figures are likely higher than for B2B as a whole.
Demand Gen Report does not publish sample sizes. Its 2025 survey closed in September 2025 and its 2026 results came out in May 2026, so the two editions are only months apart. N.Rich surveyed 107 people and sells ABM software. Forrester's full State of ABM reports are paid; we use only figures from its free blog posts.
Many ABM figures repeated online trace back to studies from 2021 or earlier, or to sources we could not find. We left those out. Where a survey's question wording is not published, we say so in the stat's notes.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of B2B companies use account-based marketing?
Nearly 80% of surveyed B2B organisations were running an ABM strategy in 2026, according to Demand Gen Report. That was up from 71% in its 2025 survey and 67% the year before. The sample size is not published.
How has ABM adoption changed since last year?
Demand Gen Report's adoption figure rose about 9 points, from 71% in 2025 to nearly 80% in 2026. Its 2025 figure was itself four points higher than the year before.
What share of the marketing budget goes to ABM?
ABM took 30% of the average B2B marketing budget in 2023, according to Momentum ITSMA, up from 28% in 2022. Forrester found ABM budgets fell 16% from 2020 to $590,000 in 2022.
Does ABM deliver a better ROI than other marketing?
Most practitioners think so. In 2022, 72% told Momentum ITSMA that ABM delivered higher ROI than other marketing. But only 52% measured ABM ROI in 2023, so much of that belief is not backed by tracking.
Why do ABM success rates differ so much between surveys?
Samples and questions differ. Foundry surveyed 500 tech marketers and found 93% rating ABM very or extremely successful in 2023. N.Rich surveyed 107 mostly European software firms and found 26% calling ABM successful in 2025.
Is AI improving account-based marketing?
The evidence is mixed. Demand Gen Report's 2026 survey scored AI at 7.3 out of 10 for improving ABM outcomes. Its 2025 survey found nearly 70% saw no impact yet, and only 37% used AI tools.
Sources
- Demand Gen Report, 2026 Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Benchmark Survey Findings: ABM Moves Beyond Pilot Stage with AI Powering Smarter Execution, 27 May 2026, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Momentum ITSMA (with the ABM Leadership Alliance), Rethinking ABM: Outperforming the Market in the World of AI, 2023 ABM Benchmark Study (7th annual), November 2023, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Demand Gen Report, 2025 Account-based Marketing Benchmark Survey, October 2025, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- N.Rich, 2025 State of ABM report, 2025 (undated page), accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Forrester, New Forrester State Of Account-Based Marketing Survey Reveals How ABM Budgets Are Shifting, 6 July 2022, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Forrester, One In Four Account-Based Marketing Programs Are Built On Quicksand, 20 February 2023, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Momentum ITSMA (with the ABM Leadership Alliance), The ABM Leadership Alliance and Momentum ITSMA release sixth annual ABM benchmark report, 13 December 2022, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Foundry (IDG), STUDY: 96% of B2B Marketers Have A Documented Account-Based Marketing Strategy In Place, 27 October 2022, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Foundry (IDG), 2023 ABM Benchmarking & Intent Data Study, 28 September 2023, accessed 28 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : First published.