Reporting from TFM 2025: AI Data and the Next Wave of Marketing

Technology for Marketing 2025 carried one clear message: marketers are done with noise, they want results. From simplifying martech to rethinking personalization and loyalty, these are some shifts leaders say will shape the next wave:

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1️⃣ Cutting Through Martech Sprawl: Supermetrics on AI, ROI, and Real-Time Activation

~ With Ed Barrett, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at Supermetrics

For Ed Barrett, the opportunity isn’t about adding yet another tool to the stack, it’s about giving marketers faster, clearer access to the data they already have. Supermetrics pulls campaign data from every channel into one place, so teams can move from reporting to action without waiting on manual processes or siloed systems.

AI is central to that shift. Within the platform, marketers can build workflows and reports in natural language. Beyond that, generative tools are helping drive more dynamic creative and answer engine optimization. And thanks to its Relay42 acquisition, it now enables personalization and campaign adjustments while campaigns are live, not just in hindsight.

Picture a Paris hotel with sudden availability. Spend and creative can be redirected instantly to capture demand from travelers searching in real time. That kind of agility, Barrett says, is what turns marketing data from something static into something that actually drives results.

2️⃣ From Seasonal Spikes to Lasting Loyalty: Klaviyo’s Take

~ With Robin Marchant, EMEA Marketing Lead at Klaviyo

With inboxes overflowing, brands need to stand out early and stay relevant with the right message, channel, and timing (especially around peak season).

The real challenge is turning seasonal shoppers into loyal customers. “Many sign up just for deals,” Marchant explained. Nearly one in five UK shoppers won’t buy without a discount, and a third are switching to cheaper brands. The solution is smarter segmentation and community-led engagement that speaks to people as individuals, not a list. The Beauty Crop is a case in point. They use channels like WhatsApp and TikTok to build close communities, keep offers simple, and ensure peak activity aligns with day-to-day communications. This keeps customers engaged beyond the discount window.

Looking ahead, Marchant highlights lifecycle automation, personalized flows, and a consistent brand voice as critical for repeat purchase and advocacy. AI can support richer profiles and testing, but fundamentals remain the same: win customers, support them, and keep them.

3️⃣ Personalization Beyond Rules: Optimizely’s AI Shift

~ With Michiel Dorjee, Director of Digital Experience at Optimizely

Personalization has been talked about for years, but most tools stalled because of three challenges: getting usable data, producing endless content variations, and keeping experiences fresh. AI now makes it possible to connect signals, generate versions, and serve them dynamically—turning what used to be manual work into an adaptive loop.

Rules still have a place, but agents change the game by analyzing signals, deciding which levers to pull, and executing at scale. For brands just starting out, Dorjee suggests focusing on behavior-based cohorts rather than aiming for hyper-personalization, which only applies to a small share of visitors. On Optimizely’s own site, personalization is as simple as adjusting copy, menus, and product emphasis based on acquisition keyword—removing what’s irrelevant and reinforcing what matters. AI agents can automate this, but humans must stay in the loop to ensure quality and context.

Dorjee also notes that top-funnel organic traffic is declining as AI delivers answers directly in search. Optimizely’s response has been to make more content freely available—studies, videos, whitepapers—so that both people and AI models cite them as trusted sources. Looking ahead, the company is building agents that live inside tools, capable of handling tasks like querying analytics or applying changes across suites.

4️⃣ Agentic Commerce: Nosto’s Vision for Smarter Retail

~ With Brian Graydon, Head of Partnerships, EMEA at Nosto

Nosto positions itself as a commerce experience platform covering personalization, search, and merchandising. The company is now shifting to an AI-first model with the debut of Huginn, an orchestrator agent that coordinates specialized agents for analytics, integrations, and conversational shopping assistance.

Graydon describes this as “agentic commerce”, where agents not only personalize but also proactively guide shoppers with intent-aware search, dynamic layouts, and conversational interactions. The result is faster product discovery and a smoother journey across touchpoints. For merchants, agents don’t just “know”; they do. They connect into platforms like Shopify and Klaviyo to read and write data, delivering more seamless workflows and productivity gains. The main hurdle is trust: retailers want efficiency but still need human oversight. Nosto’s approach is assistance rather than full autopilot.

Looking ahead, Graydon sees online journeys becoming more like in-store ones, with agents acting like digital store associates offering real-time recommendations, layout shifts, and tailored guidance.

5️⃣Beyond the Click: GetResponse on Owned Channels

~ With Michał Leszczyński, Head of Content & SEO at GetResponse

Clicks are harder to win—AI overviews cut organic traffic, CPCs rise, and bot activity clouds metrics. Michał Leszczyński argues the focus should shift to what happens after the click, once customers are in owned channels like email and SMS.

Owned data gives brands control, personalization, and lower costs compared to volatile rented platforms like search and social. The biggest risks of rented channels are reliability, rising costs, and lack of actionable data. Email remains durable despite scanner noise. The real challenge is staying relevant as inbox filters tighten. For Leszczyński, the future is lifecycle automation, omnichannel continuity, and brand presence beyond the website to counter AI’s reshaping of search.

6️⃣Smarter Omnichannel: Quantcast on Data and Measurement

~ With Yuki Kuyper, Sales Manager at Quantcast

Quantcast focuses on performance advertising across the open web, powered by first-party data and AI agents. Kuyper argues the open web is where most time is spent, yet many brands over-invest in search and social.

The key to consistency across channels is measurement: understanding each stage of the funnel and testing creative accordigly. Too many marketers judge awareness by conversion metrics, which stunts growth. Kuyper also warns against assumptions about audiences. Real behavior comes from live data acrosssignals like purchase history, devices, and location. With proper measurement, marketers can see how awareness activity drives downstream conversion and optimize spend with confidence