eMarketer: A Detailed Guide to Digital Marketing Research and Insights

eMarketer, officially styled as EMARKETER, is a market research and data platform focused on advertising, marketing, media, ecommerce, and consumer behavior. It provides businesses with forecasts, reports, benchmarks, charts, and analysis that can help marketers and decision makers understand changing digital markets and make better strategic decisions. 

Founded in 1996, EMARKETER has more than 25 years of experience covering digital transformation. The company was known as Insider Intelligence from 2020 to 2023 before returning to the EMARKETER name. It is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE.

This detailed guide explains what eMarketer is, how it works, what information it provides, who uses it, how its forecasts are developed, and how marketers can use its data for research and decision making.

What Is an eMarketer?

eMarketer is a subscription based market intelligence platform that provides data and research about the digital economy. Its coverage includes advertising, marketing, ecommerce, media, consumer behavior, retail, social media, mobile, and emerging technologies.

Rather than functioning like a traditional marketing agency, eMarketer acts as a source of research and intelligence. Companies can use its information to understand market size, consumer behavior, advertising spending, technology adoption, and future trends.

Its platform includes thousands of forecasts, reports, charts, datasets, and analyst insights. EMARKETER currently describes its offering as a combination of forecasts, charts, reports, benchmarks, expert insights, and datasets. 

History of eMarketer

eMarketer was founded in 1996 with a focus on helping businesses understand the emerging digital economy. At a time when online advertising and internet usage were still developing, the company began producing research and forecasts around digital transformation.

The company later became part of Axel Springer. In 2020, eMarketer and Business Insider Intelligence were combined under the Insider Intelligence brand. In 2023, the company returned to the EMARKETER name for its advertising, marketing, and commerce coverage. (EMARKETER)

Today, EMARKETER provides research covering markets across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. 

What Does eMarketer Cover?

One of the biggest strengths of eMarketer is the breadth of its research. Its coverage extends across many areas of the digital economy.

Digital Advertising

Digital advertising is one of eMarketer’s major research areas. Its forecasts cover topics such as search advertising, display advertising, video advertising, mobile advertising, social media advertising, programmatic advertising, retail media, and digital advertising revenue.

For example, its forecast database includes estimates for digital ad spending, advertising by industry, advertising by company, mobile advertising, social advertising, search advertising, and video advertising. 

Marketing

eMarketer researches how marketers communicate with consumers and how marketing channels are changing.

Its marketing coverage includes areas such as influencer marketing, B2B marketing, consumer behavior, social media, content related trends, artificial intelligence, and emerging digital channels.

Ecommerce

Ecommerce is another important area of EMARKETER research. Businesses can use its data to understand online retail sales, ecommerce growth, retail media, digital shoppers, marketplaces, and consumer purchasing behavior.

This information can be particularly useful for ecommerce companies that need to understand market opportunities and consumer trends.

Social Media

Social media research can help businesses understand platform adoption, users, engagement, advertising, and consumer behavior.

EMARKETER provides research and forecasts related to major platforms and social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, Threads, WhatsApp, and X. 

Mobile

Mobile research covers topics such as mobile advertising, mobile app usage, mobile commerce, and consumer behavior across smartphones and other connected devices.

This information can help marketers understand how consumers interact with brands through mobile platforms.

Consumer Behavior

Understanding consumers is central to digital marketing. EMARKETER researches how people spend their time, where they spend money, which devices they use, and how their behavior changes as technology evolves.

Its advertising, media, and marketing research specifically examines how consumers spend their time and money and how marketers can effectively reach them. 

What Are eMarketer Forecasts?

One of the most recognizable parts of EMARKETER is its forecasting platform.

Forecasts allow businesses to estimate where a market, industry, channel, or consumer behavior trend could go in the future.

EMARKETER states that its forecast platform contains more than 10,000 proprietary metrics covering emerging trends, market changes, and consumer behavior. 

Forecasts can cover different dimensions, including:

Digital advertising spending

Advertising revenue

Ecommerce sales

Consumer adoption

Media consumption

Social media users

Mobile usage

Retail media

Search advertising

Video advertising

Industry specific advertising

Company specific advertising

Geographic markets

The forecasts can be viewed by geography, time period, industry, company, channel, or metric depending on the dataset.

How Does eMarketer Create Its Forecasts?

Forecasting a market is more complicated than simply predicting a number. EMARKETER uses multiple sources and analytical methods to develop its estimates.

According to EMARKETER, its proprietary research draws from quantitative and qualitative sources including first party research, partner data, public companies, research and media firms, government agencies, and interviews with industry executives. 

Its methodology can also incorporate historical market trends, macroeconomic conditions, consumer internet usage, media consumption, company revenue information, benchmark data, and estimates from other research organizations.

For example, its digital advertising forecasts consider factors such as historical advertising trends, reported publisher revenues, consumer media behavior, device usage, economic conditions, and external estimates. 

This multi source approach helps researchers develop estimates instead of relying on a single data source.

What Are eMarketer Reports?

EMARKETER reports provide deeper analysis of specific markets and subjects.

A report may combine charts, forecasts, research findings, interviews, and analyst commentary to explain what is happening in a market and why it matters.

Reports can help executives and marketers move beyond raw statistics. Instead of simply knowing that a market is growing, a company can investigate the reasons behind the growth and consider what the trend could mean for its strategy.

EMARKETER describes its reports as in depth research containing charts, forecasts, interviews, and contextual analyst insight. 

What Are eMarketer Charts?

Charts are another major part of the platform.

A chart can turn complicated market data into an easier visual format. Marketers can use charts to compare countries, companies, advertising channels, industries, consumer groups, and time periods.

For example, an organization researching digital advertising could compare digital ad spending across different markets or analyze changes in advertising spending over several years.

Charts can be especially useful when creating presentations, business cases, marketing reports, and strategy documents.

What Are eMarketer Benchmarks?

Benchmarks allow businesses to compare performance or market conditions against broader industry data.

A benchmark can help answer questions such as whether a market is growing faster than expected, how a channel compares with another channel, or how consumer adoption differs between countries.

This type of information can make strategic planning more data driven.

How Can Marketers Use eMarketer?

There are many ways marketers can use eMarketer research.

Market Research

Before entering a new market, businesses need to understand its size, growth potential, consumers, competitors, and advertising environment.

EMARKETER data can provide market estimates and forecasts that help businesses evaluate potential opportunities.

Marketing Strategy

Marketing teams can use research to identify growing channels and changing consumer behavior.

For example, if research shows that consumers are increasingly using a particular digital platform, marketers can investigate whether that platform should become part of their marketing strategy.

Advertising Planning

Advertising teams can use advertising spending data to understand where competitors and industries are investing.

Research can help marketers compare search, social, video, display, mobile, retail media, and other advertising channels.

Budget Planning

Forecasts can help businesses think about future market conditions when allocating marketing budgets.

Instead of making decisions entirely from historical performance, marketers can combine internal performance data with external market forecasts.

Ecommerce Strategy

Ecommerce businesses can use research to understand online shopping behavior, retail sales, marketplace growth, consumer trends, and retail media.

This can help ecommerce companies make decisions about advertising, product positioning, customer acquisition, and market expansion.

Presentations and Business Cases

Reliable third party data can strengthen presentations and strategic proposals.

For example, a marketing manager may use an industry forecast to explain why a particular channel deserves additional investment.

eMarketer for SEO and Content Marketers

SEO professionals and content marketers can also benefit from market research platforms such as eMarketer.

Although eMarketer is not an SEO tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, its research can provide useful context for content strategy.

A content team can use market research to identify major industry trends and then develop content around those topics.

For example, if research indicates that a particular technology, consumer behavior, or marketing channel is becoming more important, a content team can create educational articles, guides, reports, and thought leadership content around the subject.

This approach can make content strategy more closely connected to broader market trends.

Using eMarketer for Keyword and Topic Research

EMARKETER should not replace dedicated keyword research tools. However, it can complement them.

An SEO workflow could start with EMARKETER research to identify important market trends. The marketer could then use Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, or another SEO platform to investigate search demand around those trends.

The combination can be powerful because market research answers one question while SEO data answers another.

Market research helps identify what is important to the market.

SEO research helps identify what people are searching for.

Content strategy can then connect the two.

Using eMarketer for Competitor Research

Businesses can use industry and company data to understand competitive environments.

For example, marketers may research advertising spending, ecommerce sales, platform adoption, or market growth involving major companies.

This information can help businesses understand where competitors are investing and which channels are becoming more important.

However, external market data should be combined with first party information before making major business decisions.

Using eMarketer for Trend Analysis

Digital marketing changes quickly. New platforms, technologies, devices, and consumer habits can significantly change the marketing landscape.

Trend analysis helps businesses identify these changes early.

EMARKETER provides research on emerging areas including artificial intelligence, creator economy trends, retail media, digital advertising, social platforms, ecommerce, and consumer technology.

Its current research library includes topics such as AI advertising spending, creator economy, influencer marketing, generative AI usage, retail media, and social media. 

Why Are eMarketer Forecasts Useful?

The main advantage of a forecast is that it provides a structured estimate of what may happen in the future.

Businesses cannot know the future with certainty. However, forecasts can help them model possibilities and prepare for potential changes.

EMARKETER also provides historical forecasts, allowing users to examine how previous estimates changed over time. This can help analysts understand patterns and evaluate how forecasts compared with actual outcomes. 

eMarketer Data vs. Other Research Sources

A good research process should not depend on one source.

EMARKETER itself provides the ability to compare its forecasts with third party forecasts on its platform. 

Marketers can also compare its data with information from government agencies, industry associations, company financial reports, consumer research organizations, and other market research firms.

When different sources point toward the same trend, confidence in the broader conclusion can increase.

Limitations of eMarketer

Although EMARKETER can be a valuable research resource, its forecasts should not be treated as guaranteed predictions.

A forecast is an estimate based on available information and assumptions.

Economic conditions, consumer behavior, technology, regulation, competition, and unexpected events can all change market outcomes.

Therefore, marketers should look at the methodology and source notes behind individual datasets rather than using a statistic without context.

EMARKETER itself explains that its estimates are developed through analysis of multiple factors and data sources. 

Who Should Use eMarketer?

EMARKETER can be useful for a wide range of professionals.

Marketing managers can use it for strategic planning.

Advertising professionals can use it to understand spending trends and channel growth.

SEO and content teams can use it to discover broader market trends.

Ecommerce teams can use it to research digital commerce and consumer behavior.

Business executives can use it for market sizing and strategic decisions.

Researchers can use its datasets and reports as supporting evidence.

Agencies can use industry research when preparing client strategies and presentations.

eMarketer for Agencies

Marketing agencies can use external research to make recommendations more convincing.

For example, an agency preparing a digital advertising strategy for a client may combine the client’s internal performance data with industry forecasts.

The internal data explains what has already happened for the client.

EMARKETER research provides broader market context.

Together, the two sources can create a stronger strategic argument.

eMarketer for Small Businesses

Small businesses may not need every feature of a large market research platform.

However, research from a source such as EMARKETER can still be valuable when a company is entering a new market, launching a product, evaluating an advertising channel, or trying to understand consumer trends.

Small businesses should focus on research that directly supports a business decision instead of collecting data simply because it is available.

How to Read an eMarketer Forecast

When reviewing a forecast, do not look only at the headline number.

Start by checking the metric.

Determine exactly what the number measures.

Next, check the geography.

A US forecast should not automatically be applied to a global business.

Then check the time period.

Make sure you understand whether the number represents a historical value, current estimate, or future forecast.

You should also read the source notes and methodology.

For example, EMARKETER’s digital advertising datasets explain what forms of advertising are included and excluded from their calculations. 

A Practical eMarketer Research Process

A simple research process can make the platform more useful.

First, define the business question.

Instead of searching for random statistics, decide what you need to know.

Second, identify the relevant market.

This could be ecommerce, digital advertising, social media, mobile, retail media, or another category.

Third, find the relevant forecast or report.

Look for data that directly relates to your question.

Fourth, check the methodology.

Understand where the numbers came from and what they include.

Fifth, compare historical data with forecasts.

This helps you understand whether a trend is temporary or part of a longer pattern.

Sixth, compare external data with your own business data.

Market averages should provide context rather than replace internal performance information.

Finally, turn the research into an actionable decision.

Data is most valuable when it changes what a business does.

Example of Using eMarketer for a Marketing Strategy

Imagine an ecommerce company wants to increase its online advertising budget.

The company could begin by researching ecommerce and digital advertising forecasts.

It could then examine advertising growth by channel and market.

Next, the company could compare those findings with its own conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, revenue, and return on advertising spend.

The business could then decide which channels deserve additional testing.

This is more effective than increasing the budget simply because a particular channel is currently popular.

eMarketer and Data Driven Marketing

Data driven marketing means using evidence to guide marketing decisions.

EMARKETER can support this process by providing information about markets, consumers, advertising channels, and future trends.

However, data alone does not create a successful strategy.

Marketers still need to interpret the information, understand their audience, evaluate their goals, and test their assumptions.

The best approach is to combine external research with internal analytics and real world experimentation.

Conclusion

eMarketer is a major source of research and intelligence for the advertising, marketing, media, ecommerce, and digital industries. Its core products include forecasts, reports, charts, benchmarks, datasets, and analyst insights. 

Its biggest value comes from helping businesses understand complex markets and future trends through structured research.

For marketers, eMarketer can be particularly useful for market research, advertising planning, ecommerce strategy, trend analysis, content planning, competitor research, and business presentations.

The most effective way to use it is not to treat every forecast as a guaranteed prediction. Instead, use the data as one part of a broader research process that combines external market intelligence, first party analytics, industry sources, and real world testing.

When used this way, eMarketer can help businesses move from simply reacting to digital changes toward planning for what comes next.