Introducing the Heap Digital Insights Report: the definitive survey of data habits in 2023

Ever wonder how other teams use data?

You’re not alone!  

You already know data is the lifeblood of every organization. It fuels decisions, uncovers insights, and propels businesses to new heights. 

The good news: there are an infinite number of ways to use data. The bad news: it’s hard to know which is best.

When we ask you - our customers and prospects - what keeps you up at night, we hear a shared set of questions:

• Is tool use going up…or down?

• Are technology budgets decreasing or increasing?

• Are people doing analysis themselves, or having data teams do it for them?

• Are people sharing? And if so, what….and how much?

• Are everybody’s teams struggling with mobile?

• Are the biggest challenges cultural or technical?

Since the analytics game is all about putting data before gut feelings, it was time to apply logic to curiosity. You have questions … and now we have answers. 

Today we’re thrilled to publish Data Decoded: The Heap Digital Insights Report, 2023. 

Combining three sources of data - a market survey, a survey of our customers, and some digging into our own Heap platform data - this report takes a good look into which tools teams are using, how their usage is changing, which tools are most popular, and what problems teams experience. 

We think you’ll find it useful and informative.  

Here’s why we did it

Q: Why conduct such a massive survey? 

A: Because data is the cornerstone of modern business strategies. It’s what enables companies to make informed decisions  and deliver exceptional customer experiences. However, tech years are like dog years—and all of the newest tools, technologies, and methodologies are emerging at an unprecedented pace. 

With data analytics constantly evolving and everybody so busy being busy, who’s keeping track of all this progress? 

This 2023 Digital Insights Report will tell you this and more. It’s our initial stake in the ground towards capturing industry shifts and shedding new light on the latest developments, challenges, and best practices within the realm of data analytics.

What you’ll learn

Investigation into usage among both the general market and our customers unveiled some intriguing trends. We asked about habits. We asked about processes. We asked about metrics. We asked how often those metrics are reviewed.

Here's what the Digital Insights Report reveals:

• Key Trends: Quant—or qual? North Star...or no star?

• Challenges: What are the most pressing problems you face day-to-day?

• Preferred Tools: Which platforms are most popular and effective?

• Best Practices: Are you constantly measuring and learning? Are you sure?

• Business Impact: Can you prove that what you’ve done actually worked?

• Future Projections: Will AI change industry and society? How?

What we discovered

Doing data right requires having the right tools. It requires having the right practices.

And it requires a fertile culture. 

It usually takes a company-wide commitment to data as a key component of the decision-making process.

Here’s a little preview

We don’t want to spill all the tea right here, but these are a few high points: 

• Experimentation and testing are high priority for a majority of teams. (YES!)

• The number of teams who have lost tools and/or budgets over the past year is surprisingly small. (EXCELLENT!)

• Teams want to make more data-driven decisions, but face a range of common obstacles. 

• Teams grapple with incomplete data sets, taking a long time to get meaningful insights, and getting tools to communicate with each other. (BOO!)

• Data silos are everywhere. (NOOOOO!)

• Tools seem to be becoming easier to use every year. (ALRIGHT!)

Data practices should not be some great mystery. And surveys don’t need to be dry and dull. So we made an effort to make ours fun to read and easy to decipher.

Use this huge compilation of information to benchmark your own standards, learn more about how teams work, and improve your own processes and practices. And as always, keep moving towards making more data-informed decisions.

We’re all in this game together. And like you, we’re always trying to ship and iterate. If you find anything in this report particularly helpful (or not helpful), please don’t hesitate to let  us know! 

Get your copy of Data Decoded: The Heap Digital Insights Report 2023.