INBOUND 2025 Recap: Where Marketing Is Headed Next

HubSpot’s flagship event, INBOUND, wrapped up at Moscone Center in San Francisco on September 5, and as a long-time HubSpot Solutions Partner, we’ve attended many of these events over the years. This one certainly stood out because in only three days, over 200 feature releases dropped for the Fall Spotlight, paired with panels and keynotes that are reshaping how we think about AI, CRM, and marketing strategy. 

Now that the initial buzz has settled, it’s the perfect time to unpack what those updates truly mean for smarter, more intentional growth strategies. 

The Way We Search Is Changing Faster Than Expected

One of the clearest trends revealed during the event is how dramatically the buyer journey has shifted. Lead generation no longer starts on your website. Discovery and evaluation now happen inside AI tools. Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are giving searchers direct answers before landing on any webpage. 

According to recent data, roughly 60 percent of Google searches now end without a click. That means your prospects may already be forming opinions and shortlisting vendors before they ever touch your content. This makes Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO, more important than ever because it’s now about positioning your brand as the go-to answer at the very moment a prospect is looking for it. 

The Funnel Isn’t Flowing Like It Used To

Going off the last point, the marketing funnel has also changed. Marketers used to cast a wide net at the top of the funnel, nurtured leads through email campaigns, and relied on volume to hit targets. At INBOUND, the conversations made it clear that this pattern has broken. Today’s buyers make fewer site visits but expect deeper personalization once they engage.

That’s where HubSpot’s introduction of Loop Marketing comes in. Instead of a rigid path from awareness to purchase, Loop Marketing focuses on continuous trial and error, engagement nad evolution. This shift rewards teams that treat every customer touchpoint as part of a living cycle, not a one-way funnel – something we’ve been advocating for years with our clients.

No More AI Panic, Just Smarter Implementation

A year or two ago, conversations around AI often swung between hype and fear. This year felt different. Panels were focused on execution, lessons learned, and results. Agentic AI is no longer treated as a mysterious force but as a tool that, when designed correctly, can free teams from repetitive tasks and help them focus on high-value strategy.

We’re seeing more and more companies moving past the idea of replacing people, and toward using AI in ways that truly support their workflows. You can mix and match tools to find the balance that works best. Sometimes a single agent is enough, sometimes adding an AI connector provides the most value. The power now lies in having the choice to deploy AI where it makes the most strategic impact.

Businesses Are Still Leaving 80 Percent of Their Data Untapped

One statistic that stuck with us throughout the event: most companies use only about 20 percent of their available data to make decisions. Just as the saying goes that people only use 10 percent of their brainpower, businesses are tapping into barely 20 percent of their data when making decisions, whether in sales, marketing, or revenue operations. The remaining 80 percent sits idle, trapped in disconnected systems, email threads, call transcripts, and overlooked customer interactions.

HubSpot’s Smart CRM updates change this dynamic. When properly implemented, businesses can move from reactive to proactive strategies, spotting trends, anticipating customer needs, and driving growth. The key here is context: raw data alone is not enough, but structured, enriched, and strategically connected data becomes a competitive advantage.

In A Few Words

The flood of updates, panels, and keynotes confirms one thing: strategic implementation is what separates companies that succeed with HubSpot’s new capabilities from those that simply activate every shiny new tool. It also sent a clear signal that AI is becoming less siloed, data strategy is becoming non-negotiable, and marketing models are evolving in real time. 

Want to see how this could fit into your growth plans? Get in touch with us and we’ll help map it out.