Following the government’s recent announcement of a £10 billion AI investment push, new research has revealed the current state of AI automation trends in UK business.
These statistics from the experts at B2B lead generation agency Sopro, reveal the widespread deployment of automation and the measurable returns businesses are achieving as a result.
You can view the full report here: https://sopro.io/resources/blog/ai-sales-and-marketing-statistics/
AI automation trends in business:
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More than half of all corporate AI budgets go to sales and marketing automation
Sales and marketing functions receive the largest share of corporate AI investment. More than half of all AI budgets are now directed toward automation in these areas.
This reflects the strong ROI linked to automating outreach, personalisation, campaign workflows, and customer interactions. For commercial teams under pressure to deliver growth with fewer resources, AI automation has become one of the most valuable levers available.
The prioritisation of sales and marketing highlights automation’s role as a direct revenue enabler.
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61% of sales organisations use AI to automate repetitive tasks
A majority of sales teams (61%) now use AI to automate repetitive, admin-heavy tasks.
These tasks include CRM updates, data entry, meeting summarisation, qualification workflows, and follow-up reminders. By removing manual overhead, sales reps reclaim hours each week to focus on closing deals and nurturing relationships.
The result is leaner, more productive sales operations with fewer bottlenecks slowing pipeline momentum.
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71% of companies use or plan to adopt marketing automation | 49% specifically for personalisation
Marketing automation continues to scale rapidly. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of companies already use or plan to use marketing automation, and almost half (49%) deploy it specifically for personalisation.
Personalisation remains a top strategic priority, and AI-powered automation makes it possible at scale. Automated trigger journeys, dynamic content, and segmentation models ensure that customers receive relevant and timely engagement across all channels.
Further findings:
- Marketing automation saves an average of 6 hours per week on routine tasks
- 79% of marketers say efficiency gains are the top AI benefit
- Automated workflows reduce operational costs by 12.2% on average
- Contact centre agents see 14% productivity increases from AI assistants
- 42% of all business tasks are expected to be automated by 2027
- 60% of businesses automate lifecycle segmentation with AI models
You can view the full report, including further data-driven insights, here.