Global survey of more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals reveals that while data dependency is growing, data competence lags, hindering productivity.
- 89% have to work with data or spreadsheets weekly
- 74% want to improve their effectiveness with data
- 77% say data reliance in their workplace has increased in the last two years
- 76% are optimistic that AI can support their data-related work
- Over a quarter of professionals (27%) go so far as to avoid it
Canva, the world’s only all-in-one visual communication platform, today released “Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication” – a report revealing a critical workplace challenge: while data has become indispensable to business operations, key external-facing teams like sales and marketing struggle to confidently translate complex insights into compelling narratives. This hampers productivity, contributes to data errors, heightens workplace anxiety, and ultimately prevents teams from unlocking the full power of the insights available.
Based on responses from more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the report uncovers why traditional approaches to working with data are failing modern teams and the strategic opportunity business leaders have to invest in data storytelling skills that drive impact.
The top UK-specific findings include:
Despite almost half (44%) of organisations providing data literacy training, 78% of professionals still experience data anxiety, and 27% actively avoid working with data.
- 82% claim confidence working with data; Only 42% maintain it when actually starting data-heavy tasks
- 75% feel confident analysing and interpreting data, yet make spreadsheet errors that impact their work:
- 46% struggle with formulas
- 42% have difficulty interpreting complex spreadsheets
This avoidance can significantly impact business outcomes, especially for marketing and sales teams who need data to shape narratives that resonate with internal stakeholders, existing customers, and potential buyers.
Data needs are increasing, but capability is lagging.
- 77% say reliance has increased in the last two years
- 89% work with data/spreadsheets weekly
- 80% are expected to be data literate
Data now drives more decisions than ever, with organisations increasingly dependent on insights to stay competitive.
Teams don’t just need data–they need storytelling skills to make sense of it.
- 82% feel more confident presenting with visualised data
- 89% say visualisations boost credibility
As organisations continue to amass more data, the ability to transform numbers into engaging narratives has shifted from a specialised skill to a critical business capability.
AI and modern data tools are key to closing the gap
The traditional approach to data tooling is failing modern teams, creating friction and confusion rather than an intuitive path to rich data-powered narratives.
- Nearly half (47%) find it difficult to switch between different data tools
- 88% likely to adopt easier-to-use data visualisation tools
- 75% believe AI can improve their ability to work with data by automating tedious tasks and suggesting effective data visualisations, but many still have concerns over trust, accuracy, and AI’s impact on creativity
Forward-looking leaders are investing in tools tailor-made for visual data work and are prioritising data literacy across teams, recognising that today’s marketing and sales professionals have only begun to tap into data’s full organisational potential.
“Working with data shouldn’t be confined to specialists. When you give teams the right tools and training to turn numbers into narratives, you can unlock so much potential in an organisation,” said Duncan Clark, Head of EMEA at Canva, and co-founder of Flourish, a Canva company. “The goal isn’t to make everyone a data scientist, but to empower teams to confidently make sense of the data at their disposal and turn it into compelling, engaging stories, whether it’s for internal presentations or external content. Data alone doesn’t move people, but stories do – so that’s what we should focus on.”
Data storytelling isn’t merely a competitive advantage, it’s a business imperative. When teams can effectively visualise campaign performance or present data-backed customer insights, organisations make smarter decisions and can drive measurable growth. “Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication”provides leaders with a blueprint on how to work with data effectively.
Discover how leading organisations are closing the confidence-competence gap and empowering teams to master data storytelling in the full report here.
