Marketers and salespeople (77%) are anxious about data, with 36% going so far as to avoid it in their work, according to Canva’s latest report.
Despite the anxiety over data-related work, 69% said they are optimistic that AI can support their data-related work in the report, Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication, by the graphic design platform.
Canva’s findings revealed that while data has become indispensable to business operations, sales and marketing professionals are struggling to confidently translate complex insights into compelling narratives. This in turn hampers productivity, heightening workplace anxiety, and ultimately preventing teams from fully harnessing the power of available insights.
The report, which surveyed more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, 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 meaningful impact.
Identifying the confidence-competence gap
In Australia, the data from Canva highlighted a confidence-competence gap that hinders productivity with 61% claim confidence when working with data, yet only 35% feel confident when starting a data-heavy task.
It also found a 67% feel confident analysing and interpreting data, yet 72% regularly make spreadsheet errors. Common challenges include struggling with formulas (44%), difficulty interpreting complex spreadsheets (41%), finding analysis challenging (35%), still experience data anxiety despite 84% of organisations providing data literacy training.
This avoidance can significantly impact productivity, especially for marketing and sales professionals who need data to shape narratives that resonate with internal stakeholders, customers and prospects.
Driving decisions and storytelling with data
Data now drives more decisions than ever, with organisations increasingly dependent on insights to stay competitive. But 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.
The survey report 63% increase in organisational reliance on data in the last two years. Marketers and sales people are expected to be data literate in their roles with 92% work with data and spreadsheets weekly. Over three quarters of those survey (78%) said they feel more confident presenting when using data visualisations with 80% adding data visualisations enhance credibility
How AI and modern data are closing the gap
The Canva shows the traditional approach to data tooling is failing modern teams, creating friction and confusion rather than an intuitive path to rich data-driven narratives. While close to half (49%) find it difficult to switch between different data tools, almost double the figure (86%) surveyed said they are likely to adopt easier-to-use data visualisation tools and willing to invest up to three hours learning new solutions (45%).
Meanwhile, 69% believe AI can improve their ability to work with data, automating tedious tasks and suggesting more effective ways to visualise information but concerns over trust, accuracy and impact on creativity persist.
Forward-thinking leaders are investing in tools built for visual data work and prioritising data literacy across teams, recognising the untapped potential of insights that can drive smarter, faster decisions across marketing, sales, and beyond.
‘Data storytelling turns metrics into narratives’
“Marketers today are expected to prove ROI, optimise performance, and defend every dollar — and dashboards are just a starting point,” said Moe Kiss, Director of Data Science, Canva.
“Data storytelling turns metrics into narratives that answer critical strategy questions, earn stakeholder buy-in and ultimately drive better decisions. Whether it’s demonstrating the impact of brand investment, refining your marketing mix or understanding what drives pipeline, marketers who can bring data to life don’t just report — they lead.”