What Is Buyer Intent Data? The Complete 2025 Guide

Introduction: Why Buyer Intent Data Is Now Critical

In the past, B2B sales relied on cold lists, broad advertising, and generic outreach. In 2025, that strategy fails. Buyers ignore random pitches and do most of their research before engaging with vendors.

According to Gartner, 83% of the buying process happens before a sales rep gets involved. If you’re waiting for inbound leads, you’re already too late.

This is why buyer intent data has become the secret weapon for high-performing revenue teams. It reveals which companies are in-market, when they’re researching, and what they care about.

What Is Buyer Intent Data?

Buyer intent data is behavioral information that indicates when an organization is actively considering a purchase.

Instead of asking, “Who matches my ICP?”, intent data answers:
👉 “Who is ready to buy now?”

Think of it as the timing layer on top of your target accounts.

The 3 Types of Buyer Intent Data

1. First-Party Intent

Your own data. Examples:

• Whitepaper downloads

• Demo requests

• Newsletter engagement

Strength: reliable, but limited to those already interacting with you.

2. Second-Party Intent

Data collected by a partner. Example: a publisher shares audience behavior on content.

Strength: wider reach, but dependent on partner networks.

3. Third-Party Intent

Aggregated from across the wider web.
Examples:

• Content consumption patterns (Bombora’s specialty)

• Search keyword activity

• Social and news signals

Strength: large scale, but needs strong filtering.

The Key Players in 2025

• Bombora → pioneer in third-party intent via its publisher co-op.

• 6sense → predictive analytics, great for ABM.

• Demandbase → combines intent + ABM + advertising.

• ZoomInfo → big contact database with intent overlays.

• Artikle → real-time AI intent delivery (Slack, HubSpot, WhatsApp).

Each has strengths: Bombora = breadth, 6sense = prediction, Demandbase = ABM, ZoomInfo = contacts, Artikle = speed.

How Buyer Intent Data Is Collected

Methods include:

• Search queries (aggregated, anonymized)

• Content engagement (who’s reading what topics)

• Hiring data (LinkedIn, job boards)

• Technographic shifts (new software installed)

• News signals (funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches)

Modern providers (Bombora, Artikle, Demandbase) stress GDPR/CCPA compliance: data is aggregated, not tied to individuals.

Why Real-Time Intent Is the Game-Changer

Traditional providers batch-process intent, delivering reports weekly or monthly. By then, competitors may already be talking to the buyer.

Artikle changes the model:

• Detects signals instantly (funding rounds, hiring, research surges)

• Pushes alerts into Slack, HubSpot, WhatsApp

• Removes lag → reps act while competitors are blind

👉 Speed is the new advantage.

Use Cases of Buyer Intent Data

1. Account Prioritization → focus on companies showing surging research.

2. Sales Outreach → personalize: “Congrats on the Series A—we help scale sales ops teams like yours.”

3. ABM Campaigns → run ads only on in-market accounts.

4. Customer Success → catch churn signals if customers research competitors.

5. Cross-Sell/Upsell → detect when customers explore complementary products.

Buyer Intent Data vs. Lead Lists

AspectLead ListsBuyer Intent DataFreshnessStatic, outdated fastDynamic, real-timeContextJust name/emailActual behaviorROILow3–5x higher conversion (Forrester)

👉 Lead lists tell you who. Intent tells you when.

Challenges With Intent Data (and Fixes)

• Noise overload → irrelevant signals.

  • Solution: AI filtering (Artikle).

• Integration friction → data stuck in dashboards.

  • Solution: push into CRM/Slack.

• Skepticism → reps don’t trust the data.

  • Solution: deliver contextual alerts (“Company X hiring sales ops → funding round → researching CRMs”).

Case Study: SaaS Company Boosts Meetings by 10x

A B2B SaaS vendor selling HR tools switched from cold lists to intent.

• Before: 1.5% meeting rate from lists.

• After: Used Bombora + Artikle → identified 20 firms researching “employee engagement software.”

• Personalized outreach → 15 meetings booked (30% conversion).

The Future of Buyer Intent Data

• AI-powered accuracy → less noise, better signals.

• Real-time delivery → alerts within minutes, not days.

• Team-wide alignment → sales, marketing, success all share the same triggers.

Conclusion

Buyer intent data is the foundation of modern B2B sales. Providers like Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase, ZoomInfo have proven its value. Now, real-time players like Artikle are pushing the category forward—turning intent into instant action.

👉 Key takeaway: It’s not enough to have intent data—you need to act on it faster than anyone else.