Gen X and Y now dominate B2B buying decisions, influencing how businesses need to operate. Unlike their predecessors, these buyers are highly attuned to digital tools and platforms, using apps, social media, podcasts, video, and eCommerce for research and purchasing.
Digital fluency requires businesses to pivot towards creating seamless, tech-driven experiences. Research shows that 73% of millennials (who overlap with Gen Y) are involved in B2B purchasing decisions, reflecting a growing demand for digital channels in every step of the buying journey.
Traditional face-to-face interactions are fading as these digital-native buyers prefer self-guided purchasing processes. More than 60% of B2B buyers say they prefer not to engage with a salesperson as their primary information source. Instead, they seek out digital channels that provide transparent, on-demand information.
How eCommerce is changing the B2B Buying Experience
B2B buyers now expect the same ease of purchasing that they experience in consumer transactions, demanding efficient eCommerce options for even the most complex products and services.
Today’s B2B transactions, from simple orders like copier paper to high-value products such as industrial machinery, increasingly happen online without the need for direct human interaction.
In fact, 55% of B2B buyers are completing transactions through digital self-service. Marketers are responding by automating parts of the sales process, reducing costs and enhancing efficiency through AI-driven tools and platforms.
B2B sales automation
The concept of automating sales isn’t new. IBM’s 1990s hybrid sales model split the buying process into segments, using lower-cost channels such as inside sales and catalogs. A hybrid sale model lets the company sell high-ticket items like mainframes more efficiently.
Today’s automation tools take this concept further, integrating AI, chatbots, and data-driven platforms to manage everything from lead nurturing to order placements. AI in particular is proving essential, with 57% of B2B companies using AI to personalize customer experiences and improve decision-making.
AI, chatbots, and marketplaces
Modern automation tools include chatbots that handle top-of-funnel inquiries, AI-driven systems that generate custom quotes, and digital marketplaces where buyers can place complex orders without human involvement.
New tools simplify operations and provide businesses with insights into buyer preferences and behaviors. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur through digital channels, making these tools indispensable for future success.
Get mobile or get left behind
Mobile devices are becoming essential for B2B transactions. In fact, 70% of B2B buyers expect to be able to place orders via mobile platforms. Companies that haven’t optimized their eCommerce platforms for mobile risk falling behind, as buyers demand fast, seamless ordering processes that can be completed on any device.
With the global mobile eCommerce market expected to reach $3.56 trillion by 2025, B2B sellers must prioritize mobile-first designs and make sure that their platforms are accessible to all buyers, regardless of location or device.
Marketers are now account experts
Marketers are shifting their focus from merely acquiring new leads to ensuring long-term customer retention. In 2023, retention rose to the second-highest priority for marketing teams, a leap from being absent from the top five just a year prior.
As acquiring new customers becomes more expensive, with acquisition costs increasing by nearly 60% in the past six years, keeping current customers engaged and loyal has become a critical driver of growth.
Research shows that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by up to 95%, underlining the importance of this trend.
Today, marketers play an active role in helping account managers nurture existing relationships and identify growth opportunities. When analytics and predictive modeling, marketers provide data-driven insights into customer behaviors, helping account managers pinpoint upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
Marketers also support account teams by personalizing communication and automating touchpoints, making sure customers remain engaged even without direct sales interaction.
Marketing is leading the charge in retaining and expanding B2B accounts
Marketers are no longer confined to filling the top of the sales funnel. Today, they are deeply involved in customer retention and expansion strategies, using tools like personalized content and automated outreach to maintain ongoing engagement.
With customer churn becoming a growing concern for many B2B companies, marketing teams are stepping in to offer targeted, data-backed solutions that help businesses retain clients and drive lifetime value.
By 2024, it is expected that customer retention will become a top-three priority for nearly every B2B marketing team, reflecting this broader shift in focus.
Video is a must-have for modern B2B
Video is becoming one of the most effective tools in the B2B marketing arsenal. Its ability to deliver complex information in an engaging and accessible format makes it invaluable across the sales funnel.
86% of B2B marketers are now using video content to enhance customer understanding of products and services.
Flexibility means it can be applied to everything from brand storytelling to customer testimonials and product demos, each tailored to capture attention and build trust with prospective buyers.
B2B can’t ignore TikTok and Instagram
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram, initially seen as consumer-driven spaces, are now driving B2B engagement. Short-form videos on these platforms are reshaping content strategies, allowing B2B marketers to reach decision-makers with bite-sized, impactful content.
With Instagram alone boasting over 2 billion active users, and TikTok rapidly becoming a go-to platform for younger professionals, these channels offer enormous potential for visibility and lead generation in the B2B space.
Video is changing every stage of the sales funnel
Video content plays a key role at every stage of the buyer journey, from educating prospects in the consideration phase to offering in-depth product demos that drive conversion. One study found that using video on landing pages can increase conversions by up to 80%, demonstrating its power to turn interest into action.
As more companies adopt video as part of their strategy, the expectation for high-quality, informative, and engaging content continues to rise.
Video success isn’t tied to massive production budgets. While high-profile campaigns like Caterpillar’s “Built for It” have shown what’s possible with a large investment, smaller companies are achieving impressive results with lower-cost productions.
Edmund Optics, an industrial company, uses simple yet effective videos to introduce new products and educate customers. This approach proves that well-executed, low-budget video can be just as impactful as high-production alternatives, provided the content is relevant and engaging.
B2B stacks are bigger than ever
Scott Brinker’s 2024 roundup lists an astonishing 14,106 martech tools, showing the rapid growth in marketing technology. B2B companies are now investing heavily in building comprehensive tech stacks, covering everything from CRM systems to data management platforms and AI-driven analytics tools.
An explosion of tools provides companies with unprecedented access to customer insights, allowing for more personalized and efficient marketing efforts. However, it also presents challenges, as companies struggle to keep pace with new developments and effectively integrate these tools into their existing workflows.
Many B2B companies are struggling to keep up
Despite the abundance of martech solutions, many companies find their tech stacks overwhelming. Poor integration and underutilization are common complaints, with one survey showing that 63% of marketers feel they aren’t fully leveraging their martech investments.
Complexity often leads to inefficiencies, as teams grapple with disparate systems and data silos that hinder collaboration. As a result, some companies are reassessing their tech stacks, prioritizing tools that integrate seamlessly and offer real, measurable value.
Automation is changing B2B processes
Automation tools are transforming B2B marketing processes, from lead generation to customer engagement. AI and machine learning platforms can sift through massive data sets to identify patterns, optimize campaigns, and provide real-time insights.
In lead management, automated systems qualify prospects, trigger personalized follow-ups, and score leads, making sure that sales teams focus their efforts on high-potential opportunities.
In customer engagement, automation allows for highly targeted outreach at scale, helping businesses maintain meaningful relationships with large customer bases.
Key takeaways, are all these martech tools worth it?
While martech offers many benefits, there is growing skepticism about whether all these tools are truly delivering value. Many companies are investing in sophisticated systems, only to find them underutilized or misaligned with their core goals.
As B2B organizations continue to expand their tech stacks, there is an increasing focus on identifying tools that offer tangible, measurable outcomes.
Ongoing research is key to assess the impact of these investments, with a focus on improving integration and maximizing the utility of martech solutions.
