B2B marketing innovation for changing buyer behavior
Buyer behavior is evolving for a variety of reasons, making buyers more informed, independent, and cautious. As they complete much of their purchasing journey before ever engaging with sales, B2B marketers must adopt new strategies to navigate these challenges and opportunities.
9/3/20245 min read
B2B buyer behaviour is rapidly evolving, driven by digital transformation, economic uncertainty, and the growing desire for personalised experiences. Today's B2B buyers are more informed, independent, and cautious, often completing much of their purchasing journey before ever engaging with a sales representative. This shift poses both challenges and opportunities for marketers, requiring a fresh approach to strategy.
Why is buyer behaviour evolving?
Buyer behaviour is never static; it changes over time due to a combination of factors. For B2B marketers, staying flexible and tuned into these shifts is critical. Once you understand what’s driving these changes, you can tweak your strategies to meet your buyer where they are.
Technological advancements
Technology is perhaps the biggest driver behind the way people buy. The internet has democratised information, allowing buyers to most of their research on their own. Social media, search engines, review sites, and even GenAI tools have transformed how buyers gather information. They aren’t only relying on your website, they’re using a variety of other sources for their research. This access to information empowers them to make more informed decisions, leading to longer research cycles and less reliance on sales teams. According to research by 6sense, 83% of buyers initiate first contact with vendors and by the time they do, 70% of the buying process is over.
Advancements in automation, AI, and data analytics make it easier for companies to offer the modern B2B buyer a tailored, personalised experience, similar to what they experience in their personal lives as consumers. Buyers are moving away from generic marketing and old-school sales approaches and instead favour interactions that address their specific needs and pain points. For example, instead of receiving a one-size-fits-all email blast, a B2B buyer might expect content recommendations, product suggestions, or offers specifically aligned with their industry.
Economic and market dynamics
Fluctuating economic conditions and inflation have made buyers more cautious and deliberate, prompting them to scrutinise potential purchases closely and look for the highest value at the lowest risk. As pressure increases to justify purchases and demonstrate ROI, especially for large or long-term investments, buyers are shifting toward more conservative and risk-averse behaviours.
As markets become more saturated with similar products and services, buyers also face more options, increasing the need for differentiation and proof of value from vendors. Buyers have all the information they need at their fingertips, so they’re not just taking marketing claims at face value anymore. They want proof—things like transparent messaging, real reviews, and solid evidence that your product actually does what it promises.
Larger buying groups
In today’s businesses, purchasing decisions often involve multiple stakeholders, including procurement, IT, finance, and end-users. The typical buying group involves six to 10 stakeholders, each of whom have consulted four to five sources of information that they must then deconflict together.
This trend complicates the decision-making process, as each person in the buying group brings different needs and concerns to the table. Marketing strategies have to address the needs and pain points of multiple stakeholders with different personas, from end-users to executives.
Social and cultural influences
As younger, digitally-native professionals enter the workforce, their preferences and familiarity with digital tools influence how B2B purchases are made. They often prefer digital-first interactions and expect seamless, intuitive buying experiences.
Today’s buyers are also more conscious of environmental and ethical issues, which can influence their purchasing decisions. They increasingly favour companies that align with their values, adding a new layer to the decision-making criteria. This alignment helps build trust and long-term relationships and minimises reputational risks associated with mismatched values.
Impact of global events
The pandemic reshaped how people conduct business and make purchases, accelerating a shift to digital and remote interactions that might have otherwise taken years. As in-person meetings and shopping became impractical, businesses and consumers rapidly adopted digital tools like virtual meetings, e-commerce, and contactless payments. Buyers in both B2B and B2C contexts became more independent, relying on online research and self-service options, often bypassing traditional sales interactions. This shift has permanently altered buyer expectations, favouring convenience, speed, and a seamless digital experiences.
New regulations around data privacy, environmental standards, and other factors have also contributed to changed buyer behaviour as companies are forced to comply with evolving standards and laws. Most recently this shift is happening with the implementation of GenAI tools as buyers increasingly worry about the personal identifiable information, confidential company information and intellectual property being input into these platforms and tools. This results in buyers favouring vendors who prioritise transparency, sustainability, and strong data protection practices, making it a key factor in decision-making.
What marketers need to consider
Focus on buyer enablement: You need to equip buyers with the information they need to make confident decisions. This includes creating detailed content like comparison guides, ROI calculators, and in-depth product demonstrations that empower buyers during their independent research phase.
Adopt an omnichannel approach: Engage buyers across multiple channels—social media, email, webinars, and digital ads—to ensure you meet them where they are. This helps build a consistent presence throughout their journey and increases the chances of capturing attention when they’re ready to engage.
Map content to the buyer’s journey: Develop a content strategy that aligns with each stage of the buyer’s journey. From awareness to consideration to decision-making, ensure that you have tailored assets that address the evolving questions and needs buyers have at each step.
Use an account-based approach: With multiple stakeholders involved in decision making, focus should be on accounts instead of individual leads. This allows for more personalised and relevant messaging, improving engagement across the buying committee and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Leverage AI and analytics for personalization: Use AI-driven tools to analyse buyer behaviour and deliver personalised experiences at scale. From more personalised email campaigns to dynamic website content, leveraging data can help ensure every touchpoint feels relevant and valuable.
Prioritise transparency and proof of value: Be transparent about your offerings and provide clear evidence of how your product or service delivers results. Sharing detailed case studies, third-party reviews, and success metrics can differentiate your brand and build trust.
Build alignment between sales and marketing: Sales and marketing alignment is more critical than ever. Share insights from marketing campaigns with sales teams, and vice versa, to ensure a seamless experience for buyers. Collaborative efforts can lead to more effective outreach and better overall engagement.
Engage with your buyers where they are
Evolving buyer behaviour requires B2B marketers to rethink their approach, focusing on creating value and building trust throughout the buyer’s journey. By staying attuned to these shifts and continuously adapting strategies and plans, marketers can better connect with their buyers and drive stronger business outcomes.
Struggling to figure out how to pull this all together into your marketing strategy? You aren’t alone. This is something all marketers are challenged with right now. Consider joining our virtual Collab Lab on 17 October with other B2B marketers. It’s a collaborative, hands-on, closed-door session where your marketing peers work together in groups to develop marketing strategies that take these buyer behaviors into consideration. We won’t be discussing the challenges, we’ll be solving them.
Based on the feedback gathered from the last Collab Lab, there is a genuine need for B2B marketers to meet regularly with peers from across industry. Sharing, learning and applying new knowledge gained is incredibly powerful and easy to take for granted. We are excited for the next event and for what we are going to innovate and solve for. Join us here.
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