According to Forrester’s The State Of Business Buying, 2024 report, tight budgets, AI’s influence in buying and selling, negative buying experiences, and long purchase cycles are further complicating the B2B buying process and frustrating buyers and sellers alike. Currently, 86% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process and 81% of buyers express dissatisfaction with their chosen providers. While buyers rely heavily on self-service and autonomous interactions to make buying decisions, they also rely on providers to understand their challenges, be responsive to their needs, and collaborate on decision-making.
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To help B2B buyers make better decisions, providers must transform their go-to-market approach and their understanding of buyers’ needs. At Forrester’s B2B Summit North America, Forrester analysts will help leaders navigate increased buying complexity and deliver better buyer satisfaction. Sessions will discuss specific actions that providers can take, including:
- Preparing for generative AI and enabling seamless interactions across channels. Almost 95% of buyers anticipate using genAI to support their decision and purchase process in the next 12 months. When creating campaigns and demand programs, providers should optimize for genAI-led buying activity to address questions across the entire buying journey.
- Shifting from selling to helping buying groups in their decision-making process. On average, 13 people within an organization are involved in the buying decision, with 89% of purchases involving two or more departments. Understanding the size and composition of the buying group and why purchases stall can help providers shift their go-to-market strategy to align to buying groups’ organizational needs and business priorities.
- Anticipating and managing external influencers that buyers turn to. Providers must think beyond their direct interaction with buyers by building strong influencer programs so that buyers feel confident that the provider they’re considering is represented and respected by others in their value network.
“A broken B2B buying process is creating mayhem for buyers and providers,” said Amy Hayes, VP and research director at Forrester. “As buyers reevaluate how they engage with organizations, providers must ignite action and put buyers first to create meaningful experiences. Forrester’s research is designed to help providers better understand the obstacles that buyers face and where they can upend outdated go-to-market strategies to help buyers make better, more informed purchasing decisions.”
Featuring more than 50 interactive sessions and eight dedicated B2B tracks, Forrester’s B2B Summit North America — being held in Phoenix and digitally, March 31–April 3, 2025 — will offer marketing, sales, and product leaders and their teams new frameworks and guidance to drive growth and better adapt to the changing buyer landscape
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Source – Businesswire
