The pace of B2B eCommerce is set to accelerate even further by 2025, according to a new report from Forrester. The driving force behind this growth? Younger business buyers who increasingly seek diverse omnichannel sales options for purchasing goods and services for their organizations.
“Historically, business buyers have been characterized by slow but steady behavioral shifts,” Forrester notes. “However, newer generations of buyers are not only entering the market but also dominating business purchases, especially for large and complex transactions.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Increased digital B2B sales: Across industries, buyers are growing more accustomed to making online purchases. In 2024, 52% of global B2B buyers who made large purchases ($1 million or more) reported completing these transactions directly through a vendor’s account representative, according to Forrester.
- The role of artificial intelligence: B2B buyers are finding generative AI (genAI) increasingly valuable for speeding up the purchasing process. In Forrester’s 2024 Buyers’ Journey Survey, 92% of buyers whose organizations used genAI to inform purchases of $1 million or more agreed that AI helped them achieve “better business outcomes.”
- Challenges and dissatisfaction: Despite the advantages of technology, 96% of younger buyers reported dissatisfaction with at least one aspect of their purchasing experience when making large buys. Their complaints ranged from technical issues with vendors’ implementation capabilities to concerns over a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
- Growing AI adoption: The trend toward AI usage is only increasing, with 94% of global B2B buyers making purchases of $1 million or more either already using or planning to use genAI in their decision-making process. Among those using AI, 61% said the technology helped them “spend less time interacting with vendors,” “conduct less research,” or “complete purchases faster than expected.”
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