Is the B2B Buying Journey Really Changing?

AI is changing B2B (re)search at a relentless pace: from AOIs taking over SERPs to the exponential rise of GenAI search tools, the way that B2B buyers research, search and gather information has evolved at breathtaking speed over the past 24 months.

We’ve been tracking the impact of GenAI tools on the B2B buying journey since October 2023, and a Forrester report from the end of last year revealed that 89% of B2B buyers have adopted generative AI (genAI), naming it one of the top sources of self-guided information in every phase of their buying process.

Tools including ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity have quickly been adopted into everyday research practices, many of us treating them as the go to phone a friend assistant for our working, and personal, queries.

And for those queries where we still use traditional search, AI overviews have increasingly taken over the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). Although percentages vary by search type and region, one thing is clear: the frequency of AIOs appearing in SERPs is rising.

While both of these changes potentially pose an existential crisis for traditional content publishers, and have some SEO practitioners wringing their hands, for B2B marketers vying for prospects’ attention, they also require (immediate) changes to your digital strategy.

The second key factor is a demographic shift in who B2B marketers need to persuade. Helpfully, Forrester has also tracked this trend over the years, revealing that 71% of B2B buyers are millennials and Gen Zers.

And unsurprisingly, those younger buyers use digital technology, and think about buying, differently, than their older peers.

From the same Forrester blog, younger buyers:

• expect a seamless experience​
• look for more than economic value: sustainability, experiential, functional and symbolic value are all critically important​
• are more likely to engage in participatory decision making​
• are more likely to want co-creation with their suppliers

Younger buyers use different social platforms—and use them differently.

Early this year Forbes reported that:

For Generation Z, visual storytelling rules their world, with Instagram (65%), YouTube (63%), and TikTok (58%) leading the pack and nearly half (46%) use these platforms as their go-to search engines.​

And while Facebook remains the digital homebase for Millennials (68%), they actively network across Instagram and LinkedIn, blending their social and professional lives seamlessly.​

And even as these numbers change, one thing remains certain: B2B marketers need to meet these buyers’ expectations and provide content and experiences across the digital platforms they inhabit.