Eighty-three percent of B2B buyers say they prefer ordering or paying through digital commerce, according to Gartner, Inc. A Gartner survey of 725 B2B buyers from November through December 2021 found that digital commerce has rapidly become the norm and the preferred way to complete B2B purchases.

B2B sales organizations must take a more situationally aware approach, tuning engagement skills and tactics with empathy for, and personalization to, a prospective buyer’s current state, according to Gartner, Inc. Standardized customer engagement in today’s buying environment will only get sellers so far, even with the best methodology.

41% of key customers (also known as key accounts) indicated that the economic implications of COVID-19 significantly impacted their spend with B2B sales organizations, according to Gartner, Inc. A Gartner survey revealed that while some key customers increased spending with B2B sales organizations, only 18% indicated a spending increase of more than 10% since January 2020.

Only 23% of B2B sales reps believe they are equally effective selling virtually as they are in a live, onsite setting, according to Gartner, Inc. However, Gartner’s survey showed that 58% of sales reps also report they have dedicated coaching sessions with their sales managers on effective virtual selling.

Mapping the new customer experience to understand how buyers are using digital and human channels, often simultaneously, will unlock growth for B2B sales organizations in the next three years. According to Gartner, the key to accelerating that growth is a low-effort, digital buying experience that boosts customer confidence.

Over the next five years, an exponential rise in digital interactions between buyers and suppliers will break traditional sales models, according to Gartner, Inc. In fact, Gartner’s research shows that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels.

Overwhelmed B2B buyers face a crisis of confidence as they increasingly struggle to make large-scale purchase decisions, according to Gartner, Inc.