How B2B Buyers Shop, Think and Behave

Don Davis
MODERATOR
Editor-in-Chief
Internet Retailer &
B2BecNews
Andy Hoar
Guest Speaker
VP & Principal Analyst
Forrester
Andy Peebler
General Manager
West Region
CloudCraze
2017 B2B Survey Results & Analysis:
How B2B Buyers Shop, Think & Behave

Insights Into The Behavior Of The
Modern B2B Buyer
4th Annual Survey
Andy Hoar
March 28, 2017

© 2015 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
4

© 2014 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 5
It is not about
“filling the funnel.”
It is about guiding buyers
through a journey.

B2B Buying Process

B2B buyers already use the web to
research products
“What percentage of your purchases for work do you typically research
ONLINE before you purchase OFFLINE?”
64% research half or
more of their work
purchases online
Base: 210 B2B buyers
Source: Forrester/Internet Retailer Q1 2017 B2B Buy-Side Online Survey

B2B Buyers Expect To Buy More Online
2017 2020
“What percentage of your
purchases for work do you
make online today?”
“What percentage of your
purchases for work do you expect
to be making online in 3 years?”
38% make half or
more of their work
purchases online
55% expect to make
half or more of their
work purchases online
in 3 years
(not all responses shown)

Drivers for channel shift
22%
14%
11%
8%
2%
0%
1%
1%
2%
More convenient since online sites are open 24 hours a day
Faster process
Save money because get lower prices online
Get more and better information about products and…
Easier to track purchases for record-keeping purposes
Minimize interaction with sales representatives
Management requires that I buy this way
We have not done this
Other
Don't know
“What is your chief reason for shifting more work purchases online from offline?”
Base: 183 B2B online buyers
38%

More than half of B2B buyers use
smartphones to research work purchases
“I perform research for products and services I buy for work using the following device(s):”
76%
61%
43%
35%
2%
1%
Laptop computer
Smartphone
Desktop computer
Tablet
Other
Don’t know
(multiple responses accepted)

72% of B2B buyers use a personal credit
card to make some or all purchases for work

“Broadest Selection” Drives Where B2B
Buyers Start
“I typically start my research for products and services I buy for work
on an online site because it is:”
38%
24%
22%
7%
3%
0%
4%
1%
Where I find the broadest selection
The most credible source of product details and information
Easiest to use
Where I already make my personal purchases of products and services
Where I get the best customer service
Where I consistently find the lowest prices
Other
Don’t know

Product Info Drives Where B2B Buyers Finish
“I typically make my final purchase of products and services I buy for work
on an online site because it is:”
26%
17%
15%
14%
11%
7%
7%
3%
1%
Easiest to use
Where I get the fastest delivery/shipment
Where I already make my personal purchases of products and
services
Other (Please specify)
Don’t know

B2B buyers start: search engines, brand
and Amazon. Finish: Amazon and brand
“What type of website do you typically make your purchases of products and services for work
on? (Select one)”
65%
12%
10%
5%
5%
1%
1%
1%
1%
28%
30%
9%
16%
3%
10%
5%
Search engine (Google, Bing)
Brand manufacturer website
Consumer site (eBay, Amazon)
AmazonBusiness site
Industry distributor website
Affiliate website (e.g. expert blogger)
I don’t start my research/ finalize purchase online
Other (Please specify)
Don’t know
Start: Research
Finish: Purchase*
*Base: 188 B2B online buyers

A combination of factors drives repeat
business and loyalty
“In general, what makes you buy again from a site you purchase from for work?”
19%
18%
12%
11%
10%
9%
6%
6%
6%
2%
Where the site is easiest to use
Where the site is tailored to my needs
Where I get the fastest delivery/shipment
Where I already make my personal purchases of products and…
Other
Don’t know

What It Means

Customer Obsessed Operating Model

forrester.com
Thank you
Andy Hoar
ahoar@forrester.com
@andyhoar1

“CloudCraze allows us to extend our Salesforce
investment and offer business buyers a better
online purchasing experience for our broad
portfolio of products.”
Pat Jerdig, VP of IT, Nexeo Solutions
Transforming buyer engagement with B2B commerce on Salesforce
Improves customer experience with robust commerce and critical online product information
Gains speed-to-market, flexibility with cloud, agile model of CloudCraze
Provides 360-degree view of customers through sales, service and commerce data
Drag picture to
placeholder or
click icon to add

“We realize businesses are ordering more online
every day, so we’re excited to offer a new online
ordering solution with CloudCraze on Salesforce
.”
Marta Dalton, Director of eCommerce, Coca-Cola
Delighting customers with continuous shopping across devices
Increases profit per outlet 6% and average order size 15%
Reduces cost per interaction 85%
Secures customer retention and increased satisfaction

“The innovative and integrated approach that CloudCraze
brings to commerce provides a compelling customer
self-service solution, a key pillar in the growth of our
aftermarket parts division.”
- Benoit Dessart, WABCO
Digital transformation with Commerce in a frictionless IT environment
Achieve growth and outperformance targets through digital transformation
Enhance customer engagement by connecting Commerce with Sales and Service
Speed to market with a robust B2B solution and scalable architecture

Customer-centric commerce
built natively on Salesforce
Fast
Scalable
Connected
So you can generate revenue
in weeks
For 360-degree customer
engagement
Agile enhancements and
capacity to adapt with
market and customer
demands

How B2B Buyers Shop, Think and Behave

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