Warum eine personalisierte Einkaufserfahrung auch im B2B-Bereich immer wichtiger wird.
About the new role of marketers due to changing decision-making in B2B.
Customers in the B2B sector have to find the best offer from a wide variety of providers every day and make purchasing decisions. They are constantly confronted with different marketing concepts, tedious clicking through websites, complex content and inflexible correspondence.
Which parameters have an influence on decision-making? First of all, it must be noted that the typical purchasing behavior of B2C consumers is increasingly becoming established in B2B purchasing decisions. This is proven by several scientific studies, such as Creating Epic Customer ExperienceReport from 2019.
Purchasing decisions in B2B are increasingly similar to those in B2C
What does that mean specifically? Business customers must be offered the same experiences that they know from their private lives, as the basic psychology behind purchasing decisions is hardly any different. They expect to be able to quickly and easily find the products and information they want while providing them with a personalized shopping experience. The complexity of B2B products makes this process difficult.
Studies show that the basis for decision-making is changing and that the previous sales classics of price, price-performance and product quality alone are no longer the decisive arguments when making a purchase. The five most important reasons why B2B buyers chose one provider over others are:1:
The best way to sell more is to understand the decision-making process and goal of procurement on the customer side and to support them in the process with knowledge, information and presence. This reduces complexity and makes it easier for customers to make a decision.
The emotional level is very important in the purchasing process
The emotional level is particularly crucial in the purchasing process in B2B. Rational arguments have been proven to have significantly less influence on a final purchase decision than emotional ones. However, emotions are not evoked through arguments that are traditionally provided by those offering them, but rather through experiences.
Thanks to digitalization, there are new possibilities and ways to react here. One option is interactive and immersive videos that ensure these experiences are activated through the participation of the recipient. Customers can completely immerse themselves in the brand experience, which results in higher loyalty. Thanks to the diverse areas of application such as product presentations, automated sales, digital in-house exhibitions and HR, there are hardly any limitations. Different senses are addressed during reception. This means that not only is the user experience more intense, but it also increases engagement and understands the product on a deeper level.
Interactive videos offer comprehensive solutions
Interactive videos can also be a solution in response to the most important reasons why B2B buyers choose a provider (see graphic above): On the one hand, high-quality content can be offered that provides good knowledge of the company context and an understanding of the needs the customers prove. On the other hand, content can be provided that makes it easier to present a business case for procurement. In addition, a particularly quick response to inquiries can be guaranteed thanks to automated yet personalized offer creation. This not only responds holistically to the needs of customers, but also enables them to make the right decisions independently, which should be a goal in sales today compared to the outdated pressure to sell.
source
1B2B Buyer's Survey from Demandbase