B2B decision makers vary, yet all want the ability to interact everywhere, all the time.
Percentage values
Share of segment¹ that agrees with key characteristic
Very low
High
Very high
Low
Average
Comparison to global average
Easygoing and adaptable to main trends but not very excited about them
Prefer digital channels above all others and are gen AI trailblazers
Willing to spend big online and excited about channel innovation
Key characteristic²
Adapters
Innovators
Seekers
Would churn over omnichannel friction
Large remote spend ($500K+)
Comfort with
e-commerce
See high value in gen AI
1
To create a set of differentiated and actionable segments, we selected key statements via factor analysis to be used as inputs to identify groups of respondents. Next, we use hierarchical k-means clustering to evaluate different options of clusters of respondents based on their responses to the key inputs. Finally, we refined the clusters to get sharper differentiation and a more distinct segment profile. Adapters segment is ~44% of respondents; Innovators are 20%; and Seekers are 36% of respondents.
2
Q: What is the maximum order value that you would purchase through end-to-end digital self-serve and remote human interactions for a new product or service category? Q: When considering different ways to buy online (ie, e-commerce) from your suppliers, how comfortable or not are you with the following types of
e-commerce options? Q: Please tell us how likely or not likely you would be to stop working with a supplier if you could not connect with the same person you spoke with before. Q: In B2B buying and sales journeys, which actions or stages do you think can benefit the most from gen AI? Please rate each stage on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means not at all beneficial and 5 means extremely beneficial.
Source: McKinsey & Company Global B2B Pulse Survey, April 3–24, 2024, n = 3,942; Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
McKinsey & Company
8
14
16
39
15
24
14
25
12
14
37
39
29
24
41
25
21
14
69
39
32
24
31
25
Percentage values
Global average
Level of agreement
Level of agreement