Forresters 2026 B2B Marketing, Sales, And Product Predictions

But, as I’ve already shared, how B2B buyers approach purchasing decisions has evolved substantially over the last few years. Before I discuss all the ways in which the B2B buyer’s journey has been completely flipped on its head, I think it’s fitting to start with explaining the foundational stages that have traditionally defined it. Making this adjustment begins with completely dissecting the B2B buying journey you know (and may love) to explore how it’s functioning in today’s digital-first world. The B2B buyer’s journey is the process a business goes through to make a purchase decision that aligns with its needs, goals, and budget.

Doing so creates a well-oiled machine that turns prospects into customers time after time. Successful businesses know the first purchase is merely the beginning of the relationship, so this process prioritizes retention. The driving force behind these purchases is emotion, so B2C marketers should appeal to the desires and interests of these consumers. The B2C buyer’s journey involves consumers purchasing a product or service for themselves or individuals they know well.

A custom API integration is a bespoke connection between software, enabling them to communicate and share data to meet unique business requirements. 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2026, according to Wyzowl's State of Video Marketing report. With 25 years+ experience in corporate, community & grassroots marketing, Liza's passion lies in helping businesses connect with their audience in meaningful ways. Each data point includes its source and publication year so you can verify and cite independently. The 30-second to 2-minute window represents the sweet spot for B2B engagement across platforms and use cases.

What used to take days now takes a few hours, though I still validate key decisions manually. I typically ask AI to compare vendors side by side, break down pricing models, highlight pros and cons, and sometimes simulate use cases. Claude's strongest showing is in the small business (SMB) sector (7.3%), which tracks with its reputation among technical early adopters. They deliberately choose these slower, more thorough output options when the decision matters. Buyers are using AI chatbots to draft requests for proposals (RFP), work through pricing and packaging options.

Businesses should continue to provide helpful content to educate prospects and highlight how their solution is different or better than the competition. At this point, they are researching their options with more intent for a resolution or purchase. The buyer journey is important because it enables you to examine your prospects’ choices at each stage, thereby improving your customer acquisition process.

Ability to Identify and Address Pain Points

Buyer personas are in-depth descriptions of your target customers and typically include information like age, gender, location, likes, and dislikes. Over the next few days, he does more research, looking at AudioCrab and other options on the market. Z&D enrolls in a free demo of Rainstorm’s platform, and after buyers journey multiple interactions with qualified and knowledgeable sales reps, the accounting firm purchases from Rainstorm. The accounting business now knows it needs online file storage and organization software.

Educate Your Prospects

I’ve seen companies match each other move for move because they’re all drawing from the same small pool of insights. And they’ve got smart people and solid data just like you do. You can use this data to verify the success of a new product, help your team iterate on an existing product, or understand brand perception.

Identify all potential touchpoints.

Despite the drop in direct purchase influence, consumers still use AI to model these decisions. Today, 39% of consumers state AI has influenced a retail or consumer goods purchase. AI is driving real purchases across every category, but its influence scales directly with risk and consideration level. 47% of respondents use AI to narrow down their options, but then turn to Google for reviews or pricing. Because of this hesitation, 86% of respondents say they verify AI brand recommendations at least sometimes, including 20% who always do so.

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We design strategies based on your business needs, audience insights, and market trends. Finding the “why” behind the numbers is what collecting customer data is all about. You need to know a lot about your customers’ working settings, how they make decisions, and their pain points in order to create a B2B customer journey map that is truly useful. Here’s how to create a journey map that can be a strategic asset for growth. When done right, B2B customer journey maps reveal what your customers truly need and where your business can better meet those needs. Keeping consumers pleased and engaged increases the likelihood that they will return and suggest you to others.

• It’s standard practice for buyers to create a shortlist when evaluating purchase options.
• Once completed, your sales and marketing teams can use your buyer journey map to optimize content, guide behaviors, and increase customer acquisition.
• The most effective teams use data signals and automation to respond quickly, tailor outreach, and guide the next step while interest is high.
• As a result, buyers are tightening budgets and closely examining both new purchases and renewals.

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At the ToFu stage, people typically look for general information. In other words, use relevant keywords to rank on Google (or other search engines). Use the information to create buyer personas—profiles describing your main customers.

What kinds of people have already purchased your product or service? To properly address leads at the ToFu stage, define your target customers and increase brand awareness. The ToFu stage is also called the awareness, attention, discovery, or engagement stage. This is the ideal time to introduce your business, service, or product as the solution they want. It helps you see how people move from just hearing about you to becoming paying customers. Marketing funnels vary by industry and target audience.

Guiding the buyer journey stages can present some key challenges, but with the right strategies, you can overcome them effectively. By understanding these specific buyer stages and mapping out your b2b buyer journey, you can create a marketing plan that meets customer expectations at every customer touchpoint. The Retention Stage is where you start focusing on keeping your customers engaged and satisfied with their purchases. So, this stage starts when a customer clicks on a CTA button to visit the page where he can purchase the product, and includes the cart viewing, checkout, and post-purchase offers. So he will explore all the available options to find out which one best suits him.

HubSpot’s Customer Journey Analytics tool is specifically made to understand how prospects and customers interact with your business. Whether it’s building a custom feature they’ve asked for or including a small, thoughtful gift with your product. It’s standard practice for buyers to create a shortlist when evaluating purchase options.