Facing market uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic, B2B organizations must adapt to changes in how they connect with customers as 54% of leaders in IT, marketing and ecommerce roles define their company’s customer relationships as strained, developing or non-existent according to a new survey from Episerver™, the customer-centric digital experience company. In turn, delivering relevant, personalized digital experiences has emerged as a top priority and direct selling as the most significant opportunity for B2B leaders navigating a new reality per Episerver’s B2B Digital Experience Report.
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The March 2020 survey of 600 global decision-makers in IT, e-commerce and marketing roles at B2B organizations indicates 41% of respondents believe selling directly to customers online is the most significant opportunity for their business in the next year, followed by expanding into new geographies (37%) and providing their salesforce with digital selling tools (36%). Despite the economic downturn, 85% of B2B organizations still expect their digital experience budget to increase next year, which will help 71% of B2B leaders who agree that the digital experience their company offers does not meet the needs and expectations of its customers.
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“It is clear from our data and conversations with customers that digital transformation is being accelerated to address immediate needs due to COVID-19,” said Alex Atzberger, CEO of Episerver. “Direct-to-consumer sales, for example, have been discussed for years, but now the time is there to rethink your go-to-market channel. Getting in touch with customers directly and in a hyper-relevant way is business critical when in-person tactics are impossible to execute. You can’t not be digital anymore; you can’t not create content to create engaging experiences; you can’t not sell directly.”
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