Rethinking B2B Customer Experience in a Post-Pandemic Landscape

    Rethinking B2B Customer Experience in a Post-Pandemic Landscape

    COVID-19 was a game-changer for all industries. The opportunities and challenges created by the pandemic forced B2B companies to make a slew of changes, one of which was the shift to digital.

    Because of the scale, complexity, and speed of most B2B transactions, as well as the overall trust buyers have in field sales models for larger purchase decisions, B2B marketing has generally had a slower acceptance than B2C marketing when it comes to shifting to digital.

    However, when the pandemic spurred digital uptake, the effects were more positive than anyone had anticipated. More than 75 percent of consumers and sellers now prefer digital self-service and remote involvement over face-to-face sales processes, according to a 2020 McKinsey study “How COVID-19 has changed B2B sales forever”. Even more interestingly, 70% of B2B buyers are willing to make deals worth more than US$50,000 without having to meet in person.

    In addition to B2B sales success, the digital shift has made it easier for businesses to expand their reach and cut their cost per interaction. Such virtual techniques are likely to become increasingly important in the market in the future.

    It’s critical for marketing teams to distinguish between virtual sales performance and the requirement for a virtual-only approach. The virtual world is becoming increasingly crowded as every company increases its investment in digital marketing materials. In the digital world, attention is a valuable commodity, and digital-only strategies can only go so far.

    To summarise, the increasing popularity of digital sales is not a justification to shift all marketing efforts to the internet.

    Also Read: Brand Building and Customer Relationships in a Post-Pandemic Landscape

    Marketers should focus on understanding the B2B customer experience and reaching out to customers through more memorable, meaningful experiences—whether in-person, virtual, or both—to avoid losing repeat sales.

    As the post-pandemic marketplace begins to take shape, here are a few areas to pay attention to.

    Hybrid Offerings

    B2B purchasers make highly consequential and time-consuming decisions. Although the sale may take place online, the work of establishing trust and cultivating involvement is a lengthy and winding road that is better travelled in person, at least in part.

    As a result, hybrid experiences are well-suited to go beyond the screen and engage customers in more engaging, trust-building ways.

    An approach that employs extended reality (XR) is also elevating hybrid offerings to a whole new level. According to Statista’s 2021 report “Extended reality (XR): AR, VR, and MR – statistics & facts”, XR is gaining quick traction among marketers, with the XR market expected to reach US$300 billion in 2024.

    Also Read: Five B2B Customer Experience Trends in a Post-Pandemic World

    Leveraging XR for an enhanced CX

    An XR strategy can be used by B2B marketers in a variety of ways. It has a lot of uses in the field of testing and trials. Decision-makers can render products in a real-life context using integrated AR technologies. However, XR is a tool that can be used for more than just product demos. Event-based offerings are an important component of any B2B marketing strategy because they provide decision-makers with the in-depth information they require, resulting in faster pipeline development and increased customer confidence.

    Due to the constraints because of the pandemic, activities and conferences were forced into the virtual realm. Virtual events have real-world benefits, such as increasing the number of people who can attend and access the presentations without having to pay for flights, accommodations, or time away from their regular jobs. Virtual events, however, may fall short if they lack an XR component.

    Smart marketers are incorporating XR into in-person events, effortlessly integrating it with the conference or virtual gathering experience, as gatherings become safer. Such strategies assist B2B marketers in aligning their campaigns with their clients’ real-life realities, resulting in a more satisfying B2B customer experience.

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