The Next Era of B2B Marketing

AI is no longer an emerging trend on the edge of B2B marketing - it's now embedded at the core of how decisions are explored, shaped and made.  B2B buyers are not just using these tools, they are depending on them to accelerate growth and surface options.   “95% of B2B buyers plan to use generative AI to support their decision and purchase process in the next 12 months.” (Forrester).  The result?  A faster, less linear and more distributed path to purchase, involving more voices, more inputs and more strategic scrutiny.  

This shift raises a critical challenge for marketers:  How to build trust in an environment where influence is shared between humans and machines.  Key trends have emerged:

The Journey Has Changed - but It's Still Buyer Driven

Buyers haven’t relinquished control.  They have simply extended their toolkit.  Forrester's recent Buyers' Journey Survey highlighted that just under 9 in 10 B2B buyers have used GenAI during the purchase process.  AI is helping them move faster and dig deeper, often before a provider even knows they’re in play.

Yet decision making hasn’t become simpler, it's just become more layered.   Buying groups now include an average of 13 stakeholders, and that's just the beginning with analysts, consultants, peer networks, review sites and AI agents all shaping perception and guiding choices. 

From Buying Groups to Buying Networks

Understanding the full buying network has become increasingly important, not only understanding the core decision markers, but also the broader web of influence.  Mapping the full network is essential to surface risks early and accelerate growth.  For marketers, this requires scalable personalization and adaptive content across all touch points. AI can help with this, identifying relevant micro influencers and optimizing performance.

The Research Process Now Belongs to a New Generation

Millennials and Gen Z now represent over two thirds of buyers in complex, high value deals (Forbes).  They may not hold final sign off, although they shape how vendors are discovered and evaluated.  Their expectations are clear -  seamless access, early signs of credibility, validated by third parties and not sales teams.

Half of younger buyers will include 10 or more external influencers in their purchase, including online community members and industry conference attendees.  Social media platforms, which give access to a host of new influencers, already rank among the top three preferred interaction types among young buyers, and their influence continues to grow.

Trust is Still the Deciding Factor

With the rise of AI, scepticism is also rising.  Trust in AI companies has declined globally from 61% to 53% over the past five years according to Edelman.  Missteps with AI such as inauthentic content or lack of transparency can erode brand equity quickly.  AI should therefore enhance human connection, not replace it, serving a clear purpose.  Trust is harder to earn in an AI influenced world, and far easier to lose.

Agentic AI Raises the Stakes - and the Opportunity

Agentic AI tools - autonomous agents that assist or act on behalf of buyers - represent a new frontier. But as with any automation, value comes not from the tool itself, but from the strategy guiding it.  Predictions indicate 50% of businesses will trial agentic AI by 2027, contingent on organisational agility and AI governance frameworks (Deloitte).

These tools must be part of a larger effort, where data, context, and behavior are aligned to support, not interrupt, the buyer's progress. Used well, agentic AI can deliver tailored engagement at scale, without sacrificing insight or nuances.

Channel Strategy Matters More Than Ever

Partners are still essential players in the B2B ecosystem. But their use must evolve to reflect the complexity of today’s buyer networks. Predictive insights can help identify high-impact partners and tailor support to their realities.

Alignment is key. A consistent narrative builds credibility, and ensures messages stay coherent as it moves through an increasingly fragmented decision process.

In summary, the principles of effective marketing haven’t changed in essence,  with relevance, timing, empathy, and trust remaining the pillars of influence.  AI is naturally affecting how this is delivered however.  To thrive in this new era, marketers should think in networks, not funnels - understanding not just the buyer, but the broader set of influences surrounding them.