In the early stages of the buying process, 87% of respondents indicated that they started with informal information gathering around a business problem — but this stage is becoming increasingly social, as 54% of respondents indicate that they engaged with peers who had addressed the challenge, and another 31% followed industry conversations/coverage of their topics on blogs and social media.
Additionally, preliminary early findings indicate that buyers are taking greater precautions and steps before selecting a solution. The majority of respondents (59%) said they took advantage of a free trial to use the product before purchasing, while 27% piloted the solution in one department or division before rolling out across the entire company.
The survey validated that BtoB buyers are gravitating to a “see it to believe it” approach, as 67% of respondents indicated that a demo or product overview was the most useful in the early stages of the buying process. In addition, 51% of respondents said free products or trials were the most helpful in supporting a purchase decision in the final stages of the selection process.
To benchmark your own experiences as a BtoB buyer, click here to take the survey. Respondents will have the opportunity to receive an advance copy of the results, and will help establish key industry benchmarks.
