[Data] Most Relevant Statistics that Everyone Involved with B2B Should Know About.
The following statistics are significantly relevant and may affect you and your business. Read about them!
All the statistics below are from reliable sources (Harvard Business Review, Deloitte, Forbes, Gartner, McKinsey, …) and are divided into five groups (AI, behaviours, buyer journey, strategies, social media) depending on the area they cover.
AI
A 38% of B2B marketers have already beeing using generative AI during 2023 (and 85% see a strong impact of AI on their work)
Source: Forbes (Balancing Generative AI’s Rewards And Risks In B2B Marketing). November 2023.
Generative AI users report saving an average of 11.4 hours per week, enabling them to focus on higher-value or more strategic tasks.
Source: Deloitte (Deloitte Digital’s latest research forecasts generative AI’s transformation of content marketing). October 2023.
A 66% of B2B leaders leaders say their companies have leveraged AI tools
Source: Hubspot (The state of marketing 2024). April 2024.
A 72% of marketers say that AI help them personalise the experience customers get with their company
Source: Hubspot (The state of marketing 2024). April 2024.
AI in marketing is estimated to value more than 107.5 billion dollars in 2028
Source: Statista (AI in marketing revenue worldwide 2020-2028). June 2023.
A 30% of outgoing marketing messages from big companies will be generated by AI by 2025.
Source: Gartner (Marketing AI: Forge the Future of Smart Marketing). January 2024.
A 90% of B2B commercial leaders expect to use gen AI solutions often or almost always by 2025.
Source: McKinsey&Company (AI-powered marketing and sales reach new heights with generative AI). May 2023.
A 60% of marketing leaders have used AI in their activities AI during 2023.
Source: Deloitte (Six out of ten marketing leaders used artificial intelligence (AI) in their activities over the last year). December 2023.
A 76% of marketers are using generative AI to create content or writing copy
Source: Salesforce (New Research: 60% of Marketers Say Generative AI will Transform Their Role, But Worry About Accuracy). June 2023.
A 74% of B2B leaders deem AI tools important to their overall business strategy
Source: Hubspot (The state of marketing 2024). April 2024.
An 85% of marketers report that AI improved content quality
Source: Hubspot (The state of marketing 2024). April 2024.
A 50% of B2B marketers believe that inadequate AI adoption hinders their goals.
Source: Mailchimp (Intuit Mailchimp Finds Vast Majority of SMB Marketers Are Bought Into Artificial Intelligence). February 2024.
A 60% of B2B commercial leaders think that AI will have a significant impact on lead identification.
Source: McKinsey&Company (AI-powered marketing and sales reach new heights with generative AI). May 2023.
Deloitte predicts that enterprise spending on generative AI will grow by 30%
Source: Deloitte (Deloitte’s TMT Predictions 2024). January 2024.
Content marketing has become vital to the digital marketing strategies of an 80% of surveyed leaders.
Source: Deloitte (Deloitte Digital’s latest research forecasts generative AI’s transformation of content marketing). October 2023.
A 71% of marketers say generative AI will allow them to focus on more strategic work
Source: Salesforce (New Research: 60% of Marketers Say Generative AI will Transform Their Role, But Worry About Accuracy). June 2023.
A 58% of marketers plan on increasing their investments in AI in 2024
Source: Hubspot (The state of marketing 2024). April 2024.
A 26% of B2B marketers applying chatbots in their activities had a 10-20% increase in leads
Source: Statista (Effect of chatbot usage on B2B lead generation in the U.S. 2022). February 2024.
An 88% of B2B marketers think their marketing organisation must increase use of AI to meet customer expectations and stay competitive.
Source: Mailchimp (Intuit Mailchimp Finds Vast Majority of SMB Marketers Are Bought Into Artificial Intelligence). February 2024.
A 55% of B2B commercial leaders think that AI will have a significant impact on Marketing optimisation (A/B testing, SEO strategies).
Source: McKinsey&Company (AI-powered marketing and sales reach new heights with generative AI). May 2023.
Behaviours
An 80% of B2B CEOs believe that empathy is key to success.
Source: Deloitte (Close the expectation gap with your B2B customers). January 2021
A 68% of B2B buyers prefer to do individual research online than involving with a sales rep.
Source: Deloitte (Close the expectation gap with your B2B customers). January 2021
An 84% of B2B buyers say it takes too long to get information back from the supplier.
Source: Deloitte (Customer Experience enters the B2B battlefield). 2021
Over 70% of the B2B decision makers prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service.
Source: Harvard Business Review (The New Rules of B2B Lead Generation). June 2021
A 61% of B2B customers prefer to be taught how to solve a problem than directly solving it for them.
Source: Harvard Business Review (What Do Your B2B Customers Really Want?). March 2023
An 82% of B2B decision makers will opt for another supplier if a performance guarantee is not offered.
Source: Harvard Business Review (How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right). January 2022
A 56% of B2B buyers expect offers to be personalised.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce State of the Connected Customer Report). 2022
A 71% of the B2B buyers say that most sales interactions feel transactional.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce State of the Connected Customer Report). 2022
An 81% of B2B buyers would pay more for better e-commerce platforms.
Source: Statista (Share of B2B buyers who would pay more for better supplier e-commerce 2019-2022). 2022
82% of sales reps say they have had to adapt quickly to new ways of selling.
Source: Salesforce (State of Sales Report). 2022
Customers want an always-on, personalised, omnichannel experience.
Source: McKinsey (The new B2B growth equation). February 2022
B2B buyers roughly use one-third of traditional interactions, one-third of remote human interactions and one-third of digital self-service.
Source: McKinsey (The new B2B growth equation). February 2022S
39% of B2B buyers want self-serve options.
Source: Statista (Global B2B vendors preferred self-serve methods with other B2B companies 2020). 2020
An 84% of B2B leaders say that they have become more empathetic with customers after the pandemic.
Source: Deloitte (Close the expectation gap with your B2B customers). January 2021
An 84% of B2B buyers find very important to have an easy access to technical content.
Source: Deloitte (Customer Experience enters the B2B battlefield). 2021
An 83% of B2B buyers prefer ordering or paying through digital commerce.
Source: Gartner (Gartner Sales Survey finds 83% of B2B Buyers Prefer Ordering or Paying Through Digital Commerce) June 2022.
A 58% of B2B customers prefer the opportunity to have a selection than having a problem solved with a single solution.
Source: Harvard Business Review (What Do Your B2B Customers Really Want?). March 2023
From 2016 to 2021 the number of channels B2B buyers use has doubled to 10.
Source: Harvard Business Review (How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right). January 2022
An 85% of B2B buyers believe that engagement has the same importance as product quality.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce State of the Connected Customer Report). 2022
An 87% of B2B buyers state that they would pay a premium to a supplier for an excellent ecommerce portal.
Source: Avionos 2021 B2B Buyer Report
A 73% of B2B customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce Report: Nearly 90% of Buyers Say Experience a Company Provides Matters as Much as Products or Services). May 2022
A 68% B2B buyers claim that showing how to solve a problem and the possibilities behind a purchase decision was an influencing factor.
Source: Statista (B2B buyers’ purchase decision influencers worldwide 2021). 2021
82% of top performers say they “always” perform research before reaching out to prospects.
Source: LinkedIn (State of Sales Report). 2022
55% of sales leaders recognise that driving B2B revenue growth will require significant team reskilling.
Source: McKinsey (Building next-generation B2B sales capabilities). March 2022
95% of buyers are out of the market right now.
Source: The B2B Institute (Advertising effectiveness and the 95-5 rule: most B2B buyers are not n the market right now). 2022
A 56% of B2B buyers say that they would discontinue doing business with sellers who don’t meet face to face after the sale.
Source: Deloitte (Close the expectation gap with your B2B customers). January 2021
An 86% of B2B buyers claim that the supplier doesn’t resolve issues fast enough.
Source: Deloitte (Customer Experience enters the B2B battlefield). 2021
By 2026, 65% of B2B sales organizations will transition from intuition-based to data-driven.
Source: Gartner (Gartner Sales Survey Finds 83% of B2B Buyers Prefer Ordering or Paying Through Digital Commerce). January 2023
A 74% of B2B customers prefer having a problem solved by human connections than with a chatbot although it takes more time.
Source: Harvard Business Review (What Do Your B2B Customers Really Want?). March 2023
A 94% of B2B buyers (US) say that the new omnichannel model is as effective as (or more effective than) the previous sales model.
Source: Harvard Business Review (How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right). January 2022
A 68% of B2B customers trust the companies to tell the truth.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce State of the Connected Customer Report). 2022
A 90% of the B2B buyers would go to a competitor if a supplier’s digital channel fails to keep up with their needs.
Source: Avionos 2021 B2B Buyer Report
B2B sellers credit 40% of the revenue to digital channels.
Source: Salesforce (State of Commerce Report). 2022
A 95% of video marketers say that they feel they increase the understanding of a product or service by using video
Source: Wyzowl (State of Video Marketing 2020). 2020
B2B decision-makers use more channels (10) than ever to interact with suppliers.
Source: McKinsey (The future of B2B sales is hybrid). April 2022
87% of business buyers expect sales reps to act as trusted advisors.
Source: Salesforce (Salesforce State of the Connected Customer Report). 2022
50% of UK buyers say working remotely has made buying more accessible.
Source: LinkedIn (State of Sales Report 2022). 2022
Buyer Journey
A 53% of marketers say that webinars is the ToFu format that generated the most high-quality leads.
Source: Hubspot (State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
Only a 17% of the time considering a purchase (B2B buyer) is spent with potential suppliers.
Source: Gartner (The B2B Buying Journey Report). 2020
By 2025, an 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur via digital channels.
Source: Gartner (Future of Sales Research Report). 2020
43% of B2B buyers agree to prefer a rep-free buying experience.
Source: Harvard Business Review (Traditional B2B Sales and Marketing Are Becoming Obsolete). February 2022
A 72% of B2B buyers start their journey online.
Source: Salesforce (5 Emerging Business Commerce Trends That Could Impact Your Business). August 2022
79% of B2B marketing professionals report use registration forms on their websites as the most effective tactic to gain prospect and customer data.
Source: Statista (Leading B2B tactics to acquire prospect and customer data worldwide 2022). January 2022
40% of B2B marketers in US say that a lack of internal expertise is the main challenge in executing an account-based marketing strategy.
Source: Statista (Leading B2B account-based marketing challenges in the U.S. 2022). February 2022
A 53% of marketers say that email has been the most effective channel for early-stage generation.
Source: Forrester (The New Digital Sales Experience Manifesto). March 2022
Only a 24% of the B2B buyers that completed sales rep-led purchases achieved a high quality deal.
Source: Gartner (Gartner Sales Survey Finds 83% of B2B Buyers Prefer Ordering or Paying Through Digital Commerce). 2022
An 82% of B2B brands are active on social media and try to reach and engage with potential buyers with these platforms.
Source: Gartner (Top 5 Emerging B2B Software Marketing Trends for 2022). January 2022
Over a 50% of B2B companies in the US conduct extensive primary research to better understand customer decision journeys.
Source: Harvard Business Review (How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right). January 2022
42% of B2B marketers are planning to adopt influencer marketing in 2024.
Source: Statista (Marketing channels B2B businesses are planning to adopt worldwide 2022). 2023
27% of B2B marketing decision makers consider informing buyers about the company’s products and services the most important point of marketing and sales online.
Source: Statista (Leading online messaging goals for B2B marketing professionals in the U.S. 2022). June 2021 – May 2022
Only 5% of the buyer’s journey is spent with a salesperson.
Source: Gartner (The B2B Buying Journey Report). 2020
A 65% of the B2B buyers that self-navigated the purchase process achieved a high quality deal.
Source: Gartner (Gartner Sales Survey Finds 83% of B2B Buyers Prefer Ordering or Paying Through Digital Commerce). 2022
By 2027, more than a 50% of companies will use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their business initiatives.
Source: Gartner (3 B2B Software Marketing Trends You Must Know in 2023). January 2023
A 68% of marketers stated that paid advertising is very important or extremely important to their overall marketing strategy.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
25% of the B2B marketers are planning on using in-person events for influencer marketing in the near future.
Source: Statista (Marketing channels B2B businesses are planning to adopt worldwide 2022). 2023
33% of B2B marketing companies place content development the leading B2B marketing strategy.
Source: Statista (Top areas of marketing expenses among B2B companies worldwide 2021). 2021
Social Media
A 96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social marketing.
Source: Content Marketing Institute (2021 B2B Content Marketing: What Now?). 2020
A 16.2% of LinkedIn users log in daily.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
A 40% of B2B marketers surveyed indicated LinkedIn as the most effective channel for driving high-quality leads.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
78% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for paid content promotion.
Source: Statista (Top social media platforms used for B2B content marketing worldwide 2022). July 2022
Every second, three people create a LinkedIn account.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
LinkedIn has more than 940 million members.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
LinkedIn marketers see up to a 2x higher conversion rates on LinkedIn advertising.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
An 80% of LinkedIn members drive business decisions.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
56% of B2B marketers use Facebook for paid content promotion.
Source: Statista (Top social media platforms used for B2B content marketing worldwide 2022). July 2022
Almost 60% of LinkedIn members are between 25 and 34 years old.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
A 77% of content marketers say LinkedIn has the best organic results.
Source: LinkedIn (28 LinkedIn Stats You Need TO Know in 2023). May 2023
A 77% of B2B content marketers believe that LinkedIn produces the best results.
Source: Content Marketing Institute, Marketing Profs and ON24 (12th Annual B2B Content Marketing). 2022
Nearly a 50% of B2B marketers consider LinkedIn “very effective” or “extremely” effective in reaching marketing goals.
Source: Statista (LinkedIn’s effectiveness for B2B marketers worldwide 2022). 2022
Strategies
A 62% of B2B companies feel that their ROI falls short of expectations.
Source: Bain & Company (The Sales Playbook of Successful B2B teams). August 2021
A 30% of the budget of marketing teams is spent on content creation to fulfil a variety of engagement initiatives.
Source: Gartner (Marketing Channel Strategy: The Complete Guide). 2023
A 76% of companies use marketing automation.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
30% of B2B marketing decision makers consider understanding and speaking about the customer’s pain points the most important point of marketing and sales online.
Source: Statista (Leading online messaging goals for B2B marketing professionals in the U.S. 2022). June 2021
A 91% of professionals involved with B2B state that creating brand awareness is one of the goals they had with their content marketing activities.
Source: Statista (Goals of B2B content marketing worldwide 2021). November 2021
B2Bs with the fastest revenue growth rates approach customers sooner and with a more consultative mindset.
Source: McKinsey (Building next-generation B2B sales capabilities). March 2022
Hybrid sales drive up to 50% more revenue.
Source: McKinsey (The future of B2B sales is hybrid). April 2022
70% of companies say omnichannel is more effective than their pre-pandemic model.
Source: McKinsey (The new B2B growth equation). February 2022
Only 4% of marketers measure beyond six months.
Source: The B2B Institute (2030 B2B Trends). 2022
Just 34% of Uk salespeople still use cold calling as a tactic.
Source: The B2B Institute (2030 B2B Trends). 2022
A 90% of B2B leaders believe that improving CX makes them gain competitive advantage.
Source: Deloitte (Close the expectation gap with your B2B customers). January 2021
A 56% of marketers who leverage blogging say it’s effective.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
78% of B2B marketers would invest in video content marketing.
Source: Statista (Leading content marketing investment areas for B2B marketers worldwide 2022). July 2022
23% of B2B marketing decision makers consider a clear communication of the value proposition the most important point of marketing and sales online.
Source: Statista (Leading online messaging goals for B2B marketing professionals in the U.S. 2022). June 2021
An 80% of video marketers claim that videos have directly increased the sales.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
The number one priority for marketers is improving the use of tools and technologies.
Source: Salesforce (The 8th Edition State of Marketing Report). 2022
59% of winning companies embed technology and personalisation.
Source: McKinsey (The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow). April 2023
On average, it takes 18 or more dials to reach a tech prospect with cold calling.
Source: LinkedIn (Cold Calling Tips & Techniques). 2023
Having a balanced investment between brand and acquisition improves acquisition results by a factor of 6.
Source: The B2B Institute (2030 B2B Trends). 2022
92% of B2B marketers now have an ABM program, and 68% of them use automation.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2022). 2022
A 72% of the marketing budget is now going to purely digital channels.
Source: Gartner (The State of Marketing Budgets in 2021). July 2021
An 82% of marketers actively use content marketing.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
Content download + offer forms (54%) and in-person events + trade shows (47%) are the most used tactics to gain prospect and customer data after the use of registration forms.
Source: Statista (Leading B2B tactics to acquire prospect and customer data worldwide 2022). January 2022
Website and SEO Marketing (30% and 29%) are considered the best B2B marketing strategies after content development.
Source: Statista (Top areas of marketing expenses among B2B companies worldwide 2021). 2021
An 88% of video marketers report that video gives them a positive ROI.
Source: Hubspot (The State of Marketing Report 2023). 2023
Customer data acquisition and customer journeys by segment are the key factors to optimise digital marketing performance.
Source: Gartner (What the Best Digital Brands Do Differently). March 2023
Cold call average conversion rates are around 2%.
Source: LinkedIn (Cold Calling Tips & Techniques). 2023
Brand marketing vs activation is set to become roughly 75% of the investment in 2030, vs 46% in 2023.
Source: The B2B Institute (2030 B2B Trends). 2022
One-quarter of B2B companies devote less than 20% of their marketing budget to the brand.
Source: Boston Consulting Group (Why B2B Brand Marketing Matters). 2023