• by Ray Schultz , January 15, 2019

B2B brands are pursuing digital transformation — in varying degrees, according to Digital Transformation and the Customer Experience, a study by FPX.

Of 229 B2B decision makers, 68% say their firms are undergoing such a transformation. The process could affect many activities within a company, presumably including email marketing.

Of those that aren’t pursuing a transformation, 25% are delaying the project because they are satisfied with the status quo.

Also, 85% agree that their firm has a clear internal consensus of what digital transformation means.

The top goal is improving the customer experience.

Overall, 58% cite that as an objective, but the number jumps to 63% for manufacturers. However, in an apparent contradiction, only 25% say the best way to drive more sales is to enhance the buyer experience.

Of those polled, 95% agree that digital transformation funds are best spent on improving the customer experience.

In addition, 39% of manufacturers plan to invest in instant quote technology, and 33% expect to spend on configure-price-quote technology.

However, 94% say a faster quote-to-order process will drive additional sales. But 53% admit that the process now takes five days. Another 35% can do it in one to four days, and only 13% can respond in less than a day.   

Another spending priority is e-commerce, with 38% planning to invest it in 2019. However, only 28% of non-manufacturers will do so.

At the same time, 38% of the manufacturers will spend on sales portals, along with 34% of non-manufacturers.

Other high priorities include pricing optimization and IoT.

Among the manufacturers, 68% currently have internal portals, 65% have sales portals and 59% rely on internal collaboration technology.

Richard Hearn, CEO of FPX, states that “too many companies are fine with their current capabilities, which in some cases can serve as a death sentence for B2B organizations.”

He adds: “Laggards will quickly fall behind competitors, and must prioritize making technology investments for a better buying and selling experience in 2019.”