Do you know who your buyers are and what they expect? According to LinkedIn’s 2025 B2B Buyers Report , Millennials now make up 73% of all B2B buyers and 44% of final purchasing decision-makers. Mark Broham reports in Digital Commerce 360: “The B2B commerce landscape is undergoing a generational transformation; Millennials – those born between 1981 and 1996 – have firmly taken control of corporate buying decisions, driving a new era defined by digital expectation, streamlining purchasing, and marketplace dominance.”
Four principles
Millennials were raised on the Amazon experience — fast and easy purchasing. They expect the same type of service from their suppliers. Here are four important principles guiding buyer expectations today.
- A personalized experience – A recent study shows that 73% of buyers expect to receive a personalized Amazon B2C experience in their B2B transactions. Many companies now utilize AI technology to track customers’ purchasing habits and online searches, enabling them to send targeted ads based on demand.
- Buyer enablement – Commercial success now hinges on the ease, speed, and convenience of sales. Distributors must create a simplified pathway to their technical expertise. The buyer must be able to access your added value differentiator with the ease of a simple transaction. If he/she can purchase what sets you apart conveniently, they will favor you.
- A Self-Guided Digital Channel – Gen Y and Gen Z (TikTok generation) are known for their self-reliance and research habits. Many customers prefer to find detailed product information, compare options, and make purchases independently, without needing to contact a sales representative. They also use AI tools in their personal lives and expect similar innovations to be available in the B2B purchasing process.
- A partnering relationship – AI will continue to advance the customer-supplier relationship by making it easier to identify customer needs. Its presence changes the responsibilities of the outside sales rep (OSR). The relationship of the OSR to the client is now one of consultative collaboration. Today’s reps need to work with clients to increase their profitability. Interactions should enhance work efficiency by helping the customer get the right things done. The relationship must move past a focus on products and services to client success. As the late Zig Ziglar expressed so well, “You can get anything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”
Meet buyers’ expectations
It is an exciting time to be meeting your customers’ expectations. Lastly, spend time engaging the next generation of buyers by providing a personalized buying experience, easy access to your products, a self-guided digital channel, and sales that focus on client success.
Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.