B2B decision journey research: Understanding the buyer mindset

Understanding the path to purchase

B2b audiences typically complete around 60% of the purchase process before engaging with suppliers.

Therefore, understanding the path to purchase is vital in driving brand preference. And crucially, it begins long before considerations on the likes of product features and price.

Buyer journey mapping provides a simple and effective process to understanding the entire path to purchase. It allows you to step into the buyer’s shoes and identify the touchpoints and interactions most critical to success.

Learn more about buyer journey research, and take a look at an example map, by clicking the link below.

Humanising the target audience through personas

In b2b markets, your customer is a business. But in your sales and marketing messages, you are engaging with an individual.

It is just as important to understand the individual buyer as it is the business they work for.

This is where persona profiling comes in. It humanises segments of a target audience through demographics and characterising individual needs, motivations, and pain points.

Understanding these different personas makes it far easier for your sales and marketing teams to focus resources and better engage with key customer groups.

Take a look at some example personas by clicking the link below.

View example personas

Establishing stronger emotional connections

When presented with a range of products, a choice is made 7 seconds before consciousness kicks in.

This is because around 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously, based on emotion rather than logic.

In fact, business professionals are around 50% more likely to buy a product or service that demonstrates personal value through emotional appeals. They are also 8 times more likely to pay a premium.

Through our decision journey research we’ve identified the 4 steps of emotional engagement – trust, empathy, enrichment and eminence – that can help strengthen the emotional engagement with customers.

The benefits are significant. Brands that appeal to emotional drivers not only influence purchasing, but also enjoy higher loyalty and advocacy.

Learn more about each of the 4 steps by clicking the link below.