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The APAC B2B Buyer Journey Research Hub.

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Why B2B buyers are buying faster and earlier (and how AI is influencing the process).

For nearly two decades, APAC B2B buyers have been delaying engagement with sellers until later in the buying journey. This trend is explained by two main forces.

Firstly, there is a proliferation of accessible content that has made buyers increasingly self-sufficient. Secondly, generational change is occurring as Millennials and Gen Zs have entered B2B buying teams. They have decision-making roles with a digital-first mentality and demand a frictionless buying experience.

However, this study completed by 632 APAC B2B organisations finds there is a significant shift in buying team behaviour.

Produced in partnership with

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buyer journey research report (2)
11

people are typically in the APAC buying group.

60%

of the buying journey is over by the time the buyer engages the vendor.

85%

mostly complete requirements before contacting vendors.

76%

said the first vendor contacted usually wins the business. 

The report: an overview.

big-picture

The Big Picture

Check out the big picture and key stats. Whilst the core buying process is still in two key phases, Selection and Validation, buying teams are reaching out earlier in APAC. Faster cycles, smaller teams but shortlisting slightly more vendors. They are having less interactions with vendors as they turn to AI in the earlier research phase.
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closer-look

A Closer Look

Take a deeper look at the report’s other findings and insights. Marketers clearly must build awareness and engagement during the Selection Phase in order to give Sales a reasonable chance to win the deal. 'AI Inside' the product/service is bringing experienced B2B buyers out into the open earlier as they seek to understand AI aspects of the purchase they are about to make.
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PART 1

The Big Picture.

 
PART 2

Exploring how B2B buyers buy.

  • We surveyed a range of buyers from 632 B2B organisations in APAC.
  • Participants had been involved in B2B deals exceeding US$25,000 in value over the last 24 months.
  • Participants were from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
  • Two thirds of the participants were from the IT/Tech, financial services and manufacturing sectors followed by one quarter from professional and business services.

Buyer group influence in B2B buying journey

Our research reported that there are solution and reputational buyers in APAC who are open to switching vendors even after agreeing on a preferred option. While 76% of buyers reach out to their preferred vendor first and ultimately purchase from them, roughly a quarter end up going with a different vendor than their first choice.
Buyer-Group-Influence-In-B2B-Buying-Journey_v2 1
buyer-experience-reality

How AI is impacting the buying process

Buyers tell us that they expect the presence of AI in their B2B solution. Our report indicates the varying degrees of this requirement across product categories. So, regardless of the deep experience of these buying members, globally they are reaching out sooner to understand the 'AI inside'. Below you can see five key AI criteria raising questions. Further, most buyers are using LLMs to help understand that AI inside.
AI Impact Graph_web 1

AI Solution Transparency

What does the buyer want to know about AI in your solution? 
capability

Capability

Data privacy

Data privacy 

Data security

Data security 

Pricing

Pricing

Training

Training

Where to from here for B2B CMOs?

Win your place in the Selection Phase shortlist
Treat the Selection Phase as the real battleground – 76% of the time the preferred Selection Phase vendor wins. Invest in search and discoverability – GEO, AEO, SEO, including comparison pages, and third-party validations.
Drive ABM to engage the whole buying party
Know the whole buying party for your target accounts that matter. Shift success metrics from MQLs to whole buying group engagement. Build persona-based content for reputational buyers as well as solution buyers e.g. ROI calculators, security one-pagers, compliance checklists.
Publish Selection Phase content including an AI-Inside Transparency Kit
Publish thought-leadership personalised for personas and industries. Provide AI clarity in your MOFU/BOFU content as buyers seek to understand the ‘AI inside’ your solution.
Transform measurement model away from MQL/clicks to four journey stage measures
Share of search and large language model – as a proxy for brand strength. Buying party engagement. Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs) – leverage 1/2/3rd party intent signals. Pipeline uplift – opportunities and wins.
B2B Buyer Journey 2025 Mock

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We have been developing B2B marketing research since 2011...

in collaboration with leading industry groups – BBN International, the Australian Marketing Institute and ADMA.

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