How to do market research and better understand your target customers + AI prompts & template

For production agencies and marketers alike, this underscores why tech and SaaS companies rely so heavily on video to move prospects through the pipeline. He’s also an executive fellow at the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard and a New York Times bestselling author of five books, including Love is the Killer App. This shift is creating new challenges and opportunities for sellers attempting to identify and influence the right decision-makers. But it’s challenging news, because operating budgets are scrutinized for return on investment. Confidence in the dealership model continues to rise, but buyers are also spending more time researching and comparing options. TrafficView helps dealers to analyze defections by lead source, model, salesperson and geography.

While you can create a journey map using simple tools like PowerPoint mind maps, or sticky notes on a wall (never underestimate good ol' pen and paper), dedicated software can enhance collaboration and keep your map updated. Incorporate quarterly reviews with your team to update your map based on new data and market changes. Our customer journey map guide provides excellent frameworks for organizing these elements.

Journey mapping provides businesses with insights that they can use to improve their processes. B2B customer journey mapping helps you see where your business aligns with customer expectations — and where it doesn’t. Despite these obstacles, only 36% of B2B businesses employ customer personas and journey maps to comprehend and enhance the buyer experience. This generational shift, combined with the rapid rise of generative AI (genAI), is fundamentally altering the way that business buyers make their purchases, and we can expect rapid changes in 2025. They’re searching for the right options, surfaced quickly, with clear pricing, and deal clarity that helps them narrow options.

Forrester Announces The Conference Agenda For B2B Forum EMEA 2026

Grok (12%), Perplexity (9%), and Claude (8%) trail significantly among general consumers. ChatGPT leads the market with 64% of users using it monthly, followed by Gemini at 49%. Shifting referral patterns across these platforms directly impact site acquisition; analyzing the latest gen ai traffic share reveals how specific model updates redistribute visitor volume.

In fact, 63% of consumers who ask for information about your business or products won’t purchase for at least 3 months. This shows just how significant long-term customer loyalty can be for businesses. That includes different purchasing options and ever more convenient customer service. And present your product or service as one of the best options.

What percentage of B2B companies use video marketing in 2026?

That includes deploying AI agents to assist with tasks such as supplier evaluation, solution configuration and value assessment. Buyers increasingly rely on digital channels to search for products, compare options and validate decisions. At the same time, 45% said they used artificial intelligence tools during a recent purchase, indicating that AI is becoming a principal component of how business customers research and evaluate suppliers. Nearly seven in 10 B2B buyers prefer to complete purchases without interacting with a sales representative, underscoring a shift toward rep-free, self-directed, digital buying behavior, buyers journey according to a survey released by Gartner.

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You don’t need all the data from all the sources at once. In plain words, they quickly found out and understood new or hidden customer groups that matter for their business. Existing tools, like Google Analytics and forms, were limiting Beable from making data-driven improvements.

What the Buyer's Journey Looks Like for Consumers in 2025

Revenue growth acceleration is the most direct business case for video investment. For B2B teams, this means short-form video should be a standard asset in every product or service launch. For B2B companies selling complex solutions, this is one of the most important data points in the entire set. 93% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

How to tailor your sales process to the buyer’s journey

The selling isn’t the conclusion; it’s actually just the beginning of a relationship. They may be unaware of available alternatives, so it’s your responsibility to assist them in understanding. By understanding the nuances of B2B customer journeys, you can create strategies that better address their needs at every stage.

It includes identifying a need, researching solutions, evaluating options, making the purchase, and reflecting on the experience afterward. Understanding this journey helps businesses deliver the right message at the right time. Being able to successfully retain customers leads to repeat purchases and (if you do a good job) advocacy of your business. There are many different types of advertising available to businesses, including pay-per-click (PPC), Google Ads, search engine marketing and social media marketing. My opinion is that sales teams can play a key role here by staying connected with converted customers, ensuring they’re getting real value from the product or service. And existing consumers are more inclined to trust businesses that care about them.

• Are there touchpoints where engagement is low, or could additional support move customers to the next stage?
• As G2’s Director of SMBs Mike Buscemi explains, “Software buyers today act like B2C consumers because they have so many options.
• In B2B, this means partnering with industry experts, thought leaders, and even your own customers to amplify your message.
• Email verification is the process of confirming that an email address is valid and deliverable, which helps improve campaign performance.

Rather than seeing these changes as obstacles, consider them opportunities to refine your approach, build stronger relationships with buyers, and create a sales experience that truly resonates with your customers. He recommends sales reps prepare by leveraging a data enrichment tool to help them better identify who is ready to buy and when. This approach aligns with current trends in consumer behavior on social media platforms.

“We identify a specific problem and come up with a list of requirements. Most organizations follow the same core steps in their business purchasing cycle. The study uncovered the major touchpoints, decision factors, and stakeholder dynamics that form today’s B2B purchases. Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in tech and SaaS architecture, he specializes in turning complex AI models into practical, no-code data extraction tools. So, what does all this data mean for you and your team? In B2B, this means partnering with industry experts, thought leaders, and even your own customers to amplify your message.

The B2B customer journey is not a straight line — it’s a series of processes in which firms discover requirements, investigate solutions, and form long-term partnerships. For B2C, it’s more about making an emotional link and making it easy and quick to buy. Building trust, negotiating complicated decision-making layers, and providing solutions tailored to unique business needs are all essential components of B2B brand success.