Businesses’ 2021 Recovery Plans Tap into the Benefits of Automation and AI
Will Lovatt,
2020 was a year dominated by disruption. It’s no secret that COVID-19 has drastically altered the way any business operates. This has certainly been the case in the B2B world, with the pandemic leading to a seismic shift in B2B buying behaviours and preferences. And many of these changes look set to be made permanent.
Since the outbreak started, 37 percent of companies were primarily purchasing through digital channels – up 29 percent prior to COVID-19, and this is expected to continue to rise to 40 percent post-pandemic, according to research from PROS. This has led to an extra level of scrutiny on all business activities as working patterns shift and businesses battle against the uncertainty. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 15-20 percent of B2B buyers want to interact with sales people face-to-face, even in their ideal post-COVID model. In 2021, businesses will be focusing on what their recovery will look like and how the digital transformation efforts deployed last year can support their rebound.