8 out of 10 B2B leaders consider it effective.
A study by the American consulting firm McKinsey reveals that omnichannel is here to stay.

B2B buyers have already reached omnichannel and are not choosing between in-person, remote and e-commerce channels; everyone wants them. Research by consulting firm McKinsey on B2B decision makers confirms that omnichannel is not a trend but a vital element.

It is the standard, not the exception. The pandemic consolidated omnichannel as the predominant path for B2B sales and buyers showed that they prefer to combine cross-channels. Digital formats were popular and the preference for electronic commerce (self-service, for example) increased since August 2020.

B2Bs say omnichannel works and even outperforms previous approaches. Eight in ten B2B leaders say omnichannel is equally or more effective than traditional methods, a sentiment that rose from 54% at the beginning of the pandemic to 83% in February 2021.

Shoppers will spend 6 figures or more digitally. Despite the belief that big sales require in-person contact, 20% of B2B buyers said they would be willing to spend more than $500,000 on a fully remote/digital sales model. And 11% would spend more than a million. As shopping becomes omnichannel, sales models will become hybrid.

64% of B2B companies intend to increase the number of hybrid salespeople over the next 6 months, making this model (sales representatives who interact with customers via video, phone, apps, and occasional in-person visits) the primary sales role. Only 15% of B2B companies expect in-person sales meetings to be the norm in the future. E-commerce was the most popular go-to-market route for B2B companies as of February 2021. 41% of leaders say it is their most effective sales route, even surpassing in-person sales (37%) and video (31%).

B2Bs must overcome the pain points of omnichannel. Find an effective way for reps to work from home, make remote interactions feel like in-person experiences, and provide digital trials and demos that give buyers knowledge equivalent to in-person selling. Channel conflicts are another challenge.

THE AUTHORS OF THE STUDY
Liz Harrison is a partner in McKinsey's Charlotte office and global leader of McKinsey's B2B Pulse; Dennis Spillecke is a senior partner in the Cologne office; Jennifer Stanley is a partner in the Boston office and Jenny Tsai is an associate partner in New York.