The evidence continues to mount that B2B buyers across the board are making more digital purchases. The newest survey of 150 buyers from Digital Commerce 360 and Forrester Research shows that the frequency of purchasing is changing — and rapidly.

The survey reveals that just over 50% of B2B buyers make a digital purchase of a good or service for their organization daily. That includes nearly one-third, 32%, that make a business purchase at least several times per day. In comparison, 23% of survey respondents make weekly purchases. Meanwhile, 17% do so every 30 days.

Many B2B buyers make purchases daily

B2B buyers are increasing the frequency of their business purchasing in part because younger purchasing managers and purchasing teams are digital-first customers. In a study last year based on a survey of nearly 14,000 B2B buyers, Forrester Research found that young buyers far more than their older peers preferred digital and self-service purchasing methods over traditional in-person options.

Among B2B buyers, those born in 1981 or later “now hold the keys to decision-making for the majority of purchases,” Forrester says.

It defines millennials as people born between 1981 and 1996. Gen Z refers to those born between 1996 and 2012. Forrester defines older buyers as Baby Boomers and Gen X, those born between 1946 and 1980.

Millennial and Generation Z buyers are much more digital in their channel usage than their older counterparts. For example, 35% of younger buyers say they will use an enterprise app to make corporate purchases. 19% of millennial and Generation Z buyers prefer placing orders with an inside sales representative. That compares with 24% of older B2B buyers.

Today’s B2B buyers also do their homework before making a single purchase. The new Digital Commerce 360/Forrester Research survey shows that 55% of buyers have done at least significant pre-purchase research by the time they visit a seller to initiate and complete a transaction.

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