The Buyer’s Journey: Business Applications

Forrester’s Buyers’ Journey Survey, 2022 asked global purchase influencers about their experiences of making a variety of technology and non-technology purchases for their businesses. In our recent report, The Buyer’s Journey: Business Applications, we looked at respondents who purchased or will purchase a business application. Here is a sneak peek into some of the key insights we gleaned from this study.

In A Shaky Economy, Efficiency And Effectiveness Drive Purchases

With an unpredictable economy and continued restraints on global resources, businesses are looking for ways to maximize productivity without sacrificing quality. The most frequently noted drivers of business application purchases by both technology and business decision-makers involved improving efficiency and effectiveness. Business decision-makers were more likely to select these drivers than the former, in line with typical buying behavior for the persona.

Tech Purchases Remain In The Realm Of IT

Despite heavy business involvement, technology decision-makers had a higher rate of significant to full involvement across all phases of the buying process than business decision-makers. Technology decision-makers consistently sought out the same information across all phases of the buying process. They sought out information pertaining to technology trends, integration with existing systems, and integration with business processes.

No Death Of A Salesman — Human Still Reigns Over Digital

While it may seem like most purchases are now made by a mere click of a button, human interaction is evidently still valued in business application purchases. The most frequently cited method for initial purchase was a contract/purchase order with an enterprise account rep, at 36%. Similarly, the leading method for renewals or footprint expansion was also with an enterprise account rep, at 31%. Digital buying is still a popular buying method though, accounting for a quarter of initial purchases.