The 2025 B2B Ecommerce Site Search Trends Report focuses on the current state of B2B ecommerce search and discovery. It examines levels of adoption and the use of AI, as well as future trends and areas of concern for those operating in the sector.
AI Search remains integral to continued growth in the B2B ecommerce space. At the same time, priorities are changing as we enter a new phase in the AI adoption cycle.
Evolving B2B ecommerce landscape
Our data shows that 67% of ecommerce B2Bs currently use and leverage AI and machine learning to support growth. Nevertheless, adoption levels vary or are at an early stage, with significant room for growth.
- 84% are keenly aware of AI's importance to long-term strategy
- Only 41% of B2B companies are fully AI operational
For the respondents contacted in this report, top priorities included:
- Optimizing inventory management: 39%
- Scaling revenue and accountability: 36%
- Personalizing customer experiences: 34%
- Increasing ecommerce sales: 27%
Ongoing challenges included:
- Security: 30%
- Data management: 28%
- Scaling infrastructure: 28%
When compared to last year's report, respondents focused less on AI implementation and more on driving customer-centered solutions and harnessing existing or soon to be implemented AI capabilities.
Powering the customer experience
Many businesses are now taking a more tailored approach to shaping the B2B ecommerce experience. Consequently, the customer journey has emerged as a central focus.
Fifty-three percent of organizations cite customer feedback as central to their innovation strategy. As a result, organizations are measuring success through:
- Enhanced customer feedback scores
- Reduced order processing times
- Improved customer retention rates
AI: integral to B2B ecommerce
No longer “nice to have,” AI-supported tools and search are a critical part of the B2B ecommerce tech stack.
- AI is a growing and accepted technology in the sector but implementation costs, ROI uncertainty, and integration difficulties sometimes hinder adoption
- Europe Middle East and Asia (EMEA) enterprise markets demonstrate more interest and prioritize use of AI technology by a small margin. They feel the benefits outweigh the potential risks when compared to North American respondents
- AI search and discovery features provide important value-added functionality and appeal to B2B ecommerce users
Strengthening AI and generative
AI features
Respondents emphasized the utility of specific AI-powered features when selecting search and discovery solutions.
- The ability to measure metrics from a single dashboard was a critical
capability and key feature, ranking at
the top of the list
This was followed by four generative AI-powered capabilities:
- Automatically generated product descriptions and product attributes based on contextual data
- Buyers guides created automatically using AI, based on product catalogs
- Product comparison summaries automatically generated by AI
- AI-generated customer sentiment analysis based on product review
Overall, 39% of respondents acknowledged the importance of generative AI. This result emphasizes the critical role this powerful technology will continue to play in shaping AI-powered search implementations and strategy moving forward.
B2B ecommerce outlook
The B2B ecommerce sector is looking for support when it comes to using AI to improve data quality, implement dynamic pricing, and deliver innovative product solutions. At the same time, fears of recession and market uncertainty have tempered the investment horizon over the past year. This has impacted the way B2B ecommerce companies choose and implement AI-based search and discovery solutions.
A key trend from last year's report saw B2B decision makers preparing to employ AI-powered search tools with advanced generative AI features as well as data analytics. They were looking to the new implementations to deliver a better overall experience to their customers —regardless of industry.
This year B2B enterprises are taking a more tempered approach. Having implemented the technology, many are looking to focus AI capabilities on maximizing customer experience functionality and processes.
Areas of ongoing concern for companies in the B2B ecommerce space include:
- Security
- Data management
- Improving customer support channels
Nevertheless, as ecommerce becomes an increasingly important sales channel and revenue generator, enterprises are employing advanced AI-based search and discovery solutions to address customer needs and improve the user experience.
About the report
The Algolia B2B Ecommerce Site Search Trends Report 2025 is based on an extensive survey of over 300 current users of B2B ecommerce search and discovery platforms in North America and Europe, Middle East, and Asia (EMEA).
The report draws from a range of industry players and sectors, but places a particular focus on enterprise-sized companies among mid-market and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Survey respondents operated B2B ecommerce operations in the following sectors:
Company annual revenues ranged from over $200 million for 56% of respondents, $50 million to $200 million for 22%, and under $50 million for the remaining 22%.
- Close to 3/4 of the respondents (70%) serviced both businesses and consumers
- Online sales represented, on average, 27.5% of total sales when compared to traditional offline sales channels. This was a small increase from the previous year's 26.4%
Those contacted for the survey were almost equally split between business (49%) and technical (51%) functions with the majority working at a director level (63%) or above.
To ensure depth of understanding of the B2B ecommerce space, the study was agnostic with respect to industry and company size. The Algolia B2B Ecommerce Site Search Trends Report 2025 was conducted online in the form of a survey in 2024 in partnership with Escalent, a leading market research, data analytics, and advisory firm.
B2B ecommerce and AI search
This section of the 2025 B2B Ecommerce Site Search Trends Report examines data points linked to better understanding use cases, challenges and priorities for those operating in the sector.
Ecommerce B2Bs continue to see year-on-year growth, and are leveraging advanced technologies like Algolia AI Search that harness the power of AI and ML tools to support business goals and success.
B2B players are well aware of the utility, power, and potential of AI technology. But implementation readiness varies. Some companies are building on existing AI-powered digital implementations while others are just beginning to integrate the technology as part of a new implementation.
Regardless, B2B ecommerce companies are taking a more detailed and tailored approach when it comes to using the technology to address key business priorities and strategic goals and generate bottom-line results. A recurring theme – improving the customer experience and journey.
The shifting focus of ecommerce strategies
Ecommerce strategies among B2B organizations are shifting. Priorities have evolved from simply focusing on increasing online sales and gaining a competitive edge to providing a more personalized, customer-centric experience in support of business growth.
In the context of this changing ecosystem, the top three factors driving new technology solutions were the need to:
- 37% - Address increasing customer
expectations,
- 36% - Support business growth and
scalability,
- 34% - Improve the online customer
experience.
Nevertheless, even in what has been a more cautious and restrained macro-economic environment, increasing overall B2B ecommerce sales remained a top priority for over a quarter (27%) of respondents.
The data also suggests that B2B businesses are still focused on advancing their digital transformation — looking to improve their existing ecommerce stack and the experience for customers rather than simply increasing the number of ecommerce users.
The focus on improving the online experience for B2B clients is reflected in the factors identified by respondents as requiring meaningful technology and UX solutions. These include:
- 31%: Increasing competition and differentiation
- 31%: Improving search results and functionality
- 30%: Need for more advanced tech
- 28%: Enhancing efficiency through automation
- 28%: Better consolidation of data and information
Search and discovery use cases
Use cases for search and discovery remain broadly consistent with previous years. The one notable exception is a 6% decrease in ecommerce implementation.
This result points to a new focus for B2B ecommerce enterprises. Companies are placing greater emphasis on improving the existing site search experience for B2B clients, rather than simply investing in growing the base of ecommerce customers.
A key challenge involves improving customer education and digital purchase flows. For 19% of respondents, improving search helps ensure that customer needs are better understood and served. With customers seeing the products that best fit their needs, ecommerce B2Bs are better able to improve customer conversion, satisfaction, and retention.
The data suggests that users of B2B ecommerce AI search solutions have placed an increasing focus on site search and discovery capabilities in place of specific ecommerce functionalities.
Respondents report a 7% increase over last year's results when it comes to site search and discovery as a priority use case.
The report affirms one of the key trends moving through the B2B ecommerce AI-based search space over the past year — increasing specificity and focus around the UX.
Enterprises are thinking more about customer journeys and experience when it comes to adopting and implementing AI-based search and discovery solutions.
Improving scalability and the UX: key challenges for those seeking search and discovery solutions
One of the key challenges that B2B ecommerce respondents face when trying to choose a search and discovery solution involves improving the user experience for their customers. This also includes ensuring that systems can adapt to changing customer numbers.
Other challenges:
- Resource allocation: 29%
- Integration with existing systems: 28%
- Customization and flexibility: 28%
- Business alignment: 23%
- Technical and support requirements: 23%
- Internal alignment: 20%
As a result, it is no surprise that when it comes time to implement an AI-based search solution, scalability (31%), user experience (30%), and cost effectiveness (30%) are the top three concerns.
Other challenges highlight a particular focus on internal systems and functionality. These challenges include resource allocation (29%), integration with existing systems (28%), and customization and flexibility (28%).
The results point to the importance amongst B2B ecommerce players of focusing on reinforcing and advancing digital transformation priorities.
With users at different levels of implementation readiness, growth as a key priority sits alongside maximizing and enhancing the power of search technology solutions and improving the quality of the UX for B2B customers.
B2B growth strategy initiatives and key business priorities
With increasing digital maturity, B2B enterprises are addressing key business priorities with more detailed and tailored strategies.
Using advanced technology (e.g., cloud-based solutions, big data analytics, machine learning algorithms) to help employees with the majority of processes has increased from 26% in 2023 to 35% in 2024. Yet only 26% are using it to the fullest to provide an agile workforce at scale.
Though close to half of respondents (41%) indicated they have adopted AI and machine learning technologies in the past year, there is room for significant growth.
AI-supported search and discovery technologies are a key part of short- and long-term transformation initiatives, with close to 20% of respondents looking to implement new AI-based solutions in the coming 1 to 2 years.
Looking ahead, it’s clear that AI-supported solutions for search, online security, and website usability will be viewed as integral to digital strategy for B2B companies looking to grow their ecommerce footprint.
AI search is being incorporated in ways that help improve B2B organizational processes and meet key business priorities.
Enhancing the ecommerce experience
Beyond deciding between different search and discovery solutions, B2B players also want to enhance certain aspects of the ecommerce experience.
They are now taking a more considered approach and looking for benefits that improve internal processes rather than simply growing their customer base. These processes, in turn, help generate positive impacts from a productivity and customer-facing perspective on the overall customer experience down the line.
AI search is a key part of this strategy. It is being incorporated in ways that help improve B2B organizational processes and meet key business priorities.
According to respondents, these include:
- Scaling revenue and profitability: 36%
- Personalizing customer experiences: 34%
- Enhancing product search functionality: 34%
- Ensuring order accuracy: 33%
Improving cybersecurity and IT infrastructure
Short-term priorities line up with many of the digital transformation initiatives that B2B players are planning to undertake in the coming two years.
The increasing concern around data security and privacy, as well as existing legislation such as GDPR, means that security and the infrastructure to support it are top of mind as B2B ecommerce enterprises prepare for the future.
In the next two years:
- 31% foresee implementing enhanced security measures
- 33% expect to update their IT infrastructure
- 30% plan to improve usability and SEO by
upgrading website infrastructure
Satisfaction with existing digital transformation efforts
Data shows that recent digital transformation efforts have been successful at improving productivity, security, and customer satisfaction. The most impactful digital transformation initiatives reported include:
- 31% increase in efficiency and productivity
- 19% improved security and lowered data risk
- 16% raised customer satisfaction levels
- 9% better revenue and sales
- 9% improved business flexibility
With close to a third of respondents seeing positive impacts with efficiency and productivity, broad technology upgrades that include AI-based search and discovery are clearly generating the desired results.
One of the outcomes is that B2B companies view AI-based technologies as applied solutions rather than as applied technology; there is less concern about the nuts and bolts powering a solution and a greater emphasis on outcomes.
The “wow factor” around AI has been replaced by a more considered and thoughtful approach. Leaders want to know how AI can solve specific problems and provide more effective solutions — improving security, efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction levels.
As AI-supported technology is increasingly integrated into tech stacks and the UX, how the technology works is less of a concern than the solution it provides, particularly when it comes to customer-facing transformations.
At the same time, the data provides a clear indication that leaders in the B2B ecommerce space view AI-supported technologies, like Algolia AI Search, as integral to powering and supporting the tools they are using now, as well as the ones they will be employing as they move into the future.
With our digital transformation and AI-supported search and discovery technology, we were able to enhance our cybersecurity measures and reduce the risk of data breaches.
-UK, Distributor, Mid-Sized
B2B AI adoption
At the same time, many of these enterprises also consider themselves to be in the early stages of implementing and integrating AI technology into their ecommerce ecosystem.
It comes as no surprise that 20% of the 33% of respondents who have yet to implement an AI-based solution are very, or somewhat familiar with the technology. Similarly, an average of 84% of respondents across technical and business roles are keenly aware of AI's importance to long-term strategy, though adoption trends are still low.
Integrating AI workflows and processes
While a third of respondents have never used (20%) or are not aware (13%) of AI technology, B2B ecommerce adoption rates will continue to increase.
Over the next two years, 20% of respondents estimate ongoing AI integrations specifically in relation to ecommerce operations, while 30% expect to implement new or ongoing AI integrations across a range of systems over the same period.
These numbers suggest that there is still some level of hesitation to solutions that are viewed as too reliant on AI-powered technology across the B2B ecommerce stack.
At the same time, as forecasted adoption rates remain conservative, particularly at the active suggest significant room for continued growth and integration of AI into key B2B ecommerce processes.
EMEA and North America
The research also indicates that attitudes towards AI technology for B2B ecommerce vary between North American companies and those based in Europe, Middle East, and Asia (EMEA).
North American B2B organizations generally expressed more concern about the risks of using AI (17%) compared to only 7% for EMEA and larger enterprise companies.
The greater focus on prioritizing AI technology suggests that EMEA and enterprise companies may be more advanced in their AI journey over the next two years.
AI: From value added to critical B2B ecommerce resource
In 2025, AI-powered technology is still in the early stages of implementation for many in the B2B ecommerce sector. There is a strong awareness of the technology's utility but given current adoption trends there is significant room for growth.
The research also points to the way in which leadership has a more sophisticated understanding of AI's potential. This has cultivated a new emphasis on using the technology to generate specific outcomes, in particular around the B2B customer experience and journey.
Overall, businesses in the B2B ecommerce space are less concerned with using AI as an 'add-on' technology. Instead, they are focused on using AI integrations and advancing the digital experience to maximize ROI and the UX for their customers.
Maximizing AI's potential
Most of the respondents are aware of the importance of AI as part of a long-term strategy. For close to 70% of those surveyed it is not the top priority, but rather ranks amongst many other significant priorities competing for attention and resources.
B2B ecommerce companies are more concerned about advancing their digital transformation and AI simply serves as part of that process. In other words, they view AI as a means to an end.
They want to maximize the potential of natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and AI-powered technologies like Algolia's AI Search in the service of:
- Scaling revenue and accountability: 36%
- Personalizing customer experiences: 34%
- Increasing ecommerce sales: 27%
After more than two years of heightened industry interest around AI, it appears that we are entering a new phase when it comes to adopting AI-based solutions.
The fact that 33% of respondents are still at the awareness stage and 20% are planning some kind of AI implementation in the next two years suggests a more cautious approach.
The novelty around AI is being replaced by a more considered and focused understanding with B2B ecommerce companies placing greater importance on solving specific problems and improving KPIs.
Leadership is also demanding greater accountability for every marketing investment. From highs of 11% in 2020, average marketing budgets have dipped below 8% of company revenue in 2024. With lower marketing spends and an uncertain macro-environment, AI has become a tool amongst many others to help companies meet specific targets and generate bottom line results.
This more conservative strategy means that B2B organizations are seeking meaningful AI integrated solutions, rather than simply using AI as a value-added proposition to the online experience.
This comes across in the numbers. While 42% of companies have recently invested in AI and — having experienced the benefits of the technology — are planning to increase their investment in the next 2 years, others are more cautious.
A small but significant number (14%) haven't implemented AI solutions in their ecommerce stack but are planning to do so in the next 1 to 2 years.
For many within this group, AI investment is incorporated into processes linked to the ecommerce experience but is not a key priority.
AI is simply a tool in the service of key business priorities such as:
- Scaling revenue and profitability: 36%
- Personalizing customer experiences: 34%
- Enhancing product search
functionality: 34%
- Strengthening data security measures:
33%
- Ensuring order accuracy: 33%
As highlighted in section 4, for most B2B companies, ecommerce strategies are shifting from a focus on increasing online sales and gaining a competitive edge to providing a personalized, customer-centric experience to support business growth.
The success of digital transformation efforts is increasingly being assessed across metrics that are linked to customer satisfaction and experience rather than other critical business functions.
These metrics include customer feedback scores, order processing times, and improved accuracy in inventory management and demand forecasting.
As a result, it is not surprising that B2B ecommerce companies are harnessing the power of AI-powered search and discovery primarily to support the online customer experience and increase conversions and engagement.
For those that have already integrated an AI-powered digital transformation, the focus has shifted towards key business priorities that harness the power of the technology to specific ends rather than adding additional technology to enhance effectiveness.
Advancing digital transformation
Companies are aware of the utility of AI-powered technology in helping them generate brand funnel conversions. Digital maturity is advancing, but it operates at different levels for different B2B enterprises.
- 35% of respondents are using advanced
technology to help employees with the
majority of key processes — an increase of
9% over the previous year
- 31% are using advanced technology to help
employees with select processes
- 26% are using advanced technology to its
fullest capability in order to provide an agile
workforce at scale
When it comes to investing in AI technology, a majority (66%) of respondents plan to increase investment within the next one to two years.
This figure includes companies that have recently invested and plan to do more (42%), and those that haven't done so yet but plan to (14%) in the coming two years.
For the overwhelming number of respondents, AI is important to their long-term business strategy. Responses ranged from:
- Extremely important: 33%
- Very important: 51%
- Moderately important: 12%
B2B ecommerce organizations are actively leveraging AI technology to improve workflows and processes that impact the customer experience.
Those in business roles are typically more optimistic (18%) about the transformational power of long-term investments in, and adoption of, AI technology over the next two years compared to their colleagues in technical roles (10%).
The pessimism of those in technical roles suggests that two years is too short and that B2B organizations will systematically adopt AI at a slower velocity and over a longer time frame.
Nevertheless, the data shows that more than half of respondents (67%) are enthusiastic about AI.
- 29% of respondents believe that the
benefits of AI significantly outweigh
the risks
- 38% believe that the benefits of AI
somewhat outweigh the risks
- 21% believe that the risks and benefits
of AI are equal
B2B ecommerce organizations are actively leveraging AI technology to improve workflows and processes that impact the customer experience.
Key Steps to achieving AI integration
Looking beyond the three top initiatives completed in the past year — adopting AI and machine learning technologies, enforcing digital skills training and workforce upskilling, and enhancing online customer support channels — respondents are reaching towards a new set of digital transformation initiatives in the coming two-year horizon.
According to the data, the top contenders for new digital transformation initiatives for B2B ecommerce businesses include:
- Upgrading IT infrastructure: 33%
- Enhancing cybersecurity measures: 31%
- Upgrading websites for usability and
SEO: 30%
- Enhancing online customer support
channels: 24%
North American organizations, like their EMEA peers, share concerns around implementation costs and ROI uncertainty and feel these are often the key impediments to implementing AI-based solutions.
Respondents were asked about the critical steps they needed to take at the start of the AI journey to pave the way to integrating AI-based technology.
According to the data, respondents identified the following as critical to effectively implementing AI-based solutions:
- Enhancing IT infrastructure to support AI
integration and scalability: 41%
- Consulting with legal and compliance experts
to navigate regulatory challenges: 40%
- Developing a strategic roadmap for AI
adoption that aligns with business
objectives: 39%
- Conducting market research and
technology scouting to identify potential use
cases: 34%
The role of AI-powered search and discovery
From improving product data quality to personalizing customer experiences and recommendations, respondents viewed AI-powered search and discovery as a critical tool in addressing business challenges.
Respondents were asked to identify if a search and discovery AI solution would effectively address specific problem areas and business concerns. They identified the following:
- Improving data quality: 70%
- Implementing dynamic pricing
adjustments: 67%
- Enabling faster product innovation and
development: 79%
- Improving data analysis and decision
making processes: 69%
The results reinforce the common understanding around AI's powerful ability to harvest and make sense of rich and complex data.
AI integrations: priorities for B2B organizations
Business and IT leaders in the B2B ecommerce space are more adept and knowledgeable than ever before about AI-powered search and discovery.
One consequence is that they are now able to take a more granular and nuanced approach to applying AI-powered solutions to address critical business concerns.
This means using the technology to fine-tune the customer experience, improve the freedom of action of marketing and merchandising teams, and most importantly, get to market quicker.
To better understand the business needs and priorities of B2B ecommerce companies, respondents identified the five most important criteria when selecting search and discovery solutions:
- Ability to manage apps, indices, and users for multiple customers within one dashboard
- Automatically generated product descriptions and product attributes based on contextual data
- Automatically generate buyers’ guides using AI based on product catalogs
- AI automatically generated product comparison summaries
- Customer sentiment analysis generated by AI based on product reviews
B2B companies are also looking for AI-powered chat experiences that employ natural language processing and quick search and retrieval capabilities. They also expect AI-based search and discovery to refine query suggestions based on result volumes.
Maximizing the impact of B2B ecommerce site search
Respondents have an understanding of the value of AI-powered search to improve the sales funnel and better shape the customer experience.
But the data also suggests that a number of factors have to come together to make that possible. Simply applying AI, ML, and NLP to the ecommerce mix isn't enough.
The technology has to be effectively harnessed to generate very particular outcomes in a holistic and integrated manner.
Security is at the top of the list, alongside key processes that can improve business automation, digital marketing tools, and the customer experience.
As AI search implementations increase, and B2B ecommerce players test use cases and new integrations, the unique factors to generate long-term growth and ROI are becoming an integral part of marketing and merchandising decisions.
Upgrades to websites and infrastructure: key challenges
Online security, data management, and scaling infrastructure are the key challenges faced by B2B ecommerce organizations moving into 2025.
Based on our research data, respondents identified the following as impediments to accelerating their digital transformation:
- Online security: 30%
- Data management: 28%
- Scaling infrastructure: 28%
- Pace of technological advancement: 27%
- Meeting customer expectations: 27%
Given the focus on ecommerce, it is no surprise that online security is an ongoing concern for businesses operating in this space.
The top four challenges in the list can also be understood as being causally linked, since a security issue can directly impact technology, infrastructure, and data. And the process can also work the other way around, with changes in technology or data management impacting security.
B2B businesses are looking to improve their existing ecommerce stack and the digital experience for customers rather than simply increasing their customer numbers. The concern around meeting customer expectations is significant and supports the other findings in the 2025 report. It reinforces the shift that we are witnessing this year across companies operating in the sector.
Cybersecurity
B2Bs are well aware of the risks posed by cybersecurity threats and know that they always have to remain one step ahead of malicious actors.
Not only are the threats more serious, they are also increasing. According to the World Economic Forum, cybersecurity threats are becoming more common, with 90% of organizations experiencing a security breach in the last year.
Our report shows that amongst the top three initiatives that respondents plan to undertake, 31% of respondents identified enhanced cybersecurity measures, alongside upgraded IT infrastructure (33%) and upgraded websites for improved usability and SEO (30%).
Given the clear and present threat of malicious actors and cybercriminals, B2B enterprises must always remain vigilant. The risk to brand and reputation from a data breach or cyberattack can be enormous.
Additionally, punitive legislation in many jurisdictions means that mismanagement of personal and private user data can incur stiff penalties, generating a wave of negative consequences. The concern for cybersecurity reinforces the claim that any technology implementation should have security and compliance criteria engineered from the very start.
Products like Algolia's AI Search consider security and privacy from the initial design phase all the way through to implementation.
B2B clients must ensure that security and compliance concerns are being met through all stages of the digital transformation process.
Improving the online digital experience
We asked B2B ecommerce respondents to identify the areas of their online digital experience that they felt needed the most improvement.
They identified the following five key areas:
- Online security: 36%
- Inventory management: 36%
- Data management: 34%
- Customer support channels: 34%
- Mobile experience: 32%
The focus is on improving key processes rather than simply relying on technology upgrades. Respondents are looking for solutions that will improve business automation and ways to fine tune digital marketing tools and strategies while improving growth, and most importantly, the customer experience.
Respondents in the study also identified geographic expansion (29%), customer personalization initiatives (27%), and enhanced customer data management (26%) as the next biggest growth opportunities as they move to advance their B2B ecommerce footprint.
AI-supported technologies remain a critical factor in the equation. Respondents view AI as a key enabler in the service of meeting existing and future challenges.
AI is still a top concern
B2B ecommerce players expect these future trends will shape their ecosystem:
- An emphasis on sustainable and eco-friendly
practices
- Localization of content and sales to serve
diverse markets
- A shift towards consumer style interfaces and
functionalities on their B2B platforms
AI-powered technologies like AI search and discovery will play an increasingly integral and powerful role.
Alongside all these shaping trends is the growing importance and concern for the quality of the UX and its role as an important resource in understanding customer behavior and choice.
Through community forums and social media, customer support feedback, and product analytics and usage, AI search and discovery's ability to harvest rich data becomes critical to those responsible for making marketing and merchandising decisions.
Improving customer experience, addressing security concerns and monitoring supply chain health through real-time inventory data are possible with AI but B2B ecommerce companies need the infrastructure in place to support it.
As we enter a more advanced phase in the AI adoption cycle, it is clear that leaders in the field are demanding a more tailored AI-powered B2B ecommerce experience for their clients and customers.
Conclusion: setting the stage for future growth
As B2B ecommerce organizations prepare for 2025, priorities are evolving.
This year's B2B Ecommerce Site Search Trends Report clearly demonstrates how the focus on AI technology has shifted.
Respondents are looking for solutions that address very specific business challenges and generate bottom line results. The data reflects a more thoughtful and considered approach to AI implementation.
The survey data suggests that ecommerce B2Bs are paying more attention to improving the customer experience at critical touchpoints along the B2B ecommerce sales funnel.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Sixty-seven percent of B2B organizations currently use and leverage AI and machine learning to support growth. Nevertheless, adoption levels vary or are at an early stage, with significant room for growth
- B2B ecommerce operators are increasingly focused on driving customer-centered solutions and harnessing existing or soon to be implemented AI capabilities
- Key challenges include security, data management, and scaling infrastructure
- Fifty-three percent of organizations cite customer feedback as central to their innovation strategy. Using enhanced customer feedback scores, reduced order processing times, and improved customer retention rates are now critical KPIs
- The ability to measure metrics from a single dashboard is an important AI-powered feature, along with the ability to generate product descriptions and automated product comparison summaries
- Key areas of concern that AI can help solve are security, data management, and improved customer support channels
AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data and provide the insights and tools to shape the customer experience is unmatched. And, with longer sales cycles, special terms, and larger orders, B2Bs understand the importance of AI-powered search and discovery in driving growth and the customer journey.
Other Types
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