Industry snapshot: Five trends shaping B2B marketing in 2024

The latest WARC industry snapshot report examines key macro B2B drivers, identifying five trends that will shape marketing strategies in 2024, including: influencer marketing, B2B’s transition to hybrid sales, AI-driven personalisation, marketing’s efficiency drive, and ESG as a catalyst for value creation. 

Why the snapshot matters

Based on WARC’s GEISTE methodology, the snapshot reviews the macro drivers expected to impact marketing across six pillars: government, economy, industry, society, technology, and environment. 

The report, which WARC members can read here, combines the analysis of these factors with sector-specific research to generate a comprehensive picture of the trends shaping the B2B industry and charts how marketers can respond. It also contains a series of hypothetical scenarios to help businesses plan and prepare themselves for different potential futures. 

Five B2B trends

1. Doubling down on influencer marketing: Businesses are amplifying their influencer marketing campaigns as customers increasingly turn to third-party sources to inform purchasing decisions.
2. B2B sales are increasingly hybrid: B2B selling will continue to transition to a hybrid model, combining online and offline interactions to meet changing customer behaviours and preferences.
3. Enhancing personalisation with AI: Customers increasingly expect to receive personalised experiences, and businesses are utilising AI in an attempt to meet this demand.
4. B2B marketing’s focus on efficiency: Mirroring a wider trend in the marketing industry of stalling budgets and rising costs, B2B marketers face growing pressure to achieve more with less.
5. ESG as a catalyst for value creation: Businesses are taking a more proactive approach to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) as they link these practices to long-term value creation.

Key statistics

1. Three-quarters of B2B marketers are currently utilising influencers, and 93% of CMOs plan to use influencers more frequently.
2. B2B buyers spend roughly two-thirds of their time engaging with suppliers online – either through digital self-service or remote human interactions. The remaining one-third of interactions occur via traditional channels such as face-to-face meetings or direct mail. 
3. A majority (93%) of B2B executives plan to increase their investment in generative AI within the next 12 months.
4. Less than half (47%) of SaaS licenses are actively used, and roughly three in five (61%) B2B marketers think their current martech stack is too complex.
5. Nearly half (46%) of B2B decision-makers think that ESG has become more important as a consideration in procurement decisions over the past two years. 

Go deeper

• WARC members can read the full report here. 
• See all other reports in the Industry Snapshot series here.