Digital Natives Are Rewriting B2B Buying — And It’s Impacting Your Revenue Performance

2026-04-24 · Source: Featured Blogs - Forrester · Field: Business & Management — Marketing, Branding & Advertising, Sales & Commercial Development, Corporate Strategy & Leadership · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

Today's B2B buying groups are increasingly led by digital natives (Millennials and Gen Z), who bring B2C expectations, prefer self-guided research, and form opinions "before" engaging sellers, creating a significant "process gap" in how organizations market and sell. A Forrester report, "OK, Boomers And Digital Natives, Let's Talk B2B Buyer Behavior Changes," highlights these breaking points, noting buyers' preference for readily available content over drip-fed information. The report details strategies for adapting revenue engines, including shifting sales efforts from prospecting to buyer enablement and modernizing initial conversations with educated buyers. It also emphasizes expanding marketing's remit from lead generation to "earning the shortlist" by demonstrating customer value and support upfront, and leveraging multigenerational teams to optimize new messaging and channels.

Key takeaway

Digital natives, comprising 64% of B2B buyers, are rewriting purchasing by forming opinions before engaging sellers and demanding readily available content. This creates a critical "process gap" for traditional sales and marketing, directly impacting revenue performance. To adapt, organizations must pivot sales to buyer enablement and expand marketing's remit to earning the shortlist through accessible, value-focused content.

Topics

• Digital Natives
• B2B Buyer Behavior
• Buyer Enablement
• Revenue Performance
• Marketing Strategy

Best for: Product Manager, Entrepreneur, Marketing Professional, Executive, Consultant

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Featured Blogs - Forrester.