Another B2B reckoning

16th July 2026 |   Candace Lun Plotkin and Jennifer Stanley

What defines a “supplier-switch” moment for customers has shifted for a third time in a decade. 

Rising buyer expectations and the acceleration of AI capabilities are driving a wedge between B2B market growth leaders and laggards. This divide may prove to be deeper than both the consumerisation of business buying and the surge in e-commerce self-serve that emerged during the pandemic. Now, the high expectations of B2B customers’ buying experiences are causing the third B2B reckoning in a decade.