B2B eCommerce: What Gartner and McKinsey Show

Two out of three B2B buyers today would rather buy without a sales rep. Is B2B eCommerce really worth the effort?

Many decision-makers in mechanical engineering and technical wholesale ask whether digitalizing sales is just hype or a necessary response to the market. In this video, I analyze current market data to put this question into context. Instead of relying on marketing promises, we look at the hard facts from Gartner, McKinsey and ECC KÖLN.

We look at the generational shift in purchasing, the growing preference for self-service portals and whether high order values really are an argument against digital ordering. We pay particular attention to the nuances in the Gartner data that are often overlooked in the debate about the supposed death of traditional sales. If you want to understand what these numbers mean for your strategy, this video is the right foundation.

Sources
My video on B2B commerce: https://youtu.be/q12POiNsA7o
Gartner, rep-free buying experience (2026): https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-03-09-gartner-sales-survey-finds-67-percent-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-experience
Gartner, previous year's value of 61% (2025): https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-06-25-gartner-sales-survey-finds-61-percent-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-buying-experience
Gartner, B2B buying journey: https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey
Forrester, digital natives in B2B buying: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/digital-natives-are-rewriting-b2b-buying-and-its-impacting-your-revenue-performance/
McKinsey B2B Pulse: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-surprising-economics-of-b2b-growth-the-new-survival-threshold-and-what-it-takes-to-thrive
ECC KÖLN / IFH B2B market monitor 2025 (in German): https://www.ifhkoeln.de/trotz-konjunkturflaute-b2b-internethandel-von-herstellern-und-grosshandel-legt-um-sieben-prozent-zu/
Sana Commerce B2B Buyer Report 2025 (vendor study): https://www.sana-commerce.com/report/b2b-buyer/
Shopify, B2B for all merchants (2026): https://www.shopify.com/news/b2b-for-all

What percentage of your orders still come in by email or phone today? Let me know in the comments.

#B2BeCommerce #MechanicalEngineering #Digitalization