newHardly anyone abstains from checking the smartphone at least once a day, not to mention that our little all-around gadgets are used for tasks like shopping, booking restaurants or whole vacation trips, always assisting us in life. In fact, the phone feature is rarely used, since the communication preferences of the younger generation in particular focuses more on chatting than speaking. This trend has of course an impact on businesses and there is no reason to assume that it is different in B2B compared to the B2C industry.

Google wanted to find out more about this phenomena and collaborated with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Their research revealed that the new generation of decision makers has arrived and makes already a lasting impact on communication behavior.

Here are some insights from the study Mobile Marketing and the New B2B Buyer.

More mobile searches

According to the study, around 50% of all B2B searches are done on a smartphone and it should be 70% by 2020. B2B decision-making positions are increasingly being filled by millennials and Generation Z, and the acceptance of mobile devices among older decision-makers is increasing, too. Add to this the longer life cycle, expected to be by 2020 an average of three hours a day, the numbers make sense. In fact, more than 40% of sales in leading B2B organizations in the US and Europe are already generated or impacted by mobile systems and this percentage is certainly higher in Asia, proving the trend is clear. Furthermore, it turns out that mobile-influenced sales are also generated faster. On average, mobile decision makers need 20% less time from lead generation to closing a deal.

Faster conversion and sales

Businesses risk leads and sales if they do not pick up the "new B2B decision maker”, who compares not only factual, but also digital experience criteria – that is mobile - in research. Thus, the "mobile user experience" becomes a tangible criterion for the appearance of B2B pages. However, it is not just enough to make existing page content ‘responsive’, rather at least the following points should be considered, too:

  • Optimize technology (speed, compression)
  • Minimize text and code
  • Use square and vertical creative formats
  • Use smartphone features like location data and click-to-call
  • Highlight videos, infographics, and podcasts


Depending on the B2B business model, there will certainly be differences in the urgency of these optimizations, but no B2B provider can eventually ignore the growing influence of mobile devices. My recommendation is to pay special attention to the analysis of the mobile users of your site in order to identify trends and determine the individual need for action.

By Daniela La Marca