AI-Driven Buyer: A New Era for Sales Engagement

The B2B buying landscape is changing as technology advances. Buyers are using machine learning and AI to delegate purchase activities and decisions to technology. Gartner calls these technologies complex machine customers. Sales leaders face the challenge of adapting to the data-driven needs of AI-driven buyers.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of daily business decisions will be made autonomously by agentic AI machine customers for rule-based tasks, a rise from 0% in 2024. Gartner also predicts a machine customer will be named Customer of the Year at a global top 500 company during that same period.

Gartner has found that 94% of B2B buyers use digital tools to help them purchase. This involves delegating tasks to technology to help with specific buying decisions. Buyers are also using GenAI solutions like ChatGPT and Google Gemini during purchases. Its association with high-quality deals shows GenAI’s rapid growth and potential.

As technology advances, buying groups will likely delegate more tasks to complex machine customers. Sales leaders need to update their sales engagement strategies to serve both human and machine customers.

The increasing role of complex machine customers requires a new approach to sales engagement. Sales leaders who don't adapt risk losing revenue to competitors who provide data to algorithms and influence human buyers using these technologies. Leaders can help their sales teams navigate AI-driven buyers by prioritizing the actions mentioned above.

Luke TippingandDaniel Hawkyardare Director Analysts in theGartner Sales Practice, focused on various sales engagement and strategy topics.