Budget is the new blocker
Unlike previous years, securing funding for B2B commerce initiatives has become the number-one challenge, complicated by concurrent ERP upgrades
Podcast with Paul do Forno
The Real State of B2B Commerce (It's Not What You Think) with Paul Do Forno
March 31, 2026 · 42:45
Watch on YouTube
About This Episode
Paul do Forno from Deloitte Digital presents findings from Deloitte's comprehensive B2B commerce research report, the second edition of a study tracking industry trends over three years. The research surveyed 500 suppliers and 500 buyers to identify gaps between how companies perceive their digital capabilities and how customers experience them. The headline findings reveal a dramatic shift in challenges: budget constraints have jumped to the number-one blocker (non-existent in previous research), while 87% of companies are simultaneously upgrading their ERP systems. This creates a squeeze where companies face mounting customer demand for digital experiences while struggling to fund initiatives and juggling major back-office transformations.
A critical insight shows a 25-point disconnect in automation perception: sellers rate their automation at 72% while buyers perceive only 47%—a significant gap indicating that companies overestimate their digital maturity. High-maturity companies (top third in adoption of B2B commerce, AI, and portals) achieve 110% greater sales growth than laggards, demonstrating that digital investment does pay dividends despite the friction. Paul explains that successful companies treat B2B commerce not as a single channel but as a "commerce sales mix" where different customer segments require different engagement strategies (EDI for large accounts, punchout for procurement-system users, direct B2B commerce for mid-market, marketplace channels for long-tail). Additionally, 97% of companies using EDI plan to shift portions to other channels like procurement platforms and B2B commerce.
On agentic AI, the research found only 24% of companies have engaged with it, far behind B2C adoption. However, this reflects B2B's historical lag rather than lack of opportunity. Paul notes that agentic AI will become another sales channel to complement existing ones, with early use cases including chatbots for service, lead prioritization, automated proposals, order status viewing, and follow-up capabilities. Critically, Paul emphasizes that the most valuable shift is integrating front-office digital initiatives with back-office ERP upgrades—his clients have shown that front-office work, despite being only 24% of total investment, generates 57% of the business case value, effectively funding the ERP upgrade.
Key Themes
Perception gap reveals maturity issues
Companies significantly overestimate their digital maturity; bridging the gap between seller and buyer perception requires customer feedback and service expansion
Segmentation and commerce mix
Success requires matching different customer segments with appropriate channels rather than one-size-fits-all commerce strategy
Front-office funds back-office
Including digital transformation in ERP business cases creates compelling ROI that unlocks budget for both initiatives
Notable Quotes
“High maturity companies beat annual sales goals by 110% margin versus lower maturity." — Paul do Forno”
“Front office and commerce helped to pay for the back office. And so that's a lot of our conversation of like, because so many times as you can imagine, it's like, Hey, we're, we're doing a back ERP upgrade. Come back later." — Paul do Forno”
“It's all about the ease of doing business." — Paul do Forno”
Guest
Paul do Forno — Deloitte Digital
Topics
B2b Ecommerce Research Agentic Ai Omnichannel Erp Integration Customer Adoption Buyer Experience
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