Omnichannel in B2B sales: The new normal in a year that has been anything but B2B buyers aren’t just moving to omnichannel. They’ve arrived. Given the choice of in-person, remote, and e-commerce channels, purchasers have shown they want them all.

1. McKinsey & Company 1
Highlights
from
McKinsey’s
latest B2B
Pulse survey
~3,500 B2B decision
makers surveyed in 12
countries throughout
February 2021
Omnichannel is now the standard, not the exception. Even as in-person engagement has
reemerged since August 2020, buyers have made clear they prefer a cross-channel mix, choosing
in-person, remote, and digital self-serve interactions in equal measure.
B2Bs say omnichannel works—and even surpasses past approaches. Eight in ten B2B decision
makers say that omnichannel is as or more effective than traditional methods—a sentiment that has
grown sharply throughout the past year.
Buyers will spend six figures or more digitally, and budget projections are equally robust.
Despite ongoing market volatility, six in ten respondents plan to maintain or grow their operating
expenditure investments over the next five years. And nearly half plan to expand their capital
expenditure over the same period, a six percentage-point increase since August 2020.
Hybrid sales reps will soon become the most common sales role. Sixty-four percent of B2Bs
intend to increase the number of hybrid sellers over the next six months, making this model the lead
sales role.
E-commerce was the most popular route to market for B2B companies (marginally outpacing in-
person). And 41 percent of leaders say it is their most effective sales route, beating out in-person (37
percent) and video (31 percent).

2. McKinsey & Company 2
Omnichannel is the standard, not the exception
1Q: How do you currently interact with sales reps from your company's suppliers during the following stages of interactions? How would you prefer to interact with sales reps during the following stages of interactions?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of rounding
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Decision-Maker Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
Current way of interacting with suppliers’ sales reps during different stages1
% of respondents
…and that’s
exactly what
customers
want
~2/3
of buyers prefer
remote human
interactions or
digital self-service
22
34
48
35
31 32
Traditional
interactions
(i.e., in-person)
Remote human
interaction
(i.e., video)
Digital self-serve
(e.g., e-commerce)
Aug '20 Feb '21
22
33
49
35
29 32
Aug '20 Feb '21
35 36
46
34
19
30
Aug '20 Feb '21
36 34
44
34
20
32
Aug '20 Feb '21
Identifying
and researching
new suppliers
Considering
and evaluating
new suppliers
Ordering Reordering

3. McKinsey & Company 3
1Q: How effective is your company's new sales model at reaching and serving customers?
2Q: How effective is the new sales model in acquiring new customers (e.g., those that have never purchased from your organization before)?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of rounding
B2Bs say omnichannel works—and even surpasses past approaches
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #1 3/30–4/9/2020 (n = 3,619); McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #2 4/20–4/28/2020 (n = 3,755); McKinsey COVID-19 B2B
Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
Overall: Effectiveness of new sales model in reaching and serving customers1,2
% of respondents
Equally or more
effective than
before COVID-19
Existing customers New customers
9 11 15
24
18
25
31
34
27
29
29
25
39
28
20
13
4
Feb 25,
2021
Aug 11,
2020
6
April 9,
2020
April 28,
2020
Much less
Somewhat less
Same
Somewhat more
Much more
7 7
15
24
33
36
28
23
20 13
3
5
Aug '20 Feb '21
54% 76%
65% 75% 83% 83%

4. McKinsey & Company 4
This pattern held true across geographies, with decision makers in
Brazil, India, and the United States among the most enthusiastic
% of respondents
1Q: Overall, how effective is your company’s new sales model at reaching and serving customers overall?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of rounding and “don’t know / unsure” option was not included for analysis.
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
By country: Effectiveness of new sales model in reaching and serving customers1
% of respondents
24
21
22
22
21
42
27
6
15
36
5
13
12
34
53
46
33
31
28
32
43
32
31
14
33
27
25
19
19
32
33
15
26
34
36
15
24
33
36
13
4
11
13
11
12
11
15
15
11
30
19
19
4
3
2
2
4
3
4
2
2
8
27
2
5
China
All
UK
Brazil
S. Korea
Italy
Spain
Japan
US
India
Chile
Germany
France
Much
more
Somewhat
more
As effective as
before
Somewhat
less
Much
less
Total
effective
Change from
Aug 2020
81%
83%
93%
87%
86%
85%
85%
85%
83%
83%
81%
79%
76%
N/A
54%
74%
68%
118%
63%
62%
43%
57%
68%
22%
59%
60%

5. McKinsey & Company 5
B2B budget projections indicate a willingness to spend over the
next five years
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
1Q: Over the next 5 years, how do you think COVID-19 will affect your company’s overall costs and investments in each of the following areas?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of responses under “prefer not to answer” option not included in analysis, and because of rounding.
Expected change in opex and capex investments over the next 5 years due to COVID-191
% of respondents
16 21
41
39
-43 -40
Feb 2021
Aug 2020
Decreasing
Increasing
Maintaining
19 21
41
47
-40
-32
Feb 2021
Aug 2020
All industries opex All industries capex
2
percentage
point
decrease
6
percentage
point increase

6. McKinsey & Company 6
Investments in IT hardware, software, and marketing outpace
spend in other categories
30
27
41
28
31
24
42
42
35
Top 3
increased
spend
1Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your company’s budget for the following areas?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of responses under “prefer not to answer” option not included in analysis, and because of rounding.
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
Decreasing Maintaining Increasing
IT Hardware
Software,
telecom/software services
Marketing / advertising
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your company’s budget1
% of respondents

7. McKinsey & Company 7
As purchasing goes omnichannel, sales models will go hybrid
1Q: Which of the following roles exist in your sales organization?
2Q: You said that your organization has “hybrid sellers”. Please state your level of agreement with the following statements: “Hybrid sellers were recently introduced given the switch to virtual sales due to COVID-19”; “Hybrid sellers will be the
most common sales role in my organization over the next 3+ years.”
Source: McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
28% 77% 85%
of B2B organizations have
hybrid sales roles today1
of those with hybrid sales
roles introduced this role
given the switch to virtual
driven by COVID-192
expect hybrid sellers will be
the most common sales role
in their organization over the
next 3 years
Hybrid sellers are representatives who interact with customers via video, phone, apps, and
occasional in-person visits

8. McKinsey & Company 8
31
95
18
91
Already
0
Q12021 Q42021
Q22021 Q32021
20
Q12022
40
60
80
100
Expected return to in-person meetings and events1
% of respondents
But the availability of in-person
customer interactions doesn’t
mean sellers are going back2:
Only
Say they are likely to be in person
76-100% of the time
Say they are likely to be in person
less that half the time
15%
47%
Sales meetings
Customer events
Companies expect in-person sales meetings and customer events to
resume in 2022, but sellers will be judicious with in-person meetings
1 Q: When do you expect your company to do the following: Have in-person sales meetings? Have in-person customer events?
2 Q: When your sales force is capable of having in-person meeting with customers, what percent of customer interactions do you think will be in-person vs. remote?
Source: McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)

9. McKinsey & Company 9
50
45
25
30
35
60
40
55
65
Pre-COVID-19 Aug 2020 Feb 2021
E-commerce became the most popular route to market for B2B
companies during the pandemic year, with in-person rebounding
1Q: Now today, in what ways is your company’s product or service sold during COVID-19?
2Q: In what ways was your company’s product or service sold before COVID-19?
Note: Figures may not sum to 100% because of rounding
Source: McKinsey COVID-19 B2B Decision-Maker Pulse #3 7/27–8/11/2020 (n = 3,626); McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
Top 3 ranked effective
by respondents:
E-commerce
41%
In-person:
37%
Videoconference:
31%
In what ways was your company’s product or service sold before and during COVID-191,2
% of respondents
E-commerce Email
In-person Phone Videoconference Online chat

10. McKinsey & Company 10
To capture growth, B2B companies must overcome specific channel
conflict pain points
1Q: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? “My sales team has faced channel conflict with e-commerce being used more often in multichannel sales”; “My company has faced challenges as a result of field sales
roles working from home similar to an inside sales role”; “The growth in e-commerce has negatively impacted my company’s direct and indirect sales channels.”
Source: McKinsey & Company B2B Pulse Survey, 2/12–2/26/2021 (n = 3,498)
68% 77% 60%
of decision makers say their
sales team has experienced
increased channel conflicts
as result of more
omnichannel sales
have faced challenges with
field reps now working from
home
of the market today is
dominated by e-commerce,
which is also viewed as
potentially cannibalizing
other direct or channel sales