See All EpisodesEP. 12 | 55 MIN.

Episode 12: The B2B Digital Commerce Inflection Point

Andy Hoar, CEO of research and consulting firm Paradigm B2B and Co-Founder of industry conference B2B Next, joins host Brian Walker in the latest episode of ‘The State of Commerce Experience’. In their conversation, they take a detailed look at the changing landscape of B2B digital commerce, Covid-19’s influence on the industry and the further changes we can expect.
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B2B digital commerce has always been a challenging landscape to navigate. But with a surge in innovation and the current Covid-19 pandemic, businesses are having to react quicker than ever before.

To help make sense of this new ‘normal’ and get an insight into what else is likely to change in the coming weeks and months, Brian speaks with Andy Hoar, CEO of research and consulting firm Paradigm B2B and Co-Founder of the must-attend industry conference, B2B Next.

Andy and Brian first met at Forrester, where Andy cut his teeth on the world of eCommerce. Climbing the ranks and publishing his now infamous research report – ‘The Death of a B2B Salesman’ – which in 2015, discussed the large-scale displacement of B2B sales reps by 2020.

Off the back of the experience he gained at Forrester, Andy launched Paradigm B2B – the leading research and consulting firm that specializes in guiding mid-market B2B companies through today’s complex and digitally-disrupted commerce landscape.

In addition to leading his own firm, Andy is also the Co-Founder of the leading eCommerce industry event, B2B Next: the annual conference that brings together the industry’s top figures to discuss the most pressing eCommerce challenges of the day.

Knowing Andy’s track record, Brian knew that he would make a great guest for the show and bring tons of strategic insight on the current challenges that B2B eCommerce companies are facing.

Episode Highlights

  • In this episode, Brian and Andy explore various aspects of the B2B Digital Commerce landscape, including:
  • The adoption and maturity of eCommerce in B2B and where the industry is heading next.
  • A retrospective look at Andy’s “Death of a B2B Salesman” report and how his views, and the market, has evolved since its publication back in 2015.
  • The impact of Covid-19 on the B2B digital commerce industry and, importantly, what the pandemic means for the future of Andy’s B2B Next conference and others like it.

Whether you’re looking to take your first steps into the world of eCommerce, or you’re a veteran yourself and want to hear the latest from one of the industry’s most prominent thought leaders, you won’t want to miss this one.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, as well as any recommendations for future guests, so please get in touch with us.

To learn more about Paradigm B2B and B2B Next Conference, please visit:

 

Specific things discussed in the show:

Everybody’s got to get much better at what really differentiates them. Where’s your value add? You may think it’s at the top of the funnel but it might not be, and you better know that because your customers are going to decide on their own.

Meet the speakers

Andy Hoar

CEO at Paradigm B2B

Andy Hoar is one of the world’s leading authorities on B2B eCommerce business and strategy. He’s written about, and consulted extensively with, distributors and manufacturers at Fortune 100 and leading mid-market B2B companies around the world that are digitizing their direct and indirect selling initiatives. Until recently, Andy was a vice president and principal analyst at a global business and advisory services firm where he authored the definitive work on B2B eCommerce.

Andy has been quoted in various media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Internet Retailer, Bloomberg, and CNBC. He is a summa cum laude graduate in economics from the University of Dayton and holds advanced degrees from Harvard University and Northwestern University.

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