APAC B2B buying shifts ahead: AI accelerates early engagement and redefines marketing strategies

New research uncovers a rapid transformation in the APAC B2B landscape, where AI, economic pressures, and digital-native buyers drive earlier decision-making and demand strategic marketing adaptation for sustainable success.

The B2B buying journey in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is witnessing a significant transformation, shaped by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), economic pressures, and the influential presence of younger, digitally native buyers. New research from Green Hat Marketing, spanning 632 APAC B2B organisations, reveals that buyers are engaging with vendors far earlier than before—almost 12 weeks sooner than last year—at around 60% progression through their decision-making process. This shift marks a departure from a nearly two-decade trend where buyers delayed vendor contact until the latter stages of evaluation.

Despite buyers now considering a slightly higher average number of vendors (5.5 per deal), the size of buying teams has reduced, with the average group consisting of 11 members, down from 13. The buying cycle itself has also sped up, shortening from an average of 13 months to 11. Nevertheless, some foundational truths endure: the buying process still divides into two phases—the ‘Selection Phase’ for research and shortlisting, and the ‘Validation Phase’ for negotiation and contracting. Crucially, vendors that top the shortlist at the end of the Selection Phase go on to win approximately 76% of deals, indicating the critical importance of early vendor visibility and engagement.

The study also highlights a generational shift within buying teams, where Millennials and Gen Z constitute 72% of members, typically aged between 38 and 44. These digital-native buyers demand more transparent, frictionless access to information and prefer to interact less frequently with sellers. Their purchasing behaviour is informed by extensive prior experience, averaging eight to nine journeys per category, often entering evaluations with predetermined vendor preferences. However, AI use is widespread across all age groups, with older buyers embracing it at similar rates to their younger counterparts, reflecting a broad-based integration of technology in the buying process.

AI’s role extends beyond merely enabling earlier engagement; it actively accelerates decision-making by spotlighting knowledge gaps around AI capabilities, costs, implementation details, and security that buyers must clarify directly with vendors. This has reduced the reliance on external consultants and analysts—whose involvement has dropped from 77% to 56%—and lessened the number of interactions per vendor from 20 to 16. Notably, nearly 58% of buyers report initiating vendor contact earlier specifically to resolve AI-related queries, underscoring the technology’s pivotal influence on buyer behaviour amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Regional nuances within APAC further refine these trends. Singaporean buyers, for instance, place a notably higher percentage of their shortlist during the initial contact phase (80%), possess prior experience with 91% of vendors, and show particularly high levels of confidence in their vendor choices compared to Australasia, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Across regions, prior vendor familiarity and early shortlist placement remain dominant factors shaping final purchasing decisions.

For Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), these insights demand a strategic reevaluation. Traditional demand-generation tactics and Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) metrics are increasingly inadequate as buyer journeys grow more complex and digital-centric. Success hinges on winning the ‘Selection Phase’ by increasing brand discoverability through search engines and AI tools, and delivering tailored, persona-based content that resonates with the full buying team. The rise of account-based marketing is now imperative, with thought leadership crafted for specific industries and buyer personas, coupled with ready-to-use content addressing AI functionality, data privacy, security, pricing, and vendor training.

Furthermore, leading marketing organisations are shifting measurement approaches from conventional click and lead metrics towards comprehensive engagement indicators, such as share of search, buying party involvement, Marketing Qualified Accounts, and pipeline growth. This holistic view better captures the nuances of how modern buying parties interact and make decisions.

Interestingly, while AI integration into marketing workflows is expected to generate measurable returns for most companies by the end of 2025, according to an Adobe report, Gartner’s latest research anticipates a future tilt toward human connection in sales. By 2030, 75% of B2B buyers are predicted to prioritise sales experiences that emphasise authentic human interaction over automated processes, indicating that despite AI’s current dominance, the human element remains crucial, especially in complex negotiations and high-value transactions.

However, challenges remain for marketers in the region. Pipeline360’s research notes that many B2B marketers struggle to identify complete buying groups and confidently reach target audiences, a complexity heightened by APAC’s cultural, linguistic, and behavioural diversity. Addressing these issues requires marketers to develop refined customer insights and adopt highly targeted, data-driven strategies.

In conclusion, navigating the APAC B2B landscape in 2025 and beyond will require CMOs and their teams to embrace digital-native buyer expectations, leverage AI thoughtfully, and rebuild marketing and sales alignment. The competitive edge will belong to those who can secure a leading position early in the buyer journey, engaging a knowledgeable, efficiency-driven audience while preparing for a gradual resurgence in personalised human interaction. In this new reality, adapting to an AI-empowered, economically cautious, and digitally sophisticated buyer is no longer optional—it is a fundamental necessity for sustained success.

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Source: Noah Wire Services