AI Has Changed B2B Buying. Partner Demand Programs Must Follow.

The useful part

Partner Demand Programs Must Follow Share Most partner demand strategies were built for a buying environment that no longer exists. Buyers increasingly use AI to discover solutions, evaluate options, and inform decisions. Buying groups now dominate B2B purchases, involving, on average, about a dozen internal stakeholders and approaching 10 external influencers.

How it works

• AI Is The New Front Door Our research and client conversations indicate that the market is changing faster than many partner demand strategies are evolving.
• Modern purchasing involves broad buying groups and extended networks of influencers.
• Delivering those outcomes often requires multiple providers, capabilities, and services working together.
• Marketing leaders should evaluate how effectively their demand strategies communicate the collective value that their ecosystems can provide.
• AI-driven discovery, complex buying groups, changing buyer preferences, and ecosystem-powered solutions are reshaping how demand is created and converted.

What to take from it

Expectations for digital experiences continue to rise, and partner ecosystem marketing leaders who rely on traditional lead-centric approaches risk falling behind. Buyers expect relevant guidance, trusted recommendations, and seamless digital engagement. Success depends on helping partners engage the entire buying group to activate opportunities rather than chasing individual leads.

Example or evidence

• Visibility in AI-driven experiences now matters as much as visibility in traditional marketing channels.
• Many partner demand programs still overlook a fundamental reality: B2B buying decisions are rarely made by a single individual.
• Effective partner demand efforts must account for multiple stakeholders with different priorities and information needs.
• Buyer Expectations Keep Rising Buyer preferences continue to evolve in ways that create new opportunities for partner ecosystems.

Details worth keeping

Partner Demand Programs Must Follow AI Has Changed B2B Buying: Buyers increasingly blend self-guided and human interactions during their journey. Digital commerce options are gaining importance.

Related coverage

• Forrester: Today's B2B partner ecosystems include multiple partner types, diverse business models, and a broad range of value contributions.
• Forrester: Across B2B marketing, AI is no longer an emerging technology for experimentation or being tested on the sidelines.
• Geoactivegroup: Every product roadmap conversation with a technology vendor now runs through one filter that has nothing to do with the roadmap itself: does the company have an AI story that a buyer's finance team would...
• Cisco: The 2026 Global AI Partner Study reveals how 1,702 partners are navigating the rise of agentic AI.
• Wnynewsnow: When it comes to B2B, indirect sales have become the backbone of sustainable growth, yet most vendors still struggle to answer a simple question: which partners are actually driving results, and why.