Younger buyers & AI tools reshape APAC business purchasing

Research from Forrester has revealed that business buying in Asia Pacific (APAC) is increasingly shaped by a younger demographic and by the adoption of generative AI in vendor evaluation.

According to Forrester's Buyers' Journey Survey 2024, a significant majority of business buyers in the region are now under 45 years old, with 71% falling within this age group. In addition, 68% of APAC buyers use generative AI to research or compare vendors, a finding that underscores changing behaviours in the B2B purchase process.

The data is detailed in The State Of Business Buying In Asia Pacific, 2024, which highlights the complexity of today's APAC business buying landscape and notes that younger buyers are increasingly rejecting conventional, seller-focused approaches in favour of more consultative and tailored engagement from vendors.

An important driver of this shift is the widespread use of generative AI tools among business buyers. The report notes that the preference for self-service discovery is growing, as buyers look for rich and accessible digital content to guide their independent evaluations before engaging directly with vendors.

Findings also show that the attitudes and values of younger buyers are shaping purchasing decisions. Nearly all younger buyers—94%—expressed dissatisfaction with their selected provider, pointing to issues such as failures in implementation or a lack of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This age group is more inclined to choose a provider for their industry expertise rather than their history or brand legacy, emphasising the necessity for providers to offer personalised and consultative engagement.

The research also reveals a trend towards more inclusive and larger buying groups. Around 18% of APAC buyers reported that purchase decisions now involve 30 or more internal stakeholders, a figure higher than that observed in other regions globally. In addition to this, an average of 10 external stakeholders are also included in these decisions. This trend requires marketers to refine their strategies and create targeted messaging that appeals to a wider array of decision-makers and personas involved in the purchasing process.

This shift in the business buying environment is attributed to generational and technological factors, as well as to the broader and more collaborative decision-making typical of the APAC region. The report suggests that B2B marketers should move away from uniform strategies and towards approaches that are highly localised and data-driven to address the varied cultural and organisational contexts across Asia Pacific.

The Buyers' Journey Survey 2024 includes responses from a wide regional segment and also provides comparative perspectives with business buyers in Europe and North America. Its findings shed further light on how demographic changes and digital fluency are influencing not only the tools buyers use, but also the values and expectations that shape vendor engagement.

Mavis Liew, Executive Partner and Principal Analyst at Forrester, commented on the survey's findings. "The APAC business buying environment is undergoing a generational transformation," she said. "With younger, digitally-native fluent buyers in the majority, marketing strategies built for yesterday's buyers no longer apply. Today's business buyers value expertise, expect personalization, and demand authenticity - it is no longer just about product dominance. To stay competitive, B2B marketers must embrace localised, insight-driven approaches that speak relevance and align to the values, expectations, and complexity of this younger generation. It's time to stop selling and start connecting."

Other data points highlighted in the report reinforce the move away from traditional engagement models. Younger business buyers were observed to place greater emphasis on diversity and subject matter expertise, while their approach to buying is more collaborative and inclusive than ever before. The data suggests that firms with strategies tailored around authenticity and relevance, and supported by insight into local market dynamics, are more likely to succeed in APAC's evolving business buying landscape.