The Future of B2B Digital Commerce is Outcomes-Based Solutions, Security and Sustainability

Our world has forever blended the digital with the physical. Customers aren’t just becoming more comfortable interacting online; they are finding that digital technologies suit their needs in a hybrid world better than expected. As a result, a preference for certain digital-first interactions will no-doubt dominate this decade.

We know the past 20 months of accelerated digital adaption have achieved what we would normally expect over 10 years’ time. While daunting, this reality also creates opportunity for any channel partner navigating the evolved demands of IT decision makers. As we begin a new calendar year, these three trends will influence the channel most:

Consumer Behavior Signals a Dramatic Shift Toward Outcomes-Based Solutions

In the wake of the pandemic, widespread digital adoption has further blurred the lines between the professional and personal, creating a new set of challenges and needs for consumers. The current environment has opened this segment’s eyes to new, more efficient ways to get things done, leading to a dramatic shift in tech purchasing decision priorities: rather than relying on the one-time purchase paradigm, consumers increasingly expect flexibility and performance from products, driving the tech world toward more outcomes-based solution models.

We see this emphasis especially in the rise of subscription-based services. Recent data shows that 78% of international adults currently utilize subscription services at work and home. Furthermore, consumption-based revenue drove the subscription economy in 2021, proving that customers not only want choice, but also the ability to choose how they buy and how much they buy.

Transactional experiences are quickly being replaced by data-driven, hyper-targeted and lasting value propositions that deliver on these consumer shifts. Delivering on this new customer relationship dynamic in 2022 will require channel partners to show up for customers in ways that showcase their ability to predict consumer needs and deliver quick, flexible turnarounds by leveraging predictive analytics.

Our Distributed Workforce Requires Security that Flexes with Them

Many of us have enjoyed the convenience of working from home, watching new movie releases from the comfort of our couch, and telehealth visits—and will continue to. While consumers plan to spend fewer days at home in 2022 than they did in 2020 and 2021[1], they still believe they’ll be home more often than they were in their pre-pandemic lives.

Businesses must accommodate those shifting preferences, particularly in a tight labor market. Organizations will be focused on building competitive hybrid work models, and for IT departments, this means more time spent coordinating decentralized yet highly effective and secure tech ecosystems.

Approximately 69% of global IT leaders expect to invest heavily in security software this year[2] in anticipation of far-flung devices. For channel partners, this means that products offering seamless built-in protection, like HP’s Wolf Security, will increasingly become a market expectation to ensure always-on defense for remote work environments. The reality of distributed workforces is here to stay. Channel partners must lead with hybrid solutions that allow customers to focus on what they are accomplishing, not worrying about how they will accomplish it.

Trust Comes from Authentically Leading with Sustainability in Mind

Increasingly, customers are engaging with vendors and channel partners that put sustainability front and center as expectations grow for companies to lead on societal issues like climate change. Sustainability is more than just the right thing to do or a nice to have. Today it is a key driver of new business.

We launched our HP Amplify Impact program nearly a year ago to drive a more circular and low-carbon economy in collaboration with our partners. And to date, our program has already helped channel partners win in new sales. In 2022, channel partners will lead by assessing and improving their own sustainability performance to optimize sustainability-driven opportunities. ?

We’re at a crossroads today. As we become more comfortable with new technology, we’re also becoming more reliant upon it. To advance, we need and expect more out of the devices and services we choose. For the IT industry, our task is clear: We must provide solutions that simplify for the increasingly hybrid and sustainable future.

[1] HP Proprietary Data, 2021: Accessories Update: E-learners, Work from Home

[2] HP Proprietary Data, 2021: IT budget, priorities and refresh