Digitalising B2B customer journeys – a case study on industry-leading solution supplier firms

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In business to business (B2B) firms, customer journeys make up a complex myriad of touchpoints which customers interact with during a buying process. This is a dynamic process, rapidly evolving with the increasing use of digital technologies. Customer journeys, particularly in the B2B domain, is a recognized research priority that is lacking adequate research attention. This thesis explores the digitalization of business-tobusiness customer journeys and their touchpoints. The aim is to explore customer journey touchpoints and their degree of digitalization, in addition to how the use of digital technologies can enhance touchpoints in B2B customer journeys. The empirical research is conducted in the form of a qualitative case study including two marketleading solution supplier firms. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with six company informants. In addition to this, two digital marketing experts from B2B digital marketing agencies were interviewed. Additionally, secondary data was collected to analyse digital touchpoints publicly available from the two case firms. The results show that B2B customer journeys are made up of a complex combination of physical, digital, and social touchpoints. While human contact remains critical for maintaining lasting business relationships, digital touchpoints and the use of technologies are increasingly being used. Digitalization enables enhanced customer experiences, increased data collection, and more streamlined business operations. The findings emphasize the importance of B2B firms adopting a customer-centric approach, designing coherent and value-providing sets of touchpoints. This enables customers to seamlessly move forward in their decision-making process throughout the customer journey. Managerial implications include developing a customer-centric company culture, designing digital transformation roadmaps, and adopting data-driven decisionmaking processes. The study provides a better understanding of the digitalization of customer journeys and touchpoints in the B2B domain, offering practical insights for B2B solution supplier firms looking to enhance customer experiences and maintain their position as market leaders in a competitive and dynamic business environment.