In 2023, 88% of B2B buyers said they were likely to continue purchasing from their existing suppliers. That loyalty remains just as strong in 2026. What’s changed is how sellers earn it.
The insights below are based on TreviPay’s 2026 The Evolution of the B2B Buyer Report, conducted with Murphy Research.
From Loyalty to Higher Expectations
Three years ago, buyers were more willing to work through slow onboarding, disconnected systems and manual processes when they trusted a supplier. Today, relationships still matter, but they no longer make up for a poor purchasing experience. Buyers expect sellers to deliver every time, from onboarding and checkout through invoicing and payment.
To see how those expectations have changed, TreviPay compared responses from 300 B2B buyers surveyed in 2023 with a new group of 300 buyers in the United States and United Kingdom. The findings show where sellers are improving and where they’re still falling short.
B2B Customers Can Still Feel Back-Office Flaws
Your sales and customer support teams may build strong buyer relationships, but they can’t completely overcome slow or inconsistent back-office processes.
In 2023, buyers identified slow onboarding, inefficient processes and lack of support as common sources of friction. Buyers still encounter these problems in 2026, but they have less patience for them.
The average acceptable onboarding timeline has fallen by 1.6 days. Actual onboarding times, however, have remained largely unchanged. Buyers also report frustration with unclear steps, inconsistent processes and systems that don’t work well together. In fact, 40% cite integration challenges as an important operational concern.
What looks like an internal workflow issue to the seller feels very different to the buyer. It can mean filling out the same information twice, waiting days for approval or correcting an invoice that doesn’t reflect negotiated pricing.
Buyers see through purchasing experiences that look digital on the surface but still rely on manual processes behind the scenes. And as their own procurement teams become more automated, these gaps become even easier to spot.
Nearly three-quarters of buyers now use AI in purchasing workflows. They’re using it to automate routine tasks and invoice processing, detect fraud and evaluate suppliers. Sellers that still depend on disconnected systems or manual workarounds risk slowing down buyers who are already operating at a faster pace.
Credit Cards Still Aren’t the Complete B2B Payment Solution
Credit cards remain an important payment option, but the latest research confirms they aren’t enough on their own.
In 2023, 51% of buyers said they were more likely to choose a supplier offering invoice terms. That number has now increased to 68%.
Buyers’ preference for paying on terms (pay later vs. immediate payment) has also risen. And among loyal buyers who may change suppliers, trade credit moved from No. 17 to No. 1 among the factors rated “extremely important” when selecting a supplier.
That doesn’t mean buyers want sellers to replace cards with trade credit. They want to have a choice.
77% say that offering trade credit alongside credit cards increases their preference for a supplier. The percentage of buyers who say a variety of payment methods would encourage them to purchase more has also increased from 28% in 2023 to 49% in 2026.
A buyer may want to use a credit card for one transaction and invoice terms for a larger purchase. They may also expect digital wallets or another preferred payment option. The seller’s job is to make those choices available without creating a different, disconnected experience for each method.
Buyers Expect the Same Experience Across Every Channel
B2B purchasing doesn’t happen in one place. A transaction may begin online, continue with a sales representative and move into an ERP or procurement system before payment.
Buyers expect their pricing, account information and payment options to follow them through that journey.
The importance of frictionless transactions, preferred payment methods and consistent payment options across channels remains high in both the 2023 and 2026 research. What has changed is buyers’ willingness to tolerate fragmentation when sellers fail to connect those experiences.
For example, a buyer may receive approval for invoice terms through a sales representative but find those terms unavailable online. A pricing agreement may be recognized in one channel but missing from the invoice generated through another.
These inconsistencies create more work for buyers and make sellers harder to do business with. They can also slow transactions, generate disputes and put repeat purchases at risk.
So What Do Buyers Really Want from B2B Sellers?
The 2026 research identifies five points for sellers:
- Fast, clear onboarding
- Flexible payment options
- A consistent experience across channels
- Seamless integration with ERP and procurement systems
- Accurate invoices that are easy to manage
These expectations show why payments and invoicing can’t be treated as back-office functions disconnected from the B2B sales strategy. They shape whether buyers can complete a purchase, manage it within their own systems and confidently return for the next order.
In 2023, strong relationships could help offset gaps in execution. In 2026, being easy to do business with depends on how reliably the entire order-to-cash process works.
To learn more, read the full report
