At a glance — B2B sales and marketing have reached a decisive moment. Insights from McKinsey’s 2026 Global B2B Pulse Survey—drawing on responses from nearly 4,000 decision-makers across 13 countries—show that the baseline for competing in B2B markets has shifted. — Omnichannel is no longer a differentiator—it is assumed. Buyers now use an average of ten channels across the purchasing journey and expect seamless movement among them; inconsistent information and lack of knowledgeable support are now leading drivers of supplier switching. — E-commerce powers the commercial core. Seventy-one percent of B2B companies now offer e-commerce; among those, roughly one-third of revenue now flows through digital channels, making it the most important sales channel for many companies. — A widening performance gap is emerging—driven by three reinforcing engines. Market leaders are four times more likely to deploy true one-to-one personalization. They are also significantly further ahead in deploying AI into commercial workflows and in using sales-led, account-based marketing governance. — Together, hyperpersonalization, scaled AI, and disciplined commercial governance form a new self-reinforcing operating system for sales —one that enables market leaders to compound advantage while others struggle to keep pace. 2 The surprising economics of B2B growth: The new survival threshold—and what it takes to thrive