THE 2023

SUPERPOWERS
INDEX
 For B2B brands,
being a force for good
is good business.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 02

 Successful B2B brands take a position of deep relevance in business culture.
They understand how business culture is evolving and how the needs of
B2B buyers and their organizations are changing within it. As a result, they
are constantly evolving their brand experiences, at speed and scale, to stay
relevant to those changing buyer needs.

How do we know? Merkle has been tracking the ever-evolving shape of business
culture and its diverse subcultures since 2019, through a comprehensive B2B
research survey: the Superpowers Index. Our motivation is to enable B2B
organizations to keep pace with the dynamic environment and changing B2B
buyer expectations and needs. The Superpowers Index further enables B2B
organizations to understand what drives competitive advantage within the
business culture and subcultures that are critical to success.

For this year’s Index, we interviewed 3,622 buyers and users of B2B products
and services across the world and captured intelligence and insight into 6,767
B2B brand experiences.

3,622 buyers and 6,767 B2B brand

users of B2B products and experiences captured
services across the world

We interviewed recent B2B buyers across the technology, financial services,

manufacturing, and professional services sectors, and across key markets in
North America, Europe, and APAC.

Based on their responses, we revisited the decision drivers that make the
difference between success and failure on a purchase journey. The decision
drivers are critical to understand, because they are what brands need to do well
to move B2B buyers from one stage of their decision-making journey to the next.

The headline differences between this year’s findings and the 2022 Index make
for very interesting reading for B2B brands looking to remain relevant to buyers
and their organizations and stay ahead of the competition.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 03

 01
The competition between
B2B brands is getting
more intense.
Our research has shown a significant increase in the number of brands being
evaluated by B2B buyers on a purchase journey (up from 3.1 brands in 2022 to
3.2 brands in 2023). Decision times are also taking longer (up from 344 days on
average in 2022 to 350 days in 2023) and the incumbent B2B brand’s position
has become more precarious than ever. In 34% of decision journeys, the
incumbent lost out in 2023 versus only 29% in 2022.

Decision times are taking longer

344 350
DAYS DAYS
in 2022 in 2023

We believe that two factors are driving this. First, B2B buyers are more cautious
than ever when it comes to change. As we see later in this report, making
B2B buyers feel safe about their decision has become increasingly important.
Second, they have fewer reasons to stay loyal to their current suppliers, due to
a disconnect between brand experiences and rising customer expectations and
changing customer needs.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 04

 More brands are being evaluated across all B2B categories...

3.2
Manufacturing
3.4

3.3
Technology
3.4

2.9
Finance
3.2

2.6
Prof. Services
2.8

Average number of brands evaluated during the purchase journey

...and the incumbent’s position is more precarious than ever before.

Percent of
journeys where 29%
a new brand
usurped the 34%
incumbent

2022 2023 Significant increase

Implication for B2B brands:

We need to work harder than ever
to drive loyalty.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 05

 02
The gap between the
winning and losing B2B
brands has narrowed again.
In almost all cases, if you look at the data by region, by size of business, or
by category being purchased, the performance gap has gotten smaller when
comparing 2023 to 2022. The margin between success and failure has
narrowed most quickly in the EMEA region, among SME buyers and among
buyers of the technology sector.

Winning Performance Losing

gap

Implication for B2B brands:

We can’t stand still.
We need to keep evolving.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 06

 Gap in performance scores between winning and losing brands
across all 30 decision drivers
No gap in Larger gap
perception in perception

0.4
Region

Global 0.2
0.1

0.4
N. America 0.1
0.1

0.4
EMEA 0.2
0.2
Where the gap
0.2 is narrowing
APAC 0.1 quickest
0.2

0.4
Company size

SME 0.3
0.2

0.3
Enterprise 0.1
0.1

0.4
Category being purchased

Prof. Services 0.2

0.2

0.3
Finance 0.2
0.2

0.4
Technology 0.2
0.1
0.3
Manufacturing 0.1
0.2

2021 2022 2023

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 07

 03
B2B brand experiences
are not keeping pace with
the inflation of customer
expectations.
In this year’s Index, fewer and fewer B2B buyers reported having positive
brand experiences across key parts of the purchase journey when compared
to last year. From the “initial research” stage to the “onboarding” stage,
the percentage of B2B buyers surveyed who reported having positive
brand experiences has declined. There were also significant declines in
two important stages of any purchase journey: the “initial interaction with
supplier” and “negotiation/contracting.”

However, it is unlikely that the reality of the average B2B brand experience has
become worse. It is much more likely that buyer expectations have moved on,
and that they are now outstripping the speed at which B2B brand experiences
are changing. In short, B2B brand experiences are failing to keep pace with
buyer expectations.

Implication for B2B brands:

We need to be more agile to keep pace
with shifting buyer expectations.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 08

 Fewer buyers are having positive brand experiences across
key parts of the purchase journey.

2022 2023 Significantly lower

48%
46% 45%
43%
42% 43%
41% 41%
39% 39%
38%
36%

Initial Initial interaction Diagnosing Quality of Negotiating/ On-boarding

research with supplier requirements offer received contracting

Percent having positive experiences across different aspects of the purchase journey
(9-10 scores)

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 09

 04
Building brand experiences
around the needs of the
buyer has become even
more important to success.
The changes in the Superpowers Index over the past four years have
underscored the fact that successful B2B brands have moved well beyond just
serving the needs of a buyer’s organization. Successful purchase journeys are
increasingly driven by brand experiences that also serve the needs and the
personal agendas of the B2B buyers acting on behalf of those organizations.

Over the past four years we have seen a rise in the importance of what would
have traditionally been called “softer” decision drivers, such as “takes care
of its suppliers, partners, and communities,” “is committed to reducing its
environmental impact,” “is known as being a good employer,” and “has a culture
of diversity and inclusion.” This is because of the well-documented generational
shifts happening within the global business culture and the broader “be kinder”
legacy of lockdown.

Implication for B2B brands:

We need to talk to the people and the
organization.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 10

 Successful B2B brands
have moved well
beyond just serving
the needs of a buyer’s
organization.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 11

 05
Seven decision drivers
have a new, elevated level
of importance to winning
purchase journeys.
Of the seven newly important decision drivers that came to the forefront in this
year’s Index, two of them show how B2B organizations are evolving and five
show how the B2B buyers acting on behalf of those B2B organizations are
also changing.

a) The two decision drivers with an elevated level of importance to B2B

organizations are “supports us with expertise” and “integrates smoothly with
our processes and operations.” As businesses are forced to become leaner
and work more closely with their suppliers/partners, they have become more
and more reliant on the organizations with which they choose to work.

Examples of brands that scored particularly well in this year’s Index for one of
these organization-orientated decision drivers are Fidelity, US Bank, VMware,
Microsoft, and McKinsey.

Implication for B2B brands:

We need to behave like a partner,
not just a supplier.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 12

 b) The five decision drivers that have grown in importance to the B2B buyers
acting on behalf of organizations are “takes care of its suppliers, business
partners, and communities,” “is committed to reducing its environmental
impact,” “is known as being a good employer,” “has a culture of diversity and
inclusion,” and “is a brand that aligns with my personal values and ethics.”
These have become significantly more important to a winning outcome in
2023 versus 2022.

Also interesting to note is that environmental, social, and governance (ESG)

requirements are no longer just a focus for younger generations of decision
makers. Generation X and older decision makers have become increasingly
demanding in these areas and are now just as likely as younger generations
to see significant room for improvement in these measures from their current
providers. In short, B2B buyers of all generations now want to work with
brands that are good businesses and a force for good in society.

Examples of brands that scored particularly well in this year’s Index for more
than one of these buyer-orientated decision drivers are State Bank of India,
JCB, US Bank, Verizon, and Fidelity.

Implication for B2B brands:

We must put sustainability and DEI at the
forefront of our strategies and be a true
force for good.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 13

 06
B2B brands that score
highest on the seven newly
important decision drivers
win faster, bigger, and for
longer.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 14

 A number of commercial benefits came to light when analyzing the importance
of focusing on these newly important decision drivers. Those brands who scored
highly across these decision drivers:

Saw opportunities convert to sales faster, with the average

25% sales cycles being 25% shorter.

Were almost twice as likely to see increased spend from

30% their customers in the future (30% vs. 17% for other brands).

Were more likely to be adopted for additional products and

35% services (35% vs. 25% for other brands).

Were much less likely to be left out of consideration for future

9% related purchase decisions (9% vs. 18% for other brands).

+89 Received much higher NPS scores (+89 vs. +30 for other
NET PROMOTER brands).
SCORES

Implication for B2B brands:

Being good is good business.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 15

 07
Thirteen decision drivers
remained as important in
the 2023 Superpowers
Index as they were in 2022.
Of the thirteen decision drivers which remained as important this year as last,
ten serve the needs of B2B organizations. They are “comply with regulations,”
“competitively priced,” “products and services just work and are not prone to
fail,” “take steps to mitigate risks,” “meet minimum quality / functional needs,”
“provides expertise, support, and information,” “offer enough variety and
choice,” “products and services can be customized,” “quick to respond and
can adapt to changing plans,” and “approachable & transparent.”

Most of these decision drivers talk to the ongoing need to get the basics right
– to turn up and fulfill buyers’ needs and brand promises.

Implication for B2B brands:

Do the basics brilliantly.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 16

 Turn up and fulfill
buyers’ needs and
brand promises.

The other three decision drivers that remained as important this year serve
the needs of the buyers acting on behalf of B2B organizations. These drivers
are “active thought leaders in their category/sector,” “have a clear vision and
active vision of their obligations to society,” and “feel safe signing a contract
with them.”

Again, these highlight the ongoing importance of thinking about the personal
needs of the buyer acting on behalf of the organization. Not only do these
buyers want to feel safe about the decisions they are trying to make, but they
also want the very same brand to have an interesting point of view about the
future and an action-led point of view about its role in the world.

Implication for B2B brands:

Add real inspiration and turn your
vision into action.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 17

 08
B2B buyers place the
most importance on being
made to feel safe signing
a contract.
We have seen some key shifts in the levels of importance placed on certain
decision drivers year on year:

“I feel safe signing a The overall importance of this attribute has increased
contract” steadily from 2020 and is now the number one most
important factor influencing brand success.
1 st

“Integrate smoothly As businesses seek to work more closely with their

with our processes suppliers, smooth integration has grown in importance,
and operations” emerging as a significant differentiator.

“Support us Going hand in hand with this trend, we also see an

with expertise” increasing interest in the expertise and support which
suppliers can offer alongside their main offering.

“Consistently While still an ongoing concern, supply chain scares are no

deliver on time longer pushing this measure to be a top driver of success.
& as specified”

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 18

 The top decision driver in the 2023 Superpowers Index is “I feel safe signing
a contract with them.” The overall importance of this decision driver has
increased steadily from 2020 and is now the most important factor influencing
brand success. In hindsight, this should be expected given the upheaval and
uncertainty that we have all experienced over the past few years.

However, “feeling safe” is an outcome. It is the result of actions and behaviors

and not just the empty phrase “trust me.” We therefore revisited the data set
to identify which of the other decision drivers it was closely correlated with.
Interestingly, four decision drivers had a very close correlation with it: “provides
the information, expertise, and support we need,” “constantly delivers on time
and as specified,” “approachable and transparent in their dealings with us,” and
“quick to respond and adapt to changing plans.”

“Provides the “Approachable

“Constantly “Quick to respond
information, and transparent
delivers on time and adapt to
expertise, and in their dealings
and as specified” changing plans”
support we need” with us”

All of these drivers serve the needs of the B2B organization more than the buyer
acting on behalf of the organization. Again, these highlight not only the need to
get the basics right, but also the need to address the legacy of the upheaval and
uncertainty that we have all experienced over the past few years.

Implication for B2B brands:

Underpin everything with the four key
decision drivers to create a feeling of safety.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 19

 09
Failing at certain decision
drivers is significantly more
likely to trigger a review of
suppliers/partners.
In this year’s Superpowers Index, we homed in on what happens when brands
are not actively in-market and are seemingly happy operating business
as usual with their suppliers/partners. This is because many B2B brands
focus on catching potential buyers when they are in-market as opposed
to challenging customers’ expectations and triggering them to consider
evaluating their alternatives.

We were therefore particularly interested in identifying which decision drivers

are most likely to push a brand to review alternative suppliers/partners,
if the brand finds its current partner to be lacking.

Using our research, we identified that the top five decision drivers to avoid
failing at were “improve productivity, save us time/resources,” “increase our
revenue or gross sales,” “support us with expertise,” “products and services
just work/don’t fail,” and “make my workday a little more fun/entertaining.”

This creates an opportunity for brands that are trying to cast doubt in the
minds of their competitors’ customers, as it identifies the decision driver
triggers that are most likely to get a B2B brand to actively reconsider its
suppliers/partners.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 20

 Implication for B2B brands:
Don’t just try to catch opportunity.
Create it.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 21

 10
Third-party validation of
B2B buying decisions has
become more important
than ever.
This year’s Index shows that the gap between the winning and losing B2B brand
experiences has become even narrower, and that brand experiences, in general,
are failing to keep pace with the rise in customer expectations. It therefore
shouldn’t be surprising that B2B buyers are increasingly looking beyond a
potential supplier’s brand experience for reassurance. Our 2023 Index shows
that third-party validation from sources like industry analysts and consultants,
mentions on social media, online reviews and feedback, and news articles have
become more important to B2B buyers.

Implication for B2B brands:

Harness the power of third-party validation.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 22

 Newly emerging corporate priorities mean buyers are increasingly
seeking broader, third-party validation of a B2B brand’s reputation.

2022 2023 Significantly higher

56%

50% 51%

47%
46% 45%
43%
41%

Industry analyst Mentions on Online reviews / News articles

firms and social media feedback about the
consultants supplier

Percent using each of these sources to aid decision-making

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 23

 Conclusions for B2B
brands looking to stay
ahead of the competition
The conclusions of our 2023 Superpowers Index are clear. Global business
culture and its subcultures have evolved over the past 12 months.
Unfortunately, B2B brand experiences are failing to keep pace with all that
plus inflating customer expectations. So, now more than ever, B2B brand
experiences must serve the needs of the B2B buyers acting on behalf of B2B
organizations. B2B brands also need to up their game on the seven decision
drivers with new, elevated levels of importance in the 2023 Index, as they
clearly demonstrate that being a good B2B organization and a force for good
in society is good business.

Implication for B2B brands:

Being a good business and a force
for good is good business.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 24

 Now more than ever,
B2B brand experiences
must serve the needs of
the B2B buyers.

THE 2023 SUPERPOWERS INDEX 25

 Get in touch
With over 1,000 B2B experts globally, Merkle B2B brings together
market-leading B2B capabilities to power exceptional business experiences
for the world’s leading companies.

Recently awarded top International B2B Marketing Agency by B2B Marketing,

Merkle B2B provides specialist and integrated services across media, creative,
insight, data, technology, marketing automation and commerce.

Merkle B2B strives to innovate at the forefront of the dynamic B2B industry, creating
experiences that inspire people, help grow businesses, and transform outcomes.

www.merkle.com/b2b

About Merkle
Merkle, a dentsu company, is a leading data-driven customer experience
management (CXM) company that specializes in the delivery of unique,
personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more
than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations
have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios.
The company’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation
for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-
personalized marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in consulting,
creative, media, analytics, data, identity, CX/commerce, technology, and loyalty
& promotions drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With
more than 16,000 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland,
with locations in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkle.com.