Digital Distance Report
From digital distance
to digital confidence
Based on Forrester Consulting research commissioned by Sana
7 in 10 organizations say their buyers bypass digital channels at the exact moments they are most ready to buy: when checking availability, confirming price or requesting a quote.
Find out what's pulling them offline and what it's costing you.
Benchmark your B2B performance.
Benchmark your B2B performance.
Get the industry data you need to identify where manual workarounds are creating friction for your customers and slowing your team down.
57%
of sellers are struggling with disconnected systems, with ERP gaps cited as the primary barrier to real-time visibility.
88%
of organizations find that growth actually complicates operations by increasing manual work rather than streamlining it.
53%
of leaders believe their current platform can handle the full range order types their customer requires.
Understand why buyers bypass your digital channels
Understand why buyers bypass your digital channels
Discover what’s pulling your buyers away and how to build the digital confidence your organization needs.
The state of B2B
Commerce Confidence
The state of B2B
Commerce Confidence
In partnership with Forrester, we went beyond assumptions to uncover how B2B buyers really behave online.
The 3 ways digital distance
shows up
The 3 ways digital distance
shows up
Operational distance appears when systems and data fall out of sync. Inventory, pricing, and order information may exist, but without real-time accuracy, confidence breaks down. What should be seamless becomes manual, and complexity increases with every interaction.
Stop growth from complicating your operations
Stop growth from complicating your operations
For 88% of organizations, growth actually increases manual work instead of streamlining it. Find out how to close the operational gaps that break buyer trust and slow your momentum
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Sana Commerce’s Digital Distance report uses commissioned research from Forrester Consulting to explain why B2B buyers are losing trust in digital channels. Download the study to see what the data says.
It's designed for B2B sales, e-commerce, and operations leaders in manufacturing, distribution, and related industries who want to understand why their web store may not be performing as expected and what the data says about fixing it.
Digital distance is the gap between what B2B buyers expect from an online channel and what most web stores actually deliver. It shows up in three ways operationally, commercially, and emotionally and each one quietly costs sellers revenue. The report breaks down exactly how.
The report reveals how B2B buyers behave when digital experiences fall short, what the most common gaps are across 335 surveyed organizations, and which steps are most effective at closing them. It's built for leaders who want research-backed answers, not generic advice.
The report identifies three types of digital distance: operational (systems out of sync, no real-time pricing or inventory), commercial (friction that stops buyers from completing purchases), and emotional (data that looks right but doesn't feel trustworthy enough to act on). When any of these gaps exist, buyers hesitate, double-check, or switch to a competitor or unauthorized seller directly costing manufacturers and distributors revenue.