The biggest shift in manufacturing today isn’t a new technology. It’s a new kind of buyer. 

What’s Related

The expectation now is for manufacturers to understand their buyers’ offerings, their workflows, and the urgency behind every order. They want accuracy they can rely on and visibility that removes the guesswork, and they expect the digital channel to support all of that consistently.

But the real challenge isn’t knowledge. 

It’s the fact that this knowledge lives in separate systems, teams, and channels. In 2026, the manufacturers who win will be the ones who connect it.

Buyers want confidence, not noise

Today’s B2B buyers work across multiple layers of complexity. They’re balancing long equipment lifecycles, specialized configurations, predictable replenishment, and moments where every second counts because a machine is down. They’re not looking for more information; they’re looking for the right information, clearly presented at the moment they need it.

For example, a manufacturer might know that a certain wear part usually needs replacing after about 4,000 operating hours, and how things like workload or climate can shift that timeline. But if that insight never shows up in the buyer’s digital experience, it doesn’t help anyone. 

The same goes for a distributor who needs to know which compatible parts are available when a SKU goes end-of-life, or a service team that needs to know which component is most likely to fail next. Those signals have to appear where buyers actually make decisions.

Manufacturers now need to support multiple buying journeys at once

A recurring theme in our conversations with manufacturers is that they’re no longer serving one type of buyer journey.  For example: 

• Some buyers are ordering predictable consumables.
• Others need complex, configuration-specific parts.
• Some are replenishing stock for a dealership.
• Others are dealing with a “machine down” emergency.

A single portal now needs to support all of this without confusing or slowing down the user.

Take a ventilation manufacturer I spoke with recently: they sell low-margin accessories that need minimum quantities, but also high-value parts that buyers want more guidance on. 

These journeys look nothing alike, but buyers expect each to work smoothly. That’s the reality of digital commerce today. Web store availability isn’t enough: it’s about supporting real buying behavior.

Automation is growing, but human oversight still matters

There’s a lot of discussion in manufacturing about automation and AI. These tools can absolutely deliver value, but there’s a reality we must acknowledge: many buyers (and many sellers) aren’t fully ready to automate high-stakes decisions.

In some industries, the cost of getting an order wrong is extremely high. We work with leaders in the medical, pharmaceutical, and heavy machinery industries. These sectors cannot afford accuracy issues. Automation can handle the predictable parts of the process, but someone still needs to take responsibility when the stakes are high.

This is where technology should elevate people, not replace them.

Digital transformation succeeds only when it becomes part of how a company works

Tony Saldanha’s research shows that 70% of digital transformations fail due to a lack of execution discipline. From what I’ve seen, that rings true. Too many manufacturers treat commerce initiatives as one-time launches, with a kickoff and an end date.

But buyer behavior is changing far faster than internal timelines. Younger generations are entering the workforce, and expectations are shifting constantly. The companies that succeed treat digital commerce as something that’s alive. Not a project, but a capability.

The most important thing is this: the transformation isn’t being driven by the manufacturer. It’s being driven by the buyer. 

Trust and transparency are now competitive advantages

Buyers hesitate when they can’t verify compatibility, availability, or delivery timelines. That hesitation is often what pushes them toward grey-market options.

But when manufacturers provide clarity, substitutions, real-time stock visibility, and end-of-life status, they position themselves as reliable partners. Digital commerce stops being transactional and becomes a channel for building trust.

What will separate leaders from laggards in 2026

By 2026, most manufacturers will have access to the same technologies, such as AI, predictive analytics, and smarter workflows. The difference will be in how they apply them.

The leaders will be the manufacturers who:

• Translate machine performance data into actionable guidance,
• Give buyers one connected place to manage their entire equipment ecosystem,
• Blend automation with human oversight where risk is high,
• Support multiple buying journeys without increasing complexity.

These are the companies that won’t just deliver products. They’ll advise, guide, and help their buyers avoid mistakes before they happen.

One piece of advice

Start with your data. Look closely at how your buyers actually behave, where bottlenecks occur, and where errors happen. Then align your teams around a clear path forward that addresses those needs step by step. Do this across every buyer persona, not just one.

Digital transformation isn’t about adding tools. It’s about creating a stronger connection between your systems, your people, and the decisions that keep your customers’ operations running. The manufacturers who understand this will be the ones setting the pace in 2026.

Sebastiaan Verhaar is CEO of Sana Commerce