by Reema Duggal | Jul 8, 2026
Buyers are researching vendors differently than they were even two years ago, and most industrial websites haven’t caught up.
AI Search Is Changing How Buyers Find You
Buyers increasingly reach vendors through AI answer engines instead of scrolling a page of search results.
Forrester’s 2026 Buyers’ Journey Survey of nearly 18,000 global business buyers found that 94% used AI during their most recent purchase: 55% to compare vendors, 54% to research products, and 47% to build an internal business case before a vendor was ever contacted. AI answer engines now outrank company websites, sales reps, and product experts as the number one research source, and companies still optimizing for website traffic alone are seeing that traffic decline 10–40% as research shifts into these tools.
These systems favor sites with clear, specific answers over vague marketing copy — if a site can’t state plainly what it does, who it serves, and how, it gets passed over. Thin content that used to rank on keywords alone no longer holds up. Sites built around real industry language, actual specs, and concrete capability statements are the ones getting pulled into AI-generated answers, which means the writing on a site now matters as much as the design.
Buyers Can Tell When a Site Wasn’t Built for Them
The average industrial buying committee now includes 11 to 13 stakeholders, each scanning the same site for evidence before they’ll agree to pick up the phone: certifications, tolerances, materials, lead times, compliance documentation, and language specific to their industry rather than boilerplate.
Competitors who’ve built sites that actually look built for the buyer’s problem are winning that first impression before a call ever happens. Concretely, that means:
- Spec-first product pages instead of a single “capabilities” paragraph — tables of tolerances, materials, certifications, and standards a buyer can scan in seconds.
- Named case studies with real numbers (cycle times, yield, cost per part) rather than generic testimonials.
- Visible proof of process — quality certifications, audit history, plant photos — placed where a skeptical engineer will actually look for it.
Buyers aren’t comparing brand stories. They’re comparing evidence, and a site that looks interchangeable with every competitor’s simply doesn’t give them any.
Your Website Is A 24/7 Sales Tool,
Gartner’s research on B2B time allocation found buyers now spend roughly 27% of their total purchasing time on independent research, and only 5–6% of that time meeting with any single vendor. That’s a 5:1 ratio of self-directed research to direct vendor contact. Separately, Gartner reports 67% of B2B buyers now prefer a rep-free buying experience, up from 61% the year before. By the time a buyer raises their hand, they’ve often already narrowed the field to two or three vendors based on what the site showed them.
That reframes what the website actually needs to do. It’s not enough to describe capabilities — it has to support the evaluation itself:
- Configurators and spec selectors that let a buyer narrow options without a call.
- ROI or cost calculators for buyers building an internal business case (something 47% of buyers now do before contacting a vendor at all).
- Clear pricing ranges or quoting logic, even directional, instead of “contact us for a quote” on every page.
Vendors who gate everything behind a sales call are increasingly filtered out of the shortlist before they even know a deal existed — the buyer just moves to the competitor whose site let them self-serve.
Content Has to Work for a Committee, Not a Single Buyer
The single-buyer mental model most industrial sites are still built around doesn’t match reality. Buying groups have grown from roughly 5 to 16 decision-makers in recent years, and internal misalignment during the process is common — most committees report some friction working through it together. That means the engineer evaluating tolerances, the procurement lead comparing cost and lead time, and the finance stakeholder assessing ROI are often looking at the exact same page and need different questions answered. Some practical fixes:
- Role-based content paths — a technical spec sheet for the engineer, a TCO or ROI breakdown for finance, a risk/compliance summary for procurement — rather than one page trying to serve everyone.
- Downloadable, shareable assets (PDFs, comparison sheets) built for a stakeholder to forward internally without a call, since much of the internal selling happens without the vendor in the room.
- A single source of truth for specs and pricing logic across every page, so different stakeholders pulling different pages don’t surface conflicting information.
Structure Your Content So AI Engines Can Actually Cite It
Getting cited inside an AI-generated answer follows different mechanics than classic SEO, and it’s now arguably more valuable than ranking #1 in traditional search for most industrial buyer queries. AI engines extract specific, high-information-density sentences from sources they consider authoritative — which rewards a particular content structure:
- Question-format headings that mirror how a buyer would actually phrase a query (“What tolerances can you hold for aluminum extrusion?”) rather than generic section titles.
- Front-loaded, direct answers in the first sentence or two of a section, with supporting detail after.
- Named, credentialed authorship on technical content (an actual engineer or process lead, not “Marketing Team”) since AI engines weight authority signals more heavily than older SEO ever did.
Auditing your best-performing pages against this structure — and rewriting the ones that don’t follow it — is a faster, more direct lever right now than most traditional SEO work.
Sources: Forrester 2026 Buyers’ Journey Survey; Gartner B2B buying research (2025–2026); Demand Gen Report 2026 B2B Trends Research Report; G2 2026 Answer Economy Report.
by Reema Duggal | Jun 13, 2026
Your product is complex. It involves engineering, precision, multiple systems working together — and probably a sales cycle where the buyer needs to truly understand what they’re getting before they’ll commit. So why are you still explaining it with a wall of text and a PDF spec sheet?
Scrollytelling is changing how industrial companies communicate — and for this sector in particular, the timing couldn’t be better.
What Is Scrollytelling, Exactly?
Scrollytelling combines scrolling and storytelling. As a visitor moves down a web page, the content responds — animations trigger, diagrams build out, data visualizes in real time, and complex processes unfold step by step. Instead of dumping information on the reader and hoping they find what matters, scrollytelling guides them through a narrative at their own pace.
It’s been used for years by major media outlets and consumer brands. The New York Times pioneered it for long-form journalism. Nike uses it to launch products. But the industrial and B2B world has been slow to adopt it — which is actually an opportunity, not a criticism.
Why It Works So Well for Industrial Products
Industrial products don’t sell themselves with a hero image and a tagline. A conveyor system, a robotics cell, a custom material handling solution — these require education. Buyers want to know how it works, where it fits into their operation, what the installation looks like, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Scrollytelling is purpose-built for exactly that kind of complexity.
It makes invisible processes visible. A pallet moving through a 12-station assembly line is hard to describe in a paragraph. Animated step-by-step? It clicks immediately. Buyers don’t have to imagine it — they can see it unfold.
It controls the pace of information. A brochure throws everything at the reader at once. Scrollytelling delivers information in sequence, so each concept builds on the last. By the time someone reaches your CTA, they’re not just interested — they’re informed.
It holds attention. The average industrial buyer is reviewing multiple vendors. Static pages blur together. A page that responds to their scroll, reveals detail progressively, and tells a coherent story is genuinely different — and more memorable.
Real Use Cases Worth Considering
You don’t need to reinvent your entire website. Start with the content that’s already hard to communicate:
- Product or system walkthroughs. Instead of a spec sheet, build a scrollable page that walks through your system component by component — what each part does, why it’s engineered that way, and how it connects to the next.
- Process explainers. If you do pre-assembly in-house, or if your installation process is a key differentiator, show it. A scrollytelling sequence that walks a buyer through “day of install” builds confidence in a way a bullet list never will.
- Training and onboarding. This is where scrollytelling crosses from marketing into education. New technicians, customer support staff, or end users can learn how a system works through a guided visual sequence — far more effective than a static PDF manual.
- Case studies. Instead of a two-column PDF with a customer quote and a headshot, tell the story of a project from problem to solution with visuals that build as the reader scrolls.
The Honest Case for Investing in It
Scrollytelling isn’t free — it requires thoughtful content, design, and development. But the ROI case is straightforward.
If a single page shortens your sales cycle by one or two conversations because the buyer arrives already understanding your product, it has paid for itself. If your training module reduces onboarding time by even a few hours per employee, the math works quickly. And if your website finally looks and feels as sophisticated as the systems you build — that’s a competitive signal that’s hard to quantify but very real.
Industrial buyers are still humans. They respond to clarity, to good storytelling, and to content that respects their time by getting to the point without sacrificing depth. Scrollytelling does all three.
The companies that figure this out first won’t just have a better website. They’ll have a better first impression, a shorter sales cycle, and a training tool that scales. That’s a hard combination to argue with.
by Reema Duggal | Jun 12, 2026
Great images make a website feel professional. Getting there isn’t about fancy equipment — it’s about a handful of habits around sizing, weight, cropping, sourcing, and naming that most sites get wrong by default. Here are five things to get right before an image ever goes live.
Standardize Sizes
Every image slot on your site — hero banners, product photos, blog headers, thumbnails — has a defined pixel size. Decide on standard dimensions for each type of slot across your whole site, and resize every image to match before it goes up, rather than uploading whatever size you happened to shoot or export.
This matters for two reasons. First, consistency: a page where every product photo is a slightly different size looks unpolished, and it can cause layout shifts as images load. Second, efficiency: an image that’s larger than its slot forces visitors to download pixels they’ll never actually see, which slows the page down for no benefit.
Set the standard once per image type (e.g., “product images are 800×800,” “blog headers are 1600×900”), document it, and stick to it.
Know Target Weights
Correct pixel dimensions don’t guarantee a fast-loading page — file weight is a separate variable that needs its own attention. As a general guideline:
- Hero images: up to roughly 250KB. These are large, high-impact images, so a bit more weight is acceptable, but this is still a ceiling, not a target to aim for.
- Blog post and product images: aim for around 100KB. These appear more frequently on a page (and across a site), so keeping them lean matters more.
Use a compression tool, or an image CDN that compresses automatically, to hit these targets after resizing. If an image is well over these numbers, that’s usually a sign it either hasn’t been resized to its display dimensions yet or is using a heavier format than it needs to.
Crop For Uniformity
Cropping isn’t only about removing unwanted parts of a photo — it’s a design tool. When product photos, team headshots, or blog thumbnails all share the same aspect ratio and similar framing (same amount of headroom, same distance from subject, same orientation), a page reads as intentional and polished. When they don’t, even good individual photos can make a site feel amateurish.
Before uploading a batch of images, decide on a standard crop ratio for each category (square for product grids, a consistent widescreen ratio for blog headers, etc.), and crop every image in that set to match — even if it means cropping tighter or looser than the original composition.
Don’t Upload Straight From Your Camera
Photos straight off a phone or camera are usually the wrong size, the wrong weight, and often the wrong orientation for a website slot. They also frequently carry embedded metadata (location data, camera settings) that serves no purpose once the image is online and only adds to the file size.
Treat the original photo as raw material, not a finished asset. Run it through a resizing/cropping step and a compression step before it ever reaches your site — whether that’s a dedicated image editor, a bulk-processing tool, or an image CDN that does it automatically. Skipping this step is one of the most common ways oversized, inconsistent images end up live on a site.
Name Image Files Correctly For SEO
Search engines read image file names, so a default name like IMG_4821.jpg is a missed opportunity. Rename images with clear, descriptive, keyword-relevant names before uploading — something a person would plausibly search for.
For example, instead of a generic camera file name, use something like red-leather-sofa-3-seater.jpg. Keep names lowercase, use hyphens between words, and describe what’s actually in the image rather than stuffing in unrelated keywords. This small habit compounds: it helps individual images rank in image search, and it reinforces the topical relevance of the page they sit on.
by Reema Duggal | Dec 9, 2023
The retail industry has undergone significant transformations in recent years, largely driven by advancements in technology. One of the most revolutionary technologies shaping the future of retail is artificial intelligence (AI). In this blog post, we will explore how AI-powered ecommerce is revolutionizing the industry and discuss its implications for both retailers and consumers.
Enhanced Personalization
AI enables ecommerce platforms to provide highly personalized shopping experiences. By analyzing vast amounts of customer data, AI algorithms can understand individual preferences, purchase history, and browsing behavior. This data is then used to recommend products, customize marketing messages, and personalize the overall shopping journey. As a result, customers feel more engaged and valued, leading to increased conversions and customer satisfaction.
Intelligent Product Recommendations
One of the key advantages of AI-powered ecommerce is its ability to generate intelligent product recommendations. By utilizing machine learning algorithms, AI can analyze customer behavior patterns and identify similarities among customers with similar preferences. This allows ecommerce platforms to suggest relevant products to customers, increasing the likelihood of cross-selling and upselling. Moreover, AI can continuously learn and adapt to changing customer preferences, ensuring that recommendations remain accurate and up-to-date.
Efficient Inventory Management
AI-powered inventory management systems can optimize stock levels and streamline operations. By analyzing historical sales data, AI algorithms can predict demand patterns, identify peak seasons, and forecast future sales. This enables retailers to optimize inventory levels, reducing the risk of overstocking or stockouts. AI can also automate inventory replenishment, reducing manual efforts and ensuring that popular products are always available to customers.
Improved Customer Service
AI chatbots and virtual assistants are revolutionizing customer service in ecommerce. These intelligent systems can handle customer queries, provide product recommendations, and assist with order tracking and returns. AI chatbots can engage in natural language conversations, offering personalized support24/7. By automating routine customer service tasks, retailers can free up human agents to focus on more complex inquiries, leading to faster response times and improved customer satisfaction.
Fraud Detection and Prevention
AI algorithms can identify fraudulent activities and protect ecommerce platforms from cyber threats. By analyzing customer behavior, AI can detect unusual patterns or anomalies that indicate fraudulent transactions. This helps in preventing financial losses and safeguarding sensitive customer information. AI-powered fraud detection systems continuously learn and adapt, staying one step ahead of evolving fraud techniques.
AI is transforming the way we shop. Embracing AI in ecommerce can give retailers a competitive edge and provide customers with seamless, personalized shopping experiences. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect further advancements in AI-powered ecommerce, shaping the future of retail.
by Reema Duggal | Jan 6, 2023
The world of ecommerce is constantly evolving and changing in response to new technology, new trends, and the ever-changing needs of consumers. By 2023, ecommerce will have evolved even further, offering consumers a more streamlined and personalized shopping experience.
Artificial Intelligence
One major change to ecommerce in 2023 will be the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. AI and machine learning will allow ecommerce stores to create more personalized shopping experiences for customers, based on their past behaviors and preferences. AI-powered bots can suggest products or services that are best suited for each customer, creating a more tailored shopping experience. AI will also help ecommerce stores to better predict customer behavior, allowing them to better anticipate customer needs and provide greater customer service.
Voice Search
2023 will also see an increased integration of voice search capabilities. As voice search technology continues to evolve, ecommerce stores will be able to offer customers easier, more natural ways to search for products and services. This will be especially helpful for customers who are looking for specific products, as they will be able to quickly find what they’re looking for with a simple voice command.
Augmented Reality
Another significant change to ecommerce in 2023 will be the increased prevalence of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. AR and VR will allow customers to explore products and services in enhanced 3D environments, providing a more engaging shopping experience. Customers will be able to virtually try on clothes, test out products, and explore products from different angles, all from the comfort of their own homes.
Mobile First
Finally, 2023 will see a major shift towards mobile-first ecommerce. Mobile-first ecommerce means designing ecommerce websites and applications for mobile devices first, rather than desktop computers. This will create a more seamless shopping experience, as customers will be able to purchase products from their phones and tablets with just a few taps or swipes. Mobile-first ecommerce will also allow ecommerce stores to provide customers with a wider range of payment options, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets.
These are just a few of the changes that are expected to take place in ecommerce by 2023. As technology continues to evolve, so will the way we shop. By 2023, ecommerce will have evolved even further, offering customers a more personalized and streamlined shopping experience.
This is my first AI powered post written by Sudowrite. I am a bit overwhelmed by the power of AI. Just experimenting
by Reema Duggal | Dec 31, 2018
I've read or listened to 7 of Seth Godin's books. Each and every one has had a profound impact on my thinking. The Latest - This Is Marketing - is really important.
- Invent a thing worth making, with a story worth telling, and a contribution worth talking about;
- Design and build it in a way that a few people will particularly benefit from and care about;
- Tell a story that matches the built in narrative and dreams of that group of people - the smallest viable market;
- Spread the word;
- Show up regularly and consistency for years and years - engage your tribe to make things happen.
by Reema Duggal | Jan 14, 2018
I've just been listening to Six Billion Shoppers on Audible.com. I'm mesmerized by the global insight from e-commerce expert and former Alibaba vice president Porter Erisman.
From Amazon: From China to India to Nigeria, e-commerce is entering a golden era in countries that were long left out of the e-commerce gold rush experienced in the West. If the story of the first twenty years of e-commerce’s growth was set in developed markets, the story of the next twenty years will be set in emerging ones. The rise of e-commerce in emerging markets is being driven by three major trends: widespread internet adoption, a rising middle class, and, most importantly, innovative new business models that serve the needs of local customers better than the models used by western e-commerce giants.
Learn more about the book here >
