Developing a UX Showcase for Targeted Communication of UX Benefits in B2B Software Sales Interactions

While user experience (UX) has been extensively studied in consumer markets, its application in business-to-business (B2B) contexts remains underexplored. A particular gap exists in research regarding the placement of UX information across different phases of the customer lifecycle (CLC) and in alignment with customers’ varying UX maturity. This research’s aim is to examine effective strategies for communicating the significance of UX to potential business customers of the IT service provider inovex GmbH.

Therefore, a qualitative study was conducted to gather insights into business customer behavior in the IT sector and their information requirements, with a focus on UX. The study explored the customers’ understanding of UX principles, their allocation in the inovex CLC, and the role differences within a buying center. Additionally, best practices of existing showcases were analyzed. Ten experts of the fields ‘Sales and Communication’, ‘Operational Development’, and ‘Management and People Development’ were interviewed using a semi-structured guideline. The transcripts of the interviewees’ responses were examined within a qualitative content analysis.

The findings reveal that most customers have limited understanding of UX. Communicating the importance of UX effectively is challenging, as the customer controls the extent and time of discussing the topic. The current one-dimensional customer segmentation appears inadequate for addressing UX services in a targeted way. The study also indicates that information must be universally accessible yet targeted to provide specific insights for various customer perspectives.

Based on the results, actions are recommended and a UX showcase are presented to facilitate the communication of the value of UX to customers.