Bot 2 Bot: The New Future of B2B Commerce

AI is not just changing B2B commerce. It is rewriting how businesses buy, sell, serve, and operate.In Bot 2 Bot: The New Future of B2B Commerce, longtime B2B commerce expert Andy Hoar explains why the next wave of digital transformation will be driven by AI agents—software bots that can interpret intent, pull data, make recommendations, and increasingly take action across the enterprise.But this is not a book about replacing people. It is a practical guide to rebuilding B2B organizations so that bots handle the routine, data-heavy work at scale, while humans focus on judgment, trust, strategy, relationships, and complex decision-making.Written for B2B executives at manufacturers, distributors, and technology companies, Bot 2 Bot cuts through the AI hype and explains what leaders need to understand, and do, as commerce shifts from human-led workflows to machine-assisted and increasingly bot-to-bot execution.This full-color book includes numerous breakout sections, including:Over 115 charts, data points, tables, and key terms: Actionable intelligence that makes complicated details easily understandable and memorable.Over 35 Executive Insights: Advice from top B2B executives with real-world experience, including companies like UPS, Composites One, Watts Water, Molson Coors, Toyota Material Handling, mSupply, Performance Foodservice, and Boston Scientific.Key predictions: Calls about what’s both on the horizon and over the horizon in B2B commerce, including commentary about what’s expected to happen and not happen in the next two years and five years respectively.Inside, you will learn how AI agents are reshaping:Sales: How bots can handle routine buying, quoting, follow-up, and replenishment while consultative sellers focus on higher-value work.Customer experience: Why B2B buying is moving from “search and click” to “intent and authorize.”Customer service: How AI agents can reduce wait times, triage requests, and help human teams focus on complex issues.Content and data: Why clean, complete, machine-readable data is becoming one of the most important assets in B2B commerce.Organizational design: How companies can redesign teams, roles, workflows, and governance for an AI-enabled operating model.Channels: How manufacturers and distributors can use AI to compete more effectively across direct, partner, dealer, and marketplace channels.Technology: Why flexible, composable, API-first systems will matter as AI agents begin to act across websites, ERPs, CRMs, service centers, and sales tools.Grounded in real-world examples, executive insights, research, and practical checklists, Bot 2 Bot gives B2B leaders a clear view of what is changing now, what is coming next, and how to prepare.The future of B2B commerce will not be built around humans doing more manual work faster. It will be built around humans and bots working together - each doing what they do best.The question is no longer whether bot-to-bot commerce is coming.It’s whether your company will be ready when it arrives. Read more