--- title: "Why Most B2B Leaders Still Get Digital Growth Wrong | HAA Insights" description: "Everyone wants “digital transformation.” Few can explain what that actually means when your business runs on ERP, margin pressure, and 50-year-old customer habits." url: "https://humanafterall.ca/insights/why-most-b2b-leaders-still-get-digital-growth-wrong-rudy-abitbol-hhaxe/" language: "en" updated: "2025-11-06T03:59:00.000Z" markdown_index: "https://humanafterall.ca/api/md/index.md" --- Everyone wants “digital transformation.” Few can explain what that actually means when your business runs on ERP, margin pressure, and 50-year-old customer habits. We see it all the time—teams chase new tools instead of new behaviours. They buy a platform before they fix the process. That’s why, when I sat down on the podcast [**The Hard Truth About B2B eCommerce**](https://www.b2becommerce.io/1076401/episodes/17886335-episode-159-rudy-abitbol-b2b-ecommerce-digital-growth-leader) with hosts [Isaiah Bollinger](https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaiah-bollinger?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAf1t0QBBUmC-5bSPssVBjMf5H-7Mjl7ijo) and [Timothy Peterson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyjpeterson?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAAThhMBpWTeXtoSd8zBIo0RjVEKxqX9aC8), I didn’t talk about software. I talked about **alignment**. Because transformation doesn’t fail from bad tech—it fails from bad translation. Between IT and Sales. Between Marketing and Operations. Between “platforms” and “P&L.” **Here’s what we’re seeing—and what to do next.** ## 1\. Digital growth isn’t a department. It’s a discipline. Too many manufacturers still see digital as “the eCommerce team.” In reality, digital touches **pricing, inventory, service, logistics, and data governance.** At companies where I’ve helped scale digital revenue, the biggest growth shifts came when **executives took ownership**—when digital KPIs entered board discussions, not just marketing dashboards. If your leadership team still sees eCommerce as “the website,” you’re already behind. ## 2\. Complexity is not an excuse. It’s the strategy. Every B2B leader says, “Our business is different.” They’re right—but that’s not the problem. The problem is believing complexity is a blocker instead of an advantage. The companies winning right now use their complexity to create **moats**—through smarter catalog models, tailored pricing, and deeper customer integrations. Your job isn’t to simplify the business. It’s to make complexity **usable** for customers. ## 3\. Tools don’t transform—people do. [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopify/)[Shopify Plus](https://humanafterall.ca/shopify-plus/), [Akeneo](https://www.linkedin.com/company/akeneo/) PIM, [Algolia](https://www.linkedin.com/company/algolia/) —these are enablers, not saviours. We’ve learned that adoption beats implementation every time. If your sales team doesn’t trust the platform, your customers won’t either. That’s why my work now centres on **enablement and behavioural change**—the part no SaaS vendor sells but every leader needs to master. ## The bottom line B2B digital growth doesn’t start with a platform—it starts with **clarity**. Clarity around value, data, accountability, and customer experience. Once those align, technology stops feeling like disruption and starts driving outcomes. [**Curious how your organisation stacks up? Listen to the full episode here: Episode 159 of The Hard Truth About B2B eCommerce with me (Rudy Abitbol) and hosts Isaiah Bollinger & Timothy Peterson.**](https://www.b2becommerce.io/1076401/episodes/17886335-episode-159-rudy-abitbol-b2b-ecommerce-digital-growth-leader) ## Recommended reading [ ![Shopify Just Connected Millions of Merchants to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot](https://humanafterall.ca/images/insights/shopify-agentic-storefronts-chatgpt-b2b-distributors.webp) Mar 24, 2026 ### Shopify Just Connected Millions of Merchants to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot Shopify launched Agentic Storefronts — merchants sell directly inside ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. B2B distributors are excluded unless they run hybrid B2B/D2C on Shopify Plus. Read more ](https://humanafterall.ca/insights/shopify-agentic-storefronts-chatgpt-b2b-distributors/)[ ![I gave an #AI agent my SSH keys and let it code on a live…](https://humanafterall.ca/images/insights/2026-02-02-15-26-53.0.webp) Feb 2, 2026 ### I gave an #AI agent my SSH keys and let it code on a live… I gave an #AI agent my SSH keys and let it code on a live test site. Read more ](https://humanafterall.ca/insights/2026-02-02-15-26-53.0/)[ ![2026's Biggest AI Challenge Isn't What You Think](https://humanafterall.ca/images/insights/2026s-biggest-ai-challenge-isnt-what-you-think-rudy-abitbol-yylae.webp) Jan 2, 2026 ### 2026's Biggest AI Challenge Isn't What You Think MIT dropped a stat last year that got everyone talking: 95% of generative AI pilots are failing. Read more ](https://humanafterall.ca/insights/2026s-biggest-ai-challenge-isnt-what-you-think-rudy-abitbol-yylae/)