More and more B2B companies want to take the step from digital commerce to AI. According to our report The Rise of AI in B2B Digital Commerce, already 24% are using AI to streamline sales, customer service, and marketing – and another 32% plan to adopt it soon. To get a deeper understanding of what’s happening in practice, we asked four questions to Oscar Salomonsson at or partner Toxic, who helps B2B companies succeed with digital commerce on a daily basis – and now sees AI as the natural next step.
“Interest in AI is growing across all industries”
Do you receive many inquiries about AI? And what do B2B companies usually want to get started with?
Yes, in recent years the interest among manufacturing, OEM, and wholesale companies has grown significantly. Often for different reasons, but what we frequently see is the need for a smarter product search or the translation of large amounts of product data.
We also see many companies realizing they can become more efficient and profitable by using AI in their sales processes and BI tools, making data more accessible and automated.
“Start with AI in your CRM or CMS”
When B2B companies decide to start using AI, where do you usually recommend they begin, and why there?
It depends on whether it’s a work process they want to streamline, or if, for example, it’s customer satisfaction they want to improve.
If you’re starting from scratch, I believe a good first step is a modern CRM system (with built-in AI), such as HubSpot, which can help a company generate smart data or automate manual processes.
Another good starting point could be implementing AI-powered translation with prompt functions in your CMS.
“Different roles for AI in manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale”
Why does AI adoption look different between manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers?
It simply comes down to the amount of product data, business complexity, and whether the focus is on internal or external improvements. The difference between a manufacturer and a wholesaler can be significant in how they conduct business.
A common denominator, however, is profitability. How can we grow our sales or customer base by x percent without hiring more staff? Which work processes should we rationalize or automate?
“See AI as an assistant – not a replacement”
In the report we highlight six risks with AI. How do you think companies can work smart to avoid one or more of these risks?
Knowledge about how AI works is crucial, and it’s important to educate employees while also setting guidelines for what AI should and shouldn’t be used for. This applies both to security and credibility.
I believe you should see AI as a smart assistant – but you still need to check the results and remain vigilant. Use AI where it makes a big difference and carries low risk, and invest the saved time into adding real value, such as brand awareness or authentic communication.
Summary and next steps
Getting started with AI is not about doing everything at once – it’s about beginning where it creates the most value. As Oscar points out, product recommendations, customer support, and content production can be simple first steps for many B2B companies.
Want to know more about how Nordic companies are already using AI?
📌 Download the report The Rise of AI in B2B Digital Commerce
Learn more about how Litium and Toxic help B2B companies grow with digital commerce.