Q&A with Ludvig Bergander: How B2B leaders can win in a regionalized digital world

In an era shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, protectionism, and reshoring, global B2B commerce is undergoing a major shift — from centralized scale to regional relevance. What does this mean for digital leaders? And how can B2B companies stay competitive in a landscape where customer expectations, compliance requirements, and cloud strategies are increasingly local?

We sat down with Ludvig Bergander, Strategic Account Advisor at Columbus, to explore how regionalization is reshaping B2B digital commerce, and what leaders can do to stay ahead.

Ludvig, why is regionalization more than just a supply chain issue?

Regionalization affects everything. It’s about how you position your offer, price your products, run campaigns — even how customers search and what journeys they expect.
If your digital strategy only mirrors your global supply chain, you’ll miss the local relevance. That’s why regionalization is a digital strategy challenge at its core.

How should B2B companies rethink their go-to-market models in light of this?

Companies need to shift from “global first” to “modular first”. That means keeping a strong global core — systems, capabilities, data, brand — while allowing regional teams to adapt customer journeys, compliance, pricing, messaging, and in some cases even parts of the tech stack.
Controlled flexibility is the key.

What mistakes do you see B2B leaders make when scaling globally?

I see three common ones:

1. Forcing one-size-fits-all processes.
2. Ignoring input from local sales and marketing teams.
3. Prioritizing control over customer fit.

Local teams often have the best market understanding. Empowering them makes the difference between being present and being relevant.

What does regionalization mean for cloud and data strategies?

If you’re global, you can’t assume one cloud fits all. You need vendors that support regional deployment — and compliance must be a design principle, not an afterthought.
Ideally, you want architecture that clearly separates global and local logic.

Can digital experiences really feel ‘local’ at scale?

Yes — and they need to. Proximity builds trust, even in digital. Local fulfillment, local tone of voice, relevant offers, payment methods — it all adds up. You don’t have to overhaul everything. Start small. Be thoughtful.

What should sales and marketing teams do differently in this context?

Start by listening more to the front lines.

Map regional customer journeys. Let local teams own parts of the messaging and the offer.
And stop assuming what works in Germany works in Italy.

How do you see digital ownership evolving with regionalization?

I believe in central ownership of the platform and core data — but local ownership of the customer experience. Governance should enable collaboration, not control. It’s about creating a model that supports speed and relevance in the field.

What capabilities should then B2B companies invest in?

From my point of view, two things stand out:

1. Strong partners who understand both tech and business — and how people and process come into play.
2. Capabilities to manage controlled variation: PIM, pricing governance, regional analytics. You don’t eliminate complexity but you learn to manage it well.
   
   

And finally, what KPIs should digital leaders focus on in a regionalized world?

First of all, don’t just track global revenue and traffic. Make sure to look at local engagement, adoption per market, regional conversion rates, time to market for local updates.
Regional relevance itself is a performance metric.

Closing thoughts

In summary Ludvigs insights really highlight a new truth: the future of B2B digital commerce won’t be driven by one single, global model. Instead, it will be shaped by companies that can combine consistency with local responsiveness — and empower their teams to act on it.

Want to talk regional strategy or digital scaling?
Reach out to us at curious@litium.com or Ludvig Bergander.