Meeting Rising AI Expectations and Removing Friction Key to Meeting Needs of B2B Buyers Across Europe

According to a new European study¹ of 550 business buyers commissioned by TreviPay, the global B2B payments invoicing and payments network, friction in the B2B buying process in the form of slow onboarding and inconsistent invoicing along with rising expectations for AI-enabled processes are where businesses are experiencing threats to loyalty beyond price.

“Across Europe and the UK, finance teams are navigating economic pressure, regulatory complexity and rising buyer expectations,” said Inez Berkhof-Hollander, TreviPay’s Vice President of EMEA. “Our research shows payment and invoicing experiences now play a decisive role in supplier selection.”

Top Three European Market Expectations in 2026

1. More AI-driven purchasing options vary by country
Nearly 8 in 10 business buyers always or often use AI technologies in B2B purchasing and payment processes; a significant shift from previous years. AI is seen primarily as a means to improve decision-making through data insights (20%), strengthen fraud prevention and risk management (16%) and reduce manual tasks.

However, enthusiasm is tempered by practical constraints. In Germany, where compliance demands are particularly high, adoption is more cautious. In France and Germany, AI’s appeal is strongly linked to providing invoice status visibility and auto-matching invoices to purchase orders, addressing persistent pain points around invoice inaccuracy.

2. Suppliers offering pay by invoice options
Almost half (47%) of businesses actively look for the option to be invoiced as a determinant in where they place repeat business—a trend particularly important across Europe.

“Pay by invoice remains the dominant B2B payment method across Europe,” Berkhof-Hollander said. “It’s woven into how businesses operate here. But preferences vary significantly.”

3. Despite widespread digitalization, friction remains in the B2B buying process
Buyers cite persistent challenges such as incorrect invoices, limited ERP integration, inconsistent invoice formats and delays in approval workflows.

In Germany, 76% of buyers reported issues with payment options overall; far higher than the 37% reported in Spain.

These pain points vary by market and company size. Larger enterprises (500+ employees) prioritize ERP integration and purchase controls more heavily, while mid-sized businesses value speed and flexibility. In the UK, fast onboarding is among suppliers’ biggest competitive levers.

Payment preferences vary by region and company size

The research reveals significant variation across markets. Trade credit is especially prevalent in the UK and Germany (46%), while Spanish buyers rely on it far less but show the highest demand for invoice customization (93% vs. 82% overall).

“While there will always be regional differences, it all comes down to reducing friction at every stage of the buying journey,” Berkhof-Hollander said. “Flexibility is key to helping suppliers cement repeat business and deliver sustainable growth.”

Access the complete EMEA market research report for additional data here.

1The research, capturing the views of 550 B2B buyers in the UK (21%), France (24%), Germany (18%), Spain (18%) and Australia (19%), was conducted by Censuswide between November 18-26, 2025.

About TreviPay

TreviPay, The Pay by Invoice Company^TM, is a fully managed B2B payments platform for global brands. Proven to increase AOV and reduce DSO, our accounts receivable automation software, enhanced by AI, optimizes order-to-cash and integrates with all channels and ERPs. Delivering a superior payment experience, TreviPay is the choice of top retailers, manufacturers and travel companies, including Walmart, Lenovo and United Airlines. With more than four decades of experience powering over $8 Billion in global trade, TreviPay was named a Leader for Embedded Payment Applications by IDC and a top vendor in cash application by The Hackett Group. With offices in the US, Netherlands, Costa Rica and Australia, TreviPay supports customers in 32 countries. For more information, visit www.trevipay.com.

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