How do Hungarian companies decide what to buy, where do they place orders and what makes purchasing difficult? PastPay’s B2B purchasing survey examined the people, channels and payment expectations behind everyday business procurement. The research was originally published in 2022, so it should be read as a snapshot of that period rather than a current market benchmark.
Who makes B2B purchasing decisions?
In many micro and small businesses, purchasing is still a management task. The managing director often selects suppliers, approves the order and coordinates payment. Larger organisations are more likely to divide these responsibilities between procurement and finance.
The survey showed this difference clearly. In industrial companies, procurement departments were more frequently responsible for ordering, while finance teams played a greater role in payment. For merchants, the practical lesson is simple: product information may win over the user, but payment terms and approval requirements must also work for the decision-maker and the finance team.
Where do Hungarian companies prefer to buy?
B2B buyers move between digital and traditional channels. A webshop is efficient for repeat orders and transparent comparison, while email, telephone and personal sales remain important when the purchase is complex or requires consultation. The best experience therefore connects channels instead of treating them as separate businesses.
- Make prices, availability and payment options easy to find online.
- Let buyers continue a webshop journey with a salesperson when they need help.
- Keep the same payment logic across online, telephone and in-person orders.
Why payment timing matters
Business purchases often happen before the buyer earns revenue from the goods, materials or equipment being ordered. Immediate payment can therefore delay an otherwise sensible purchase. A longer, clearly presented payment term helps the buyer align the outgoing payment with its own operating cycle.
For the merchant, financing buyers directly creates a different problem: cash remains tied up in receivables and the team must manage assessment, reminders and collection. A third-party B2B payment solution can separate these needs—the buyer receives time, while the merchant receives payment according to the agreed payout process.
What merchants can learn from the survey
- Design for more than one role. Give the purchaser enough product detail and the finance team enough clarity about the amount, due date and process.
- Do not hide payment terms. Show available options before the last checkout step so the buyer can plan the purchase.
- Support multichannel sales. A payment option is more useful when it works wherever the relationship is managed.
- Reduce manual negotiation. Standardised assessment and visible terms can shorten the back-and-forth around every new buyer.
From insight to action
The survey’s central message remains relevant: B2B purchasing is not only a product decision. It is also a cash-flow, approval and process decision. Merchants that make these elements easier to understand can remove friction without weakening their own financial position.