In a study dated 24 March, TreviPay said rising expectations for AI-enabled purchasing and persistent invoicing friction are reshaping how business buyers choose suppliers across Europe and the UK. The company’s survey of 550 buyers found loyalty is being influenced by onboarding speed, invoice quality, and payment flexibility, rather than price alone.
TreviPay said nearly eight in 10 business buyers always or often use AI technologies in B2B purchasing and payment processes. Across the sample, respondents most often associated AI with better decision-making through data insights, stronger fraud prevention and risk management, and less manual work. Even so, the study found adoption remains uneven, with buyers in France and Germany more focused on practical uses such as invoice-status visibility and automatic matching of invoices to purchase orders.
That caution is tied to ongoing process problems. Buyers surveyed by TreviPay cited incorrect invoices, limited ERP integration, inconsistent invoice formats, and delays in approval workflows among their main frustrations. The gap between markets was pronounced: 76% of buyers in Germany reported issues with payment options overall, compared with 37% in Spain. In the UK, meanwhile, the company said fast onboarding is emerging as a stronger competitive lever for suppliers.
Payment method remains central. Almost half of respondents — 47% — said the option to pay by invoice influences where they place repeat business, reinforcing invoice-based purchasing as a core expectation in Europe. TreviPay said trade credit is especially prevalent in the UK and Germany, where 46% of buyers use it, while Spanish businesses stand out for their demand for invoice customisation, with 93% wanting tailored invoicing compared with 82% overall.
Inez Berkhof-Hollander, Vice President of EMEA at TreviPay, said: “Across Europe and the UK, finance teams are navigating economic pressure, regulatory complexity and rising buyer expectations. Our research shows payment and invoicing experiences now play a decisive role in supplier selection.”
She added: “Pay by invoice remains the dominant B2B payment method across Europe. It’s woven into how businesses operate here. But preferences vary significantly.”
The research points to a more operational competition for suppliers in 2026. Larger enterprises are prioritising ERP integration and purchase controls, while mid-sized businesses are looking harder at speed and flexibility. TreviPay’s conclusion is that reducing friction at each stage of the buying journey is becoming a growth issue, not a back-office one.
The company’s Europe and UK study is available here.
