[start announcer's voice]

Have difficulty concentrating?

Overwhelmed by constant notifications?

Struggling to focus on single tasks?

Feeling anxious when disconnected from your device(s)?

You may be suffering from digital fatigue.

‍[end announcer's voice]

All kidding aside, digital fatigue is a real phenomenon. It's not a joke.

Even worse, it's not just the mental side effects. Digital fatigue can manifest itself in physical symptoms, including eye strain, headaches, neck and shoulder tension, and disrupted sleep patterns.

Mental impact.

Physical symptoms.

And, to complete the trifecta, digital fatigue is having an enormous negative impact on consumers, sellers, and the entire B2B sector.

So, what exactly is this condition that so many of us suffer from?

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Digital fatigue is the mental and physical exhaustion that results from prolonged or excessive use of digital devices and technologies.

It's the weariness people experience from constantly engaging with screens, managing digital information overload, and maintaining an always-connected lifestyle.

⚡ The pace of digital communication is relentless.

😰 The pressure to respond immediately to messages and emails is overwhelming.

😵‍💫 The compulsion to endlessly scroll through social media feeds is addictive.

🧠 The cognitive load of processing vast amounts of online information is exhausting.

Remote work + online learning + digital entertainment (Netflix and Hulu + Apple TV + ... ) >> have all increased our screen time significantly and exacerbated the fatigue.

This article will explore how digital fatigue manifests in B2B marketing, its connection to "demand fatigue," the psychological and behavioral impacts on buyers, and the limitations of relying solely on digital channels for pipeline generation.

We'll also provide an overview of alternative approaches and discuss Sendoso's role in the process.

Let's start with how digital fatigue rears its ugly head in the B2B marketing world.

Where digital fatigue appears in B2B marketing

While digital fatigue is a "condition" that many digitally connected humans suffer from, it tends to be even worse — often significantly worse — for those working in the B2B space.

89% of B2B sellers report feeling burned out from work (Gartner, 2022).

Nearly 9 in 10! And that was a few years ago. The burnout and fatigue are certainly not getting any better — especially since AI catapulted onto the scene.

Engagement is on the decline.

Conversion rates are plummeting.

Email opt-outs are on the rise.

Suffice it to say that digital fatigue has its fingerprints all over the B2B market.

But it's not just limited to sellers. Demand — or decision — fatigue refers to the deterioration in the quality of decisions made by a buyer after a prolonged session of decision-making. Increasingly, buyers are expected to make numerous decisions throughout the day, which ultimately depletes their cognitive resources and leads to mental fatigue.

There are just so many more options. A good thing for buyers, however, is that this overload of choice means they become overwhelmed by the volume of research and decision-making required to actually make that choice.

According to Gartner, "Compared to traditional buyers, digital commerce buyers are significantly more likely to experience purchase regret." In fact, "a whopping 80% of tech buyers experience some form of post-purchase regret" (Gartner, 2024).

Unless appropriately executed (more on that later), buyers often struggle to navigate multiple digital and human touchpoints in their buyer journey.

Too many CTAs, obvious marketing and sales drip campaigns and sequences, and constant product pushes — all with too little relevance or value to the end buyer.

To compound all of this, the psychological and behavioral effects on buyers are real. 

Trust erosion, message blindness, and a new(ish) unsubscribe culture are hurting both sides of B2B deals.

However, despite all the bad news, there is an option that is breaking through.

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From digital only to experience-led, physical, and hybrid options

The days of putting all of your eggs in the digital sales and marketing basket for pipeline generation are gone — or should be on the way out.

A recent Sendoso webinar recap discussed the three reasons traditional digital outreach is falling flat:

1. Email open rates are plummeting because everyone's inbox looks the same
2. Meeting booking rates are at an all-time low because buyers can't differentiate between vendors
3. Sales cycles are getting longer because nothing feels personal or memorable anymore

The answer is not to abandon digital altogether. Instead, it's time to adopt a hybrid approach — one that combines physical and experiential touchpoints with digital outreach.

Examples include:

🎁 Strategic gifting

🔗 Hybrid events

📬 Direct mail campaigns

🎭 Experience-led marketing

🎭 Exclusive, intimate events (see Highline, a new event hosted by UserEvidence)

Sendoso has you covered.

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How Sendoso leverages the hybrid approach to help marketers engage buyers differently

As mentioned, digital alone does not work. Physical gifting alone does not work. The answer lies in the middle, a hybrid approach.

SmartSend, our AI-powered gifting engine, makes choosing personalized gifts easier than ever by recommending the perfect gift for an individual based on their publicly available interests and demographics, ensuring you're truly getting them something memorable.

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How Sendoso leverages the hybrid approach to help marketers engage buyers differently

As mentioned, digital alone does not work. Physical gifting alone does not work. The answer lies in the middle, a hybrid approach.

SmartSend, our AI-powered gifting engine, makes choosing personalized gifts easier than ever by recommending the perfect gift for an individual based on their publicly available interests and demographics, ensuring you're truly getting them something memorable.

All you need is an email.

But if you happen to already know some of your recipients' interests, use SmartSend to find creative gifts for “someone who likes X” and Sendoso will recommend the best options available in the marketplace.

Our integration with Amazon means users can directly add gifts from the vast Amazon catalog to their Sendoso selection.

Read more about SmartSend.

Our customers are loving it.

Here is an example of how a Sendoso customer leveraged SmartSend and its hybrid marketing approach to achieve incredible results.

Full funnel direct mail drives $8M in influenced pipeline: The Outreach team identified target accounts and created a 1:few program for their Tier A prospects. With Sendoso's help, they employed an omnichannel approach — combining direct mail, paid digital ads, landing pages, and sales sequences — to increase engagement.

Once a prospect clicks on the ad (digital) and completes the landing page form (digital), the sales development representatives send a direct mail gift (physical) using Sendoso. 

As a result of this 1:few campaign, the team generated $8M in influenced pipeline and about $1M in influenced ARR — a 2X ROI on their marketing spend on closed won accounts.

Read the full success story.

Ready to cut through the digital noise?

Digital fatigue is fundamentally reshaping B2B interactions. With 89% of sellers burned out and 80% of tech buyers experiencing post-purchase regret, digital-only approaches are no longer as effective as they once were.

The solution isn't abandoning digital entirely but instead embracing hybrid strategies that combine digital precision with memorable physical experiences.

This is why we developed solutions that combine digital and physical (hybrid). Sendoso's SmartSend is a prime example of the B2B marketing evolution — utilizing AI to analyze recipient data while delivering personalized gifts that cut through the clutter.

Ready to transform your approach? Come say hi on LinkedIn—we’re serving up gifting inspo, GTM magic, and the occasional hot take on B2B experiences.

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Digital Fatigue in B2B Marketing - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is digital fatigue and how does it manifest?

Digital fatigue is the mental and physical exhaustion that results from prolonged or excessive use of digital devices and technologies. It manifests as difficulty concentrating, feeling overwhelmed by constant notifications, struggling to focus on single tasks, and feeling anxious when disconnected from devices. Physical symptoms include eye strain, headaches, neck and shoulder tension, and disrupted sleep patterns. The condition stems from the relentless pace of digital communication, pressure to respond immediately to messages, compulsive social media scrolling, and the cognitive load of processing vast amounts of online information.

2. How severe is digital fatigue among B2B sellers?

Digital fatigue is particularly severe in the B2B space, with 89% of B2B sellers reporting feeling burned out from work according to Gartner's 2022 research. This represents nearly 9 out of 10 professionals, and the situation has likely worsened since AI entered the scene. The burnout manifests in declining engagement rates, plummeting conversion rates, and rising email opt-outs, indicating that digital fatigue has significantly impacted the B2B market's effectiveness.

3. What is demand fatigue and how does it affect B2B buyers?

Demand fatigue (also called decision fatigue) refers to the deterioration in decision-making quality after prolonged decision-making sessions. B2B buyers are expected to make numerous decisions throughout the day, which depletes their cognitive resources and leads to mental fatigue. This is compounded by the overwhelming number of options available to buyers today. According to Gartner, 80% of tech buyers experience some form of post-purchase regret, and digital commerce buyers are significantly more likely to experience purchase regret compared to traditional buyers.

4. Why are traditional digital-only marketing approaches failing?

Traditional digital outreach is falling flat for three key reasons: email open rates are plummeting because everyone's inbox looks the same, meeting booking rates are at all-time lows because buyers can't differentiate between vendors, and sales cycles are getting longer because nothing feels personal or memorable anymore. The overabundance of CTAs, obvious marketing sequences, and constant product pushes with little relevance or value to buyers has created message blindness and trust erosion.

5. What psychological and behavioral effects does digital fatigue have on buyers?

Digital fatigue creates several negative psychological and behavioral effects on B2B buyers, including trust erosion, message blindness, and the emergence of an "unsubscribe culture." Buyers struggle to navigate multiple digital and human touchpoints in their buyer journey, becoming overwhelmed by too many CTAs and obvious marketing campaigns. This leads to decision paralysis, increased skepticism toward digital communications, and a tendency to disengage from traditional marketing efforts entirely.

6. What is the hybrid approach to B2B marketing?

The hybrid approach combines physical and experiential touchpoints with digital outreach, rather than relying solely on digital channels or abandoning digital altogether. This strategy integrates digital precision with memorable physical experiences to create campaigns that make buyers "stop, think, and remember." Examples include strategic gifting, hybrid events, direct mail campaigns, experience-led marketing, and exclusive intimate events, all coordinated with digital sequences for maximum impact.

7. How does Sendoso's SmartSend technology work?

SmartSend is Sendoso's AI-powered gifting engine that makes choosing personalized gifts easier by recommending the perfect gift for individuals based on their publicly available interests and demographics. Users only need an email address to get started, and the system can also suggest creative gifts for "someone who likes X" when interests are already known. The platform integrates with Amazon, allowing users to add gifts from Amazon's vast catalog directly to their Sendoso selection, ensuring truly memorable and personalized gifting experiences.

8. Can you provide a real example of successful hybrid marketing results?

The Outreach team created a successful 1:few program for Tier A prospects using Sendoso's hybrid approach. They combined direct mail, paid digital ads, landing pages, and sales sequences in an omnichannel strategy. When prospects clicked on ads and completed landing page forms (digital touchpoints), sales development representatives sent direct mail gifts using Sendoso (physical touchpoint). This campaign generated $8M in influenced pipeline and approximately $1M in influenced ARR, achieving a 2X ROI on marketing spend for closed won accounts.

9. What are the key components of effective hybrid marketing campaigns?

Effective hybrid marketing campaigns include strategic gifting that's personalized and relevant, coordinated digital sequences that complement physical touchpoints, experience-led marketing that creates memorable interactions, direct mail campaigns that stand out from digital noise, and exclusive events that build meaningful relationships. The key is ensuring that physical and digital elements work together cohesively rather than as separate, disconnected efforts.

10. How can B2B marketers transition from digital-only to hybrid strategies?

B2B marketers can transition by first acknowledging that digital-only approaches are no longer sufficient, then implementing tools like Sendoso's SmartSend to add personalized physical touchpoints to existing digital campaigns. The transition involves combining digital precision (using data and AI) with memorable physical experiences, coordinating timing between digital and physical touchpoints, and measuring success through influenced pipeline and ROI rather than just digital metrics. The goal is to cut through digital noise while maintaining the efficiency and scalability of digital marketing.

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