Business statistics
B2B Buying Statistics 2026
This page collects current figures on how businesses buy products and services, each linked to the research firm or company that ran the survey. Most data come from buyer surveys fielded in 2024 and 2025 by Gartner, Forrester, 6sense, G2 and TrustRadius. Use the sections to see how buyers research, who decides, how vendors get chosen and where generative AI fits in.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 2, 2026 · Next review by December 17, 2026
54 of 54 source quotes re-checked against the original pages on November 3, 2026
- Figures
- 54
- Primary sources
- 14
- Official or research
- 0%
- Charts
- 4
Key takeaways
- 67%67% of B2B buyers said they prefer a buying experience without a sales rep, in a Gartner survey of 646 buyers in August and September 2025.Gartner
- 74%74% of B2B buying teams show unhealthy conflict during the purchase decision, according to Gartner.Gartner
- 94%94% of B2B buying groups ranked their preferred vendors before first contact with a seller.6sense
- 94%94% of B2B buyers used large language models during their purchase process.6sense
- 14%Only 14% of technology buyers consulted analyst reports, a 60% drop since 2022.TrustRadius
- 75%75% of B2B buyers said economic conditions such as tariffs, inflation and tight budgets affected how they approached purchases.6sense
Research overview
What the numbers say
B2B buyers increasingly want to do the work themselves. In Gartner's latest survey, 67% of buyers said they prefer a buying experience without a sales rep, up from 61% a year earlier, and 70% prefer a completely digital, self-service purchase. G2 found nearly two out of three software buyers want to talk to salespeople only late in the process. Outreach that misses the mark backfires: 73% of buyers actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant messages.
Most of the decision happens before a vendor knows it is being considered. 6sense reports that 94% of buying groups ranked their preferred vendors before first contact and bought from that favorite 77% of the time, and the eventual winner was on the day-one shortlist 95% of the time. TrustRadius finds an average software shortlist of only 2.6 products, with 82% of buyers holding a favorite when they built it. Prior experience drives much of this, since 85% of buyers already knew the vendors they evaluated.
The people involved in a purchase are numerous and often disagree. Forrester counts 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers in a typical decision, and Gartner found unhealthy conflict in 74% of buying teams. Reaching agreement pays off: groups that reach consensus are 2.5 times more likely to report a high-quality deal. Group sizes vary widely by source, from Forrester's broad enterprise counts to the 4.8-person average TrustRadius reports for technology purchases, so the figures are best compared within a single study.
Generative AI has become a standard research tool without replacing human judgment. 6sense found 94% of buyers used large language models during a purchase, mostly to summarize and organize information, yet buyers still averaged 16 interactions per person with the winning vendor. Gartner reports that 69% of buyers turn to sales reps to validate AI-generated insights, and Forrester finds 19% of AI users feel less confident because of unreliable answers. Economic pressure added urgency in 2025, with 75% of buyers saying conditions such as tariffs and inflation changed how they bought.
01
Self-service and the role of sales reps
Chart
Average number of buying activities B2B buyers prefer to complete, by channel
Gartner survey of 632 B2B buyers, August to September 2024. Averages across all stages of the buying process.
Source Gartner, Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Both online and with supplier reps | 3 |
| With supplier reps | 2.3 |
| Via digital self-service tools | 1.8 |
- 167%67%
67% of B2B buyers said they prefer a buying experience without a sales rep, in a Gartner survey of 646 buyers in August and September 2025.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free ExperienceMar 2026
- 261%61%
A year earlier, 61% of B2B buyers said they preferred an overall rep-free buying experience.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying ExperienceJun 2025
- 370%70%
70% of B2B buyers prefer a completely digital, self-service buying experience.
IndustryGartnerGartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated InsightsMay 2026
- 473%73%
73% of B2B buyers actively avoid suppliers who send them irrelevant outreach.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying ExperienceJun 2025
- 569%69%
69% of B2B buyers reported inconsistencies between what a supplier's website said and what its sellers told them.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying ExperienceJun 2025
- 6+17 pts+17 pts
Nearly two out of three software buyers prefer to engage vendor salespeople only in the later stages of the buying process, up 17 percentage points from the prior year.
IndustryG2How AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey in 2025 (2025 G2 Buyer Behavior Report)May 2025
- 772%72%
72% of technology vendors believe sales outreach is effective, even though buyers say they do not want contact until they are ready to buy.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 875%75%
Gartner predicts that by 2030, 75% of B2B buyers will prefer sales experiences that prioritize human interaction over AI.
IndustryGartnerGartner Says by 2030 That 75% of B2B Buyers Will Prefer Sales Experiences That Prioritize Human Interaction Over AIAug 2025
What these figures suggest
Most B2B buyers now say they would rather buy without a sales rep, and Gartner's rep-free share rose from 61% to 67% in a year. Buyers still want sellers for fit questions and for validating what they found elsewhere, and Gartner expects a swing back toward human contact by 2030. The practical reading is that reps matter less as an information source and more as a check on decisions buyers have mostly made.
02
Buying groups and consensus
- 91313
A typical B2B buying decision involves 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers, according to Forrester.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 Buyer Insights: GenAI Is Upending B2B BuyingJan 2026
- 1094%94%
94% of buyers in buying groups of six or more people report clear benefits from the larger group.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 Buyer Insights: GenAI Is Upending B2B BuyingJan 2026
- 1153%53%
Procurement professionals are decision-makers in 53% of business buying cycles.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 Buyer Insights: GenAI Is Upending B2B BuyingJan 2026
- 1274%74%
74% of B2B buying teams show unhealthy conflict during the purchase decision, according to Gartner.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision ProcessMay 2025
- 132.5x2.5x
Buying groups that reach consensus are 2.5 times more likely to report a high-quality deal.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision ProcessMay 2025
- 14Up to 16Up to 16
B2B buying groups range from five to 16 people spread across as many as four functions.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision ProcessMay 2025
- 1559%59%
Content tailored to individual buyers rather than the whole group had a 59% negative impact on buying group consensus.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision ProcessMay 2025
- 1640% to 60%40% to 60%
Between 40% and 60% of B2B buying processes that end without a purchase fail because the buying group cannot agree.
Industry6senseGetting to Yes: Why Vendors Win and How Buying Groups AgreeNov 2025
- 174.84.8
The average technology buying group has 4.8 people, and 79% of buyers said their group had five or fewer members.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 1866%66%
66% of technology buyers said a VP or C-level executive was involved in the purchase decision.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
What these figures suggest
Buying decisions involve many people, and the counts differ by source because each measures something different. Forrester counts 13 internal stakeholders plus nine outside influencers on a typical purchase, while TrustRadius finds software buying groups of about five. Conflict inside these groups is common, and the research consistently ties consensus to better deals.
03
Shortlists and vendor preference
- 1994%94%
94% of B2B buying groups ranked their preferred vendors before first contact with a seller.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 2077%77%
Buyers purchased from the vendor they preferred before seller contact 77% of the time.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 2195%95%
The eventual winner was on the buying group's day-one shortlist in 95% of 2025 purchases.
Industry6senseGetting to Yes: Why Vendors Win and How Buying Groups AgreeNov 2025
- 2285%85%
85% of B2B buyers had direct prior experience with the vendors they evaluated, the highest level 6sense has recorded.
Industry6senseWhere Buyers Use LLMs in the JourneyDec 2025
- 2342%42%
42% of buyers said their vendor preference changed after speaking with sellers, though only about one in four buying groups changed their final choice.
Industry6senseGetting to Yes: Why Vendors Win and How Buying Groups AgreeNov 2025
- 242.62.6
The average software shortlist has 2.6 products, and only 14% of buyers shortlist four or more.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 2582%82%
82% of technology buyers had a top product in mind when they built their shortlist, and 70% bought that product.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 2679%79%
79% of all technology buyers and 89% of enterprise buyers already knew the product they bought before starting their research.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
What these figures suggest
Buyers usually know who they will buy from before they talk to a vendor. 6sense finds that 94% of buying groups rank vendors before first contact and that the winner was on the day-one shortlist 95% of the time, and TrustRadius reports similar patterns for software. For vendors, this means most of the competition happens before a sales conversation starts.
04
Generative AI in B2B buying
Chart
Technology buyers who encountered Google AI Overviews during research, by region
TrustRadius buyer survey fielded in January 2025. The all-buyer figure of 72% comes from the same report.
Source TrustRadius, Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| EMEA | 59% |
| US | 73% |
| All buyers | 72% |
| APAC | 84% |
- 2745%45%
45% of B2B buyers said they used AI during a recent purchase.
IndustryGartnerGartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free ExperienceMar 2026
- 2869%69%
69% of B2B buyers turn to sales reps to validate insights generated by AI.
IndustryGartnerGartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated InsightsMay 2026
- 2949%49%
49% of B2B buyers say they are more likely to encounter misleading information from a sales rep, close to the 51% who say the same of generative AI.
IndustryGartnerGartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated InsightsMay 2026
- 3094%94%
94% of B2B buyers used large language models during their purchase process.
Industry6senseWhere Buyers Use LLMs in the JourneyDec 2025
- 3189%89%
89% of B2B purchases in 2025 included AI features, and 58% of buyers engaged sellers earlier to clarify missing AI details.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 3229%29%
29% of software buyers start their research on platforms such as ChatGPT more often than on Google.
IndustryG2How AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey in 2025 (2025 G2 Buyer Behavior Report)May 2025
- 3330%30%
30% of B2B buyers viewed generative AI tools as a meaningful interaction in the final commit stage of a purchase, compared with 17% for product experts.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 B2B Marketing, Sales, and Product PredictionsOct 2025
- 3419%19%
19% of buyers who use generative AI tools feel less confident in their purchase decisions because of inaccurate or unreliable AI information.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 B2B Marketing, Sales, and Product PredictionsOct 2025
- 3561%61%
61% of purchase influencers say their organization uses or will use a private generative AI engine to support purchasing.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 B2B Marketing, Sales, and Product PredictionsOct 2025
- 3672%72%
72% of technology buyers encountered Google's AI Overviews during research, while 7% used LLMs such as ChatGPT in their buying process.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 3790%90%
90% of technology buyers who saw AI Overviews clicked through to at least one of the cited sources.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 3888%88%
88% of self-described power users among software buyers would pay a premium for AI functionality if vendors show its value.
IndustryG2How AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey in 2025 (2025 G2 Buyer Behavior Report)May 2025
What these figures suggest
Generative AI is now a routine research tool for business buyers, mostly for summarizing and comparing information. Buyers do not fully trust it: about half expect misleading information from AI, and Forrester finds a share of AI users feel less confident as a result. AI is also showing up in what buyers purchase, with 89% of 2025 purchases in the 6sense study including AI features.
05
Information sources and buyer trust
Chart
Top five resources consulted by enterprise technology buyers
Share of enterprise buyers who consulted each resource, TrustRadius 2025 buyer research.
Source TrustRadius, Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Product demos | 55% |
| Own prior experience | 54% |
| Vendor or product website | 43% |
| User reviews | 43% |
| Vendor sales reps | 41% |
- 3977%77%
77% of technology buyers read user reviews during their buying process.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 4014%14%
Only 14% of technology buyers consulted analyst reports, a 60% drop since 2022.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 4154%54%
54% of technology buyers spoke with a current user before buying, while vendors estimated the share at 38%.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 4249%49%
49% of software buyers said the one thing they would change about buying is the lack of transparent pricing information.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 4352%52%
52% of technology buyers use vendor websites as a source, and 13% say a vendor website is the first resource they consult.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 441616
B2B buyers averaged 16 interactions per person with the vendor they eventually chose, unchanged from the prior year.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 4578%78%
More than 60% of business buyers use a trial before buying, rising to 78% for purchases of $10 million or more.
IndustryForresterForrester's 2026 Buyer Insights: GenAI Is Upending B2B BuyingJan 2026
What these figures suggest
Buyers rely most on sources they can check: their own past experience, product demos, peer reviews and conversations with existing users. Analyst reports have lost ground, and pricing transparency is the change buyers ask for most. Seller contact has not disappeared, since buyers still average 16 interactions per person with the vendor they pick.
06
Buying cycles, budgets and economic pressure
Chart
B2B buyers reporting that economic conditions affected their purchase approach, by solution category
6sense 2025 Buyer Experience research, purchases completed in the prior year.
Source 6sense, B2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardware | 65% |
| Machinery | 69% |
| Software | 78% |
| Services | 80% |
- 4610 months10 months
The average B2B buying cycle shortened from about 11 months in 2024 to 10 months in 2025.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 473.8 months3.8 months
The average technology deal cycle is 3.8 months, and 86% of deals close in six months or less.
IndustryTrustRadiusBridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AIApr 2025
- 4875%75%
75% of B2B buyers said economic conditions such as tariffs, inflation and tight budgets affected how they approached purchases.
Industry6senseB2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025Nov 2025
- 4948.7%48.7%
48.7% of B2B buyers said economic conditions led directly to shorter buying cycles.
Industry6senseB2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025Nov 2025
- 5062%62%
Nearly 62% of B2B buyers engaged sellers earlier because of economic uncertainty.
Industry6senseB2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025Nov 2025
- 5170%70%
70% of B2B buyers said economic anxiety directly influenced their choice of vendor, often in favor of incumbents.
Industry6senseThe Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience ReportNov 2025
- 5287%87%
87% of financial ratifiers in buying groups said economic conditions shaped how they approached buying.
Industry6senseB2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025Nov 2025
- 5357%57%
57% of software buyers expect their organization to spend more on technology and software over the next year.
IndustryG2How AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey in 2025 (2025 G2 Buyer Behavior Report)May 2025
- 5486%86%
86% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process, and 81% of buyers are dissatisfied with the provider they choose.
IndustryForresterForrester: To Master B2B Buying Mayhem, Providers Must Prioritize Buyers' NeedsDec 2024
What these figures suggest
Economic uncertainty shaped most B2B purchases in 2025, yet it sped up buying more than it slowed it, as buyers moved to commit approved budgets. Cycle lengths depend on the sample: 6sense reports about 10 months across a broad mix of purchases, while TrustRadius reports 3.8 months for technology deals. Stalled and regretted purchases remain common.
About these figures
Figures come from press releases and published research by the firms that ran each survey: Gartner, Forrester, 6sense, G2 and TrustRadius. Samples differ widely: Gartner surveyed about 640 B2B buyers per year, 6sense more than 4,000 buyers across regions, Forrester a large global survey of business buyers, G2 1,169 software decision-makers and TrustRadius technology buyers and vendors in its own network. Several sources are vendors that sell to B2B marketers, and definitions of buying groups, cycles and AI use vary, so compare directions rather than exact levels across studies. Every quote was checked against the publisher's page.
Every figure was taken from the publisher's own page, together with the sentence it appears in, and that sentence is re-checked against the source before each update. Where a survey covers a specific group, the figure says so. Read the methodology. Spotted a problem? Email editorial@mojolin.com.
Frequently asked questions
+Do B2B buyers want to talk to sales reps?
Fewer of them do. Gartner found 67% of B2B buyers prefer a buying experience without a sales rep, up from 61% a year earlier. Buyers still use reps to check information: 69% turn to sales reps to validate insights from generative AI.
+How many people are involved in a B2B purchase?
Forrester reports that a typical B2B buying decision includes 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers. Gartner puts buying groups at five to 16 people across as many as four functions, while TrustRadius found an average of 4.8 people for technology purchases.
+When do B2B buyers choose a vendor?
Usually before talking to sales. 6sense found 94% of buying groups ranked their preferred vendors before first contact and bought from that favorite 77% of the time. TrustRadius reports that 82% of technology buyers had a top product in mind when building their shortlist.
+How long does a B2B buying cycle take?
It depends on the purchase. 6sense found the average cycle shortened from about 11 months in 2024 to 10 months in 2025. TrustRadius reports an average of 3.8 months for technology deals, with enterprise deals taking 6.6 months.
+How do B2B buyers use generative AI?
Mostly for research. 6sense found 94% of buyers used large language models during a purchase, and Gartner reports 45% used AI during a recent purchase. Trust is limited: 51% of buyers expect misleading information from generative AI, and Forrester finds 19% of AI users feel less confident in their decisions.
+What sources do B2B software buyers trust most?
Their own experience and peers. TrustRadius found 77% of technology buyers read user reviews and 54% spoke with an existing user before buying, while only 14% consulted analyst reports, a 60% drop since 2022.
Sources
14 primary sources, by publisher
- 01Industry 6sense. B2B Buying Under Economic Pressure in 2025 (Nov 2025)
- 02Industry 6sense. Getting to Yes: Why Vendors Win and How Buying Groups Agree (Nov 2025)
- 03Industry 6sense. The Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From the 2025 Buyer Experience Report (Nov 2025)
- 04Industry 6sense. Where Buyers Use LLMs in the Journey (Dec 2025)
- 05Industry Forrester. Forrester: To Master B2B Buying Mayhem, Providers Must Prioritize Buyers' Needs (Dec 2024)
- 06Industry Forrester. Forrester's 2026 B2B Marketing, Sales, and Product Predictions (Oct 2025)
- 07Industry Forrester. Forrester's 2026 Buyer Insights: GenAI Is Upending B2B Buying (Jan 2026)
- 08Industry G2. How AI Is Redefining the Buyer Journey in 2025 (2025 G2 Buyer Behavior Report) (May 2025)
- 09Industry Gartner. Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience (Jun 2025)
- 10Industry Gartner. Gartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Experience (Mar 2026)
- 11Industry Gartner. Gartner Sales Survey Finds 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision Process (May 2025)
- 12Industry Gartner. Gartner Says by 2030 That 75% of B2B Buyers Will Prefer Sales Experiences That Prioritize Human Interaction Over AI (Aug 2025)
- 13Industry Gartner. Gartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated Insights (May 2026)
- 14Industry TrustRadius. Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI (Apr 2025)