--- title: "B2B Tech Buying in 2026: AI Research, Bigger Buying Groups and Shortlists Set Before the First Sales Call" summary: "Forrester says 94% of business buyers now use AI during purchases, and typical decisions involve 13 internal stakeholders plus nine outside influencers. For agencies running demand generation for SaaS and tech clients, influence has to happen earlier, reach whole committees and come with proof." url: "https://marketing-insights.endatasite.com/articles/b2b-tech-buying-2026-ai-research-buying-groups-shortlists-demand-gen" publisher: "Marketing Insights" section: "Industry Playbooks" author: "Marketing Desk" datePublished: "2026-09-28T22:26:51.248Z" dateModified: "2026-09-28T22:26:51.248Z" sources: - title: "The State Of Business Buying: Risk-Averse Buyers Demand Proof, Not Promises (Forrester)" url: "https://www.forrester.com/blogs/state-of-business-buying-2026/" - title: "Forrester: The State Of Business Buying, 2026 (press release)" url: "https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/forrester-2026-the-state-of-business-buying/" - title: "Forrester: B2B buying groups expand as they question AI (Digital Commerce 360)" url: "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/01/22/forrester-b2b-buying-ai-2026/" - title: "Gartner: Two-thirds of B2B buyers prefer rep-free purchasing as AI reshapes sales (Digital Commerce 360)" url: "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/03/17/gartner-b2b-buyers-rep-free-purchasing-ai-reshapes-sales/" - title: "The Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From 6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report" url: "https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/" - title: "B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (Content Marketing Institute)" url: "https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research" --- # B2B Tech Buying in 2026: AI Research, Bigger Buying Groups and Shortlists Set Before the First Sales Call *Forrester says 94% of business buyers now use AI during purchases, and typical decisions involve 13 internal stakeholders plus nine outside influencers. For agencies running demand generation for SaaS and tech clients, influence has to happen earlier, reach whole committees and come with proof.* B2B technology buyers are doing more of their homework before any vendor knows they exist, and much of that homework now runs through generative AI. Several large buyer studies published over the past year agree on the basic shape of 2026 demand generation: buying groups are bigger, shortlists form early, and buyers want proof rather than claims. For agencies that run demand generation, content and ABM programs for SaaS and tech companies, this changes what "pipeline from content" means and how it can be measured. ## AI Is Now Part of Nearly Every Purchase Forrester's State of Business Buying, 2026 research, published January 21, 2026, found that "nearly all business buyers (94%) report using AI during their buying process," according to a post by Forrester vice president and principal analyst Barbara Winters. Digital Commerce 360 reported that the findings draw on Forrester's 2025 Buyers' Journey Survey and Business Risk Survey. In the 2025 survey, generative AI was "the single most cited meaningful interaction type for researching purchases." Buyers do not fully trust what the tools tell them. Digital Commerce 360 reported that 36% of respondents felt more confident using AI, while 20% felt less confident because of unreliable or inaccurate information. Among procurement professionals, that figure was 28%. Gartner data points the same way at a different angle. Digital Commerce 360 reported on March 17, 2026 that a Gartner survey of 646 B2B buyers, conducted August through September 2025, found 67% favor a rep-free buying experience and 45% used AI tools during a recent purchase. "B2B buyers are progressing through critical buying tasks in more autonomous ways. Sellers can't rely on static collateral to carry influence in those moments," said Alyssa Cruz, a senior principal analyst in Gartner's sales practice. ## Buying Groups Keep Growing, and Reach Beyond the Company Forrester found that the typical buying decision now involves 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers. Purchases that include generative AI features are even more complicated: Forrester said buying groups for those purchases double in size, 14 members compared with seven. Procurement also has more say. Forrester reported that procurement professionals now act as decision-makers more than half the time (53%). C-suite leaders were cited by 68% of respondents, according to Digital Commerce 360. The nine external influencers matter for marketers. Forrester's analysis says buyers use AI for research efficiency but balance it by consulting peers, analysts and product experts. Much of that happens in conversations, communities and private channels that attribution software never sees, the activity marketers often call "dark social." ## Shortlists Form Before the First Sales Call Vendor research, which should be weighed as such, suggests the window for influence is closing earlier. In its 2025 Buyer Experience Report, released November 12, 2025 and based on a global survey of more than 4,000 buyers, intent-data vendor 6sense found that 94% of buying groups had ranked their preferred vendors before first contact with a seller. They ultimately bought from that early favorite 77% of the time. 6sense also reported that the split between independent research and seller engagement moved from 70/30 to 60/40, and that average buying cycles shortened from about 11 months in 2024 to 10 months in 2025. "Buyers are choosing a preliminary winner much earlier than in the past," said Kerry Cunningham, head of research and thought leadership at 6sense. "Vendors that can't provide clear answers upfront aren't making the shortlist." AI shows up here too. 6sense reported that 89% of purchases in its study included AI features, and that 58% of buyers engaged sellers earlier to clarify missing details about those features. ## Proof Beats Promises Forrester's research also shows buyers testing before they commit. More than 60% of business buyers reported using some form of trial. According to Forrester's press release, that rises to 78% of buyers making purchases of $10 million or more. A trial does not guarantee a win: Digital Commerce 360 reported that 36% planned to convert with the original provider, while 35% planned to switch to a different vendor. "B2B buyers are under immense pressure to justify investments and minimize risk," Winters said in Forrester's release. "As buying groups expand and decision cycles grow, B2B marketers must develop dynamic, role-specific insights that capture how buyers evaluate risk, seek information, and define success for their business purchase." ## Content Teams Are Still Struggling to Show Pipeline Marketers themselves report a gap between producing content and proving its value. Content Marketing Institute's B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026, published October 8, 2025, surveyed 1,015 B2B marketers between June 24 and August 14, 2025. A quarter of that sample worked in technology. Only 12% described their marketing as highly effective. Creating content that drives conversions was the top challenge (40%), and 33% cited measuring effectiveness. Thought leadership is almost universal but rarely mature. CMI found 96% of organizations create it, but only 11% described their programs as advanced or leading. LinkedIn was the main distribution channel for 76%. Some 63% said they measure thought leadership by business impact such as leads and pipeline, while 80% track engagement. ## What This Means for Your Business - **Optimize for the AI research phase.** If buyers start with generative AI, clients need clear, specific and current public information on pricing approach, integrations, security and AI features. Vague messaging is more likely to be summarized badly or skipped. - **Build for committees, not personas.** With 13 internal stakeholders and procurement involved in most decisions, content plans need role-specific assets for finance, IT, security and procurement as well as the economic buyer. - **Arm the external influencers.** Analysts, peers and product experts shape shortlists. Agencies can help clients invest in customer advocacy, community presence, reviews and executive thought leadership that shows up where buyers ask for advice. - **Reframe pipeline reporting.** Because much influence happens before first contact and in channels attribution cannot see, pair platform attribution with self-reported attribution ("How did you hear about us?") and shortlist-rate metrics from sales. - **Package proof.** Trials, pilots, ROI evidence and customer outcomes are now core demand-gen assets, not sales afterthoughts. - **Treat vendor statistics carefully.** Much buyer-behavior data, including some cited here, comes from companies that sell B2B marketing tools. Use it for direction and validate it against client CRM data. ## Sources - [The State Of Business Buying: Risk-Averse Buyers Demand Proof, Not Promises (Forrester)](https://www.forrester.com/blogs/state-of-business-buying-2026/) - [Forrester: The State Of Business Buying, 2026 (press release)](https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/forrester-2026-the-state-of-business-buying/) - [Forrester: B2B buying groups expand as they question AI (Digital Commerce 360)](https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/01/22/forrester-b2b-buying-ai-2026/) - [Gartner: Two-thirds of B2B buyers prefer rep-free purchasing as AI reshapes sales (Digital Commerce 360)](https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/03/17/gartner-b2b-buyers-rep-free-purchasing-ai-reshapes-sales/) - [The Timeline for Influencing B2B Buyers Is Shrinking: Insights From 6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report](https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/) - [B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (Content Marketing Institute)](https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research) *Cite as: Marketing Insights, "B2B Tech Buying in 2026: AI Research, Bigger Buying Groups and Shortlists Set Before the First Sales Call", https://marketing-insights.endatasite.com/articles/b2b-tech-buying-2026-ai-research-buying-groups-shortlists-demand-gen (as of 2026-09-28).*