How Generative AI Is Changing B2B Research, Vendor Evaluation and Purchasing Decisions

Executive Summary

Generative AI is rapidly becoming part of the B2B buying process.

Across studies from Forrester, Gartner, G2 and TrustRadius, buyers report using AI tools to summarise information, compare vendors and accelerate early-stage research. However, the underlying structure of B2B purchasing remains largely unchanged.

Enterprise decisions still involve large buying groups, internal justification and complex evaluation processes. Forrester research suggests that the average B2B purchase now involves 13 stakeholders and frequently stalls due to internal alignment challenges. [2]

What AI changes is the speed and structure of research, not the complexity of organisational decision-making.

For marketing leaders, this creates an important strategic shift. Visibility increasingly depends not only on ranking in search engines but also on whether AI systems can interpret, summarise and cite your organisation’s expertise accurately.

AI Is Reshaping How B2B Buyers Research Suppliers

The way B2B buyers research suppliers is changing rapidly.

Generative AI tools have moved from experimental technologies to everyday research assistants in less than two years. Buyers now use AI systems to summarise complex information, compare vendors and accelerate the early stages of the buying journey.

However, the shift is often misunderstood.

A common narrative suggests buyers are abandoning traditional search engines in favour of conversational AI tools. In reality, the research suggests something more nuanced.

Buyers are adopting generative AI while continuing to rely on familiar research behaviours. They still verify information, cross-check sources and validate claims through vendor websites, review platforms and analyst research. [1][7]

AI accelerates information discovery and synthesis, but it does not eliminate the complexity of B2B purchasing.

Enterprise buying still requires internal justification, cross-department alignment, financial approval, risk assessment and multi-stakeholder consensus.

This tension matters.

AI dramatically speeds up how buyers gather and summarise information, but it does not shorten the organisational process required to reach agreement.

About This Report

This report synthesises insights from several major research studies examining how generative AI is influencing B2B purchasing behaviour.

The analysis draws on research published by Forrester, Gartner, G2, TrustRadius, the OECD and peer-reviewed academic journals.

Across these sources, the combined datasets represent tens of thousands of B2B buyers globally.

Rather than presenting a single survey, the report identifies patterns that appear consistently across multiple studies. These patterns reveal how AI search is influencing four critical stages of the buying journey:

• supplier discovery
• vendor research and evaluation
• collaboration within buying groups
• procurement and final purchasing decisions

The goal is to help marketing leaders understand how buyer behaviour is evolving as AI becomes embedded in the B2B research process.

Key Statistics: How AI Search Is Reshaping B2B Buying

Several major studies highlight the scale of change already underway.

AI adoption in the buying process

Research from Forrester shows that generative AI has already entered the mainstream of B2B purchasing behaviour.

• 89% of B2B buyers have used generative AI during at least one stage of the buying process
• 87% say generative AI helped create a better business outcome

These findings suggest AI is quickly becoming a practical productivity tool rather than a novelty. [1]

AI search behaviour

AI is also influencing how buyers begin researching solutions.

According to the G2 Buyer Behaviour Report, AI search is increasingly shaping how decision-makers evaluate vendors.

• 79% of buyers say AI search has changed how they research solutions
• 29% now start research with AI tools more often than Google

These findings suggest discovery is beginning to move into AI-driven environments rather than traditional search results alone. [6]

AI search exposure

Even when buyers do not explicitly use AI tools, they increasingly encounter AI-generated answers during research.

TrustRadius research found:

• 72% of buyers encounter Google AI Overviews during research
• 90% click through to verify AI-generated answers

This reinforces an important point: AI summaries may introduce vendors, but buyers still rely on primary sources to confirm the information. [7]

Buyer expectations and sales interaction

Research from Gartner also shows that buyers increasingly expect to conduct research independently before engaging with vendors.

• 61% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience for parts of the journey

This does not eliminate the role of sales teams, but it does shift engagement later in the buying process. [5]

Structural complexity of B2B buying

Despite the growing role of AI, the organisational complexity of B2B buying remains unchanged.

Forrester research highlights several persistent challenges:

• 13 stakeholders involved in the average B2B purchase decision
• 89% of purchases involve multiple departments
• 86% of purchases stall during the buying process
• 81% of buyers report dissatisfaction with the vendor they ultimately choose

These findings illustrate that AI may accelerate research, but it does not remove the friction inherent in enterprise decision-making. [2]

Why Some AI Adoption Statistics Appear Contradictory

Some studies suggest nearly universal AI adoption in the buying process, while others report relatively limited use of tools such as ChatGPT during vendor research.

For example:

• Forrester reports 89% generative AI adoption within buying journeys. [1]
• TrustRadius reports only 7% of buyers explicitly using LLM tools during research. [7]

Both figures can be accurate.

The difference lies in how AI usage is defined.

Some research measures explicit use of standalone AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude. Other studies include AI capabilities embedded within tools buyers already use, such as search engines, review platforms, productivity software and internal AI assistants.

As a result, buyers may be influenced by AI-generated insights even when they do not consciously think of themselves as using AI.

For marketers, the implication is clear.

AI is becoming part of the information infrastructure of the internet, which means visibility increasingly depends on whether your content can be interpreted and summarised accurately by these systems.

How AI Search Influences the B2B Buying Journey

AI search is influencing every stage of the B2B buying process.

Rather than replacing traditional research behaviour, it augments and accelerates it.

Awareness: Faster orientation

Early in the buying journey, buyers often use AI tools to quickly understand unfamiliar technologies or solution categories.

Typical queries include definitions of emerging technologies, comparisons between solution categories and identification of potential vendors.

AI provides a rapid overview of the landscape, helping buyers orient themselves within the market.

However, buyers still verify what they learn. TrustRadius research shows 90% of buyers click through to source content to validate AI-generated answers. [7]

Consideration: Research productivity

The biggest behavioural shift appears during vendor evaluation.

AI tools help buyers summarise documentation, compare product capabilities and identify differences between competing solutions.

According to G2 research:

• 79% of buyers say AI search has changed research behaviour
• 30% report higher productivity when using AI search tools

AI therefore functions as a research assistant rather than a replacement for traditional sources. [6]

Evaluation: Supporting buying groups

Enterprise purchases rarely involve a single decision-maker.

Forrester research shows the average B2B purchase involves 13 stakeholders across multiple departments. [2]

AI tools increasingly help buyers translate technical information into summaries that can be shared with colleagues across finance, operations and leadership teams.

In this sense, AI becomes a coordination tool within buying groups.

Purchase: Self-service expectations

Buyers increasingly expect to complete much of their research independently.

Gartner reports 61% of buyers prefer a rep-free experience for parts of the buying journey. [5]

However, this does not eliminate the need for sales engagement. Instead, sales teams increasingly become involved later in the process when buyers are already well-informed.

What This Means for CMOs and Marketing Leaders

For marketing leaders, AI search represents more than a new discovery channel.

It changes how buyers form their initial understanding of the market.

Traditionally, buyers assembled that understanding by reviewing multiple search results and gradually building their own view of the landscape.

AI systems now provide a synthesised overview of the market before buyers visit individual websites.

This means the first version of your positioning that buyers encounter may not come directly from your own content. It may come from an AI-generated interpretation of the available information about your company.

Ensuring that AI systems can understand and summarise your expertise accurately therefore becomes a strategic priority.

The Strategic Role of Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)

As AI systems become more integrated into discovery, a new discipline is emerging alongside traditional search optimisation.

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) focuses on structuring content so AI systems can interpret it, summarise it and cite it as a trusted source.

Traditional SEO helps content appear in search results. AEO ensures that the content is understood correctly when AI systems interpret it.

The organisations that communicate most clearly, provide evidence to support their claims and structure their expertise effectively are therefore more likely to appear in AI-generated answers.

Preparing Your Organisation for AI Search Visibility

AI search is not replacing digital discovery.

It is transforming how buyers understand markets and evaluate suppliers.

If buyers increasingly rely on AI systems to summarise vendors, compare solutions and support internal decision-making, your organisation’s content must be designed to support that process.

Companies that succeed in this environment will be those whose expertise is clearly documented, easily interpretable and supported by credible evidence.

This is the core objective of Answer Engine Optimisation.

Ready to Improve Your Visibility in AI Search?

As AI-driven research becomes part of the B2B buying journey, organisations need to ensure their expertise is visible in the environments where buyers are asking questions.

Answer Engine Optimisation focuses on making your content understandable, trustworthy and extractable for AI systems.

If your organisation wants to improve its visibility in AI-generated answers and ensure your expertise is accurately represented during the research process, Angelfish can help you assess your current presence and develop a strategy for becoming more discoverable in AI search environments.

Research References

[1] https://www.forrester.com/report/b2b-buyer-adoption-of-generative-ai/RES181769
[2] https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/forrester-the-state-of-business-buying-2024/
[3] https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-future-of-b2b-buying-will-come-slowly-and-then-all-at-once/
[4] https://company.g2.com/news/buyer-behavior-in-2025
[5] https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-06-25-gartner-sales-survey-finds-61-percent-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-buying-experience
[6] https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/attachment/file/1470753/2025-G2-Buyer-Behavior-Report.pdf
[7] https://go.trustradius.com/rs/827-FOI-687/images/TrustRadius-Bridging-the-Trust-Gap-B2B-Tech-Buying-in-the-Age-of-AI.pdf
[8] https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-in-firms_f9ef33c3-en.html
[9] https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-adoption-of-artificial-intelligence-in-firms_f9ef33c3-en/full-report.html
[10] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296325005041
[11] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1478409225000214
[12] https://programs.lucidworks.com/rs/579-JML-927/images/FINThe-Forrester-Wave-Cognitive-Search-Platforms-Q4-2023%20%281%29.pdf