ID,Buying stage,Claim (safe wording),Value,Unit,Organisation,Source title,Source URL,Location in source,Published,Fieldwork period,Sample,Population / role,Geography,Product scope,Evidence type,Numerator,Denominator,Transparency /6,Status,IVRIS use,Known limitation,Verified
E01,Seller interaction,"6sense respondents placed first seller contact at 61% of the report-defined journey in 2025, against 69% in the prior annual study.",61,% of a survey-defined journey,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Executive summary; Point of First Contact,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled chronology,Respondents reporting a first-contact position,"Nearly 4,000 respondents",5,Current,Direct,Sample mix changed year to year; the report itself says composition partly explains the shift. Not a panel.,2026-07-24
E02,Vendor set,"In 6sense's 2025 sample, the winning vendor was already on the Day One shortlist 95% of the time.",95,% of reported purchases,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Executive summary,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Purchases where the winner was on the initial shortlist,Reported purchases,5,Current,Direct,"Retrospective recall; purchases of at least US$25,000 only.",2026-07-24
E03,Vendor set,94% of 6sense's buying groups ranked their shortlist in order of preference before contacting any seller.,94,% of buying groups,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Getting to Yes findings,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Groups reporting a ranked pre-contact shortlist,Reported buying groups,5,Current,Direct,Self-reported ordering; no observation of the ranking event.,2026-07-24
E04,Vendor set,"The vendor ranked first before contact went on to win roughly four out of five deals, about 80%.",80,% of reported purchases,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Getting to Yes findings,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Purchases won by the pre-contact favourite,Reported purchases,5,Current,Direct,Reported as 'nearly 80%' and 'four out of five'; do not publish a false-precision decimal. NOT the same figure as the separate 77.0% who spoke with the eventual winner first.,2026-07-24
E05,Vendor set,"6sense respondents evaluated an average of 5.1 vendors, and had prior experience with about 3.8 of them.",5.1,vendors evaluated,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Summary of 2025 findings,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Vendors evaluated,"Nearly 4,000 respondents",5,Current,Direct,"Evaluation set, not shortlist. Do not compare with a shortlist average.",2026-07-24
E06,Research,94% of 6sense's respondents used large language models somewhere in the purchase process.,94,% of respondents,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,AI findings,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Reported use,Respondents reporting LLM use,"Nearly 4,000 respondents",5,Current,Direct,'Use somewhere' is undefined by task; not comparable with G2's chatbot measure.,2026-07-24
E07,Purchase,Nearly 90% of 6sense's respondents said AI features are now part of the solutions they acquired.,90,% of respondents,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,AI findings,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Reported attribute,Respondents reporting AI features in the purchase,"Nearly 4,000 respondents",5,Current,Conditional,"Reported as 'nearly 90%'. Describes the product bought, not buyer behaviour.",2026-07-24
E08,Scope,"Participation required a minimum spend of US$25,000; the median purchase fell between US$200,000 and US$300,000.",25000,US$ minimum spend,6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Methods,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Study scope,Not applicable,Not applicable,5,Current,Direct,Scope marker. Every 6sense figure on this page inherits this threshold.,2026-07-24
E09,Buying group,6sense reports 10 or more people involved in a typical purchase at this deal size.,10,"people, minimum",6sense,2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report,https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/,Executive summary,2025-11-12,2025; exact fieldwork dates not stated,"Nearly 4,000 (plus a 766-response companion survey)","Participants in a B2B purchase of at least US$25,000 completed in the prior two years; 52% ultimate decision-makers",North America 46%; Continental Europe 20%; UK and Ireland 20%; APAC 14%,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Reported participants,Reported purchases,5,Current,Conditional,"Internal buying group, not Forrester's influence network. Full treatment sits on the buying-group statistics page.",2026-07-24
E10,Research,"In G2's March 2026 software-buyer survey, 51% said they start research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google.",51,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key finding: AI-first search,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported comparative use,Respondents choosing AI more often than Google,"1,076",6,Current,Direct,"Comparative self-report, not clickstream. Software buying only.",2026-07-24
E11,Research,71% of the same G2 sample used AI chatbots somewhere in the software research process.,71,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key findings,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported use,Respondents reporting chatbot use,"1,076",6,Current,Direct,'Somewhere in the process' is broad; not a task-level measure.,2026-07-24
E12,Research,80% of that G2 sample still used Google somewhere in the buying journey.,80,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key findings,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported use,Respondents reporting Google use,"1,076",6,Current,Direct,Read alongside E10: AI-first and Google use coexist in the same sample.,2026-07-24
E13,Research,93% said AI chatbots have fundamentally changed how they conduct research.,93,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key findings,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported perception,Respondents agreeing,"1,076",6,Current,Conditional,"Self-attributed change, not measured change.",2026-07-24
E14,Vendor set,69% of G2's software buyers said AI chatbot guidance led them to choose a different vendor than expected.,69,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key findings,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported perception,Respondents reporting a changed choice,"1,076",6,Current,Conditional,Self-attributed influence. Verify the chart base before using as a headline.,2026-07-24
E15,Vendor set,33% purchased from a vendor they had never previously heard of.,33,% of respondents,G2,The Answer Economy: 2026 AI Search Insight Report,https://learn.g2.com/g2-2026-ai-search-insight-report,Key findings,2026-04-01,March 2026,"1,076 (plus 39 qualitative marketer interviews)",B2B software decision-makers and influencers,"North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Recalled behaviour,Respondents reporting an unfamiliar-vendor purchase,"1,076",6,Current,Direct,Software buying only; contrast with TrustRadius prior-familiarity figures.,2026-07-24
E16,Seller interaction,"In G2's April 2025 survey, 62% said they do not want to talk to sales until the evaluation or decision stage, up 17 points year on year.",62,% of respondents,G2,2025 Buyer Behavior Report: AI Always Included,https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/G2-2025-Buyer-Behavior-Report-AI-Always-Included.pdf,Buyer-seller engagement findings,2025-05-14,April 2025,"1,169","B2B software decision-makers and influencers, IC through VP and above","North America, EMEA and APAC",Software buying only,Reported preference,Respondents deferring seller contact,"1,169",6,Monitor,Direct,"A preference to DELAY reps, not a preference for reps. Stage preference, not elapsed journey share.",2026-07-24
E17,Pre-market familiarity,79% of TrustRadius's 2026 technology buyers had heard of the tool they bought before they started researching.,79,% of buyers,TrustRadius,2026 B2B Buying Disconnect,https://solutions.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/beyond-the-hype/,Brand awareness findings,2026-05-01,January 2026,"1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Buyers aware pre-research,"1,862 buyers",6,Current,Direct,Technology buying only; recall of an awareness state is weak evidence of timing.,2026-07-24
E18,Vendor set,"83% of TrustRadius's 2026 buyers shortlisted three or fewer products; the average shortlist was 2.7, rising to 3.2 for high-value purchases.",2.7,products shortlisted (mean),TrustRadius,2026 B2B Buying Disconnect,https://solutions.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/beyond-the-hype/,Shortlist findings,2026-05-01,January 2026,"1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Products shortlisted,"1,862 buyers",6,Current,Direct,"Shortlist, not evaluation set. Do not compare with 6sense's 5.1 vendors evaluated.",2026-07-24
E19,Trust and validation,74% of TrustRadius's 2026 buyers said they consulted user reviews as part of the buying process.,74,% of buyers,TrustRadius,2026 B2B Buying Disconnect,https://solutions.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/beyond-the-hype/,Review findings,2026-05-01,January 2026,"1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Reported use,Buyers consulting reviews,"1,862 buyers",6,Current,Direct,"Consulted, not trusted. Trust was not the measured construct.",2026-07-24
E20,Trust and validation,"94% fact-checked AI outputs at least some of the time, and 72% did so very often or always.",94,% of buyers,TrustRadius,2026 B2B Buying Disconnect,https://solutions.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/beyond-the-hype/,AI trust findings,2026-05-01,January 2026,"1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Reported behaviour,Buyers fact-checking at least sometimes,"1,862 buyers",6,Current,Direct,The 'at least some of the time' qualifier is load-bearing. Quoting 94% without it overstates the behaviour.,2026-07-24
E21,Scope,"48% of the purchases in TrustRadius's 2026 sample were under US$10,000.",48,% of purchases,TrustRadius,2026 B2B Buying Disconnect,https://solutions.trustradius.com/buyer-blog/beyond-the-hype/,Demographics,2026-05-01,January 2026,"1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Study scope,"Purchases under US$10,000","1,862 buyers",6,Current,Direct,"Scope marker. This sample sits far below 6sense's US$25,000 floor.",2026-07-24
E22,Pre-market familiarity,"In the 2025 edition, 79% of all buyers and 89% of enterprise buyers knew the product they purchased before starting research.",89,% of enterprise buyers,TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,Awareness findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Enterprise buyers aware pre-research,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,Enterprise cut disclosed; the all-buyer figure held at 79% into the 2026 edition.,2026-07-24
E23,Vendor set,The 2025 TrustRadius sample reported an average shortlist of 2.6 products.,2.6,products shortlisted (mean),TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,Shortlist findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Products shortlisted,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,"Comparable with E18 as a repeated survey, with sample-mix caveats. Not a panel.",2026-07-24
E24,Vendor set,"82% had a top product in mind when they built their shortlist, and 70% went on to purchase it.",82,% of buyers,TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,Shortlist findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Buyers with a pre-shortlist favourite,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,"Technology buying only. Directionally consistent with 6sense E03 and E04, but a different construct and population.",2026-07-24
E25,Trust and validation,"54% of TrustRadius's 2025 buyers spoke with a current user before purchasing, while only 23% used a vendor-supplied reference. Vendors estimated the peer figure at 38%.",54,% of buyers,TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,Peer validation findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Recalled behaviour,Buyers speaking with a current user,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,"The vendor-estimate gap is a perception measure, not a second observation of buyer behaviour.",2026-07-24
E26,Research,72% of the 2025 TrustRadius sample reported encountering Google's AI Overviews.,72,% of buyers,TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,AI findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Reported exposure,Buyers encountering AI Overviews,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,"Frequently misattributed to secondary roundups. The source is TrustRadius, not a vendor blog.",2026-07-24
E27,Research,90% of that sample said they click through the sources cited in AI Overviews.,90,% of buyers,TrustRadius,Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI,https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/bridging-the-trust-gap-b2b-tech-buying-in-the-age-of-ai/,AI findings,2025-05-01,January 2025,"2,058 technology buyers and 490 technology vendors",Professionals involved in a software or hardware purchase for their organisation in the past year,Global; country split not published,Technology buying only,Reported behaviour,Buyers clicking cited sources,"2,058 buyers",6,Monitor,Direct,"Self-reported clicking, not measured clickstream.",2026-07-24
E28,Seller interaction,"In Gartner's survey of 632 B2B buyers fielded August to September 2024, 61% preferred an overall rep-free buying experience.",61,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience,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,Opening finding,2025-06-25,August to September 2024,632,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported preference,Buyers preferring a rep-free experience,632,5,Monitor,Direct,"Preference for an experience, not evidence that no seller was used.",2026-07-24
E29,Trust and validation,69% of that Gartner sample reported inconsistencies between the supplier's website and the information their seller provided.,69,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience,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,Findings,2025-06-25,August to September 2024,632,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported perception,Buyers reporting inconsistencies,632,5,Monitor,Direct,One of three distinct 69% figures in this evidence set. Check which one a source means.,2026-07-24
E30,Trust and validation,73% said they actively avoid suppliers that send irrelevant outreach.,73,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience,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,Findings,2025-06-25,August to September 2024,632,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported behaviour,Buyers avoiding irrelevant outreach,632,5,Monitor,Direct,"Stated avoidance, not observed.",2026-07-24
E31,Seller interaction,"In Gartner's survey of 646 B2B buyers fielded August to September 2025, 67% preferred an overall rep-free experience.",67,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Experience,https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-03-09-gartner-sales-survey-finds-67-percent-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-experience,Opening finding,2026-03-09,August to September 2025,646,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported preference,Buyers preferring a rep-free experience,646,5,Current,Direct,"Questionnaire and sampling frame are not public, so the 61-to-67 movement is a same-programme comparison, not a verified trend.",2026-07-24
E32,Research,45% of that Gartner sample said they used AI during a recent purchase.,45,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Experience,https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-03-09-gartner-sales-survey-finds-67-percent-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-experience,Findings,2026-03-09,August to September 2025,646,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported use,Buyers reporting AI use in a recent purchase,646,5,Current,Direct,Recent-purchase framing. Not comparable with the undated 'use somewhere' measures.,2026-07-24
E33,Seller interaction,69% of B2B buyers turn to sales representatives to validate AI-generated insights before acting on them.,69,% of buyers,Gartner,Gartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated Insights,https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-20-gartner-survey-finds-sixty-nine-percent-of-b-two-b-buyers-turn-to-sales-reps-to-validate-ai-generated-insights,Opening finding,2026-05-20,August to September 2025,645,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported behaviour,Buyers validating AI output with a rep,645,5,Current,Direct,"Second of three 69% figures. Same fieldwork window as E31 but a base of 645, not 646.",2026-07-24
E34,Trust and validation,More than half of that sample reported receiving misleading information from AI tools during research.,50,"% of buyers, lower bound",Gartner,Gartner Survey Finds 69% of B2B Buyers Turn to Sales Reps to Validate AI-Generated Insights,https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-20-gartner-survey-finds-sixty-nine-percent-of-b-two-b-buyers-turn-to-sales-reps-to-validate-ai-generated-insights,Findings,2026-05-20,August to September 2025,645,B2B buyers,Not disclosed,Not disclosed,Reported experience,Buyers reporting misleading AI output,645,5,Current,Conditional,Published as 'more than half'. Do not convert to a precise percentage.,2026-07-24
E35,Buying group,Forrester reports that on average 13 internal stakeholders and nine external participants influence buying decisions.,13,internal stakeholders,Forrester,"The State of Business Buying, 2026",https://www.forrester.com/blogs/state-of-business-buying-2026/,Findings,2026-01-21,Buyers' Journey Survey; exact field dates not public,"Nearly 18,000 global business buyers",Business buyers,Global,Cross-category B2B,Reported structure,Reported influencers,"Nearly 18,000 buyers",4,Current,Direct,"An influence network, not a 22-person decision committee. Full method is not public.",2026-07-24
E36,Trust and validation,More than 60% of business buyers report purchasing some form of trial.,60,"% of buyers, lower bound",Forrester,"The State of Business Buying, 2026",https://www.forrester.com/blogs/state-of-business-buying-2026/,Findings,2026-01-21,Buyers' Journey Survey; exact field dates not public,"Nearly 18,000 global business buyers",Business buyers,Global,Cross-category B2B,Recalled behaviour,Buyers purchasing a trial,"Nearly 18,000 buyers",4,Current,Direct,Published as 'more than 60%'. The often-quoted 78%-above-US$10-million figure is not in the public release.,2026-07-24
E37,Channel choice,"McKinsey's B2B Pulse respondents used an average of 10.2 channels across the buying journey, up from five in 2016.",10.2,channels,McKinsey & Company,Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing,https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-fundamental-truths-how-b2b-winners-keep-growing,Channel findings,2024-09-12,3 to 24 April 2024,"Nearly 4,000",B2B decision-makers across 34 sectors and eight industries,13 countries,Cross-category B2B,Reported use,Channels used,"Nearly 4,000 decision-makers",5,Monitor,Direct,Channel counting definitions changed over the series; treat the 2016 comparison as directional.,2026-07-24
E38,Channel choice,"McKinsey's rule of thirds: buyers want in-person, remote and self-service channels in roughly equal measure across the process.",33,"% each, approximate",McKinsey & Company,Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing,https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-fundamental-truths-how-b2b-winners-keep-growing,Rule of thirds,2024-09-12,3 to 24 April 2024,"Nearly 4,000",B2B decision-makers across 34 sectors and eight industries,13 countries,Cross-category B2B,Reported preference,Not applicable,"Nearly 4,000 decision-makers",5,Monitor,Direct,"A three-way split of stated preference, not a measure of how sales actually happened.",2026-07-24
E39,Purchase,"39% of McKinsey's respondents were willing to spend over US$500,000 per order through self-service or remote channels, up from 28%.",39,% of decision-makers,McKinsey & Company,Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing,https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-fundamental-truths-how-b2b-winners-keep-growing,E-commerce findings,2024-09-12,3 to 24 April 2024,"Nearly 4,000",B2B decision-makers across 34 sectors and eight industries,13 countries,Cross-category B2B,Reported willingness,Decision-makers willing at that threshold,"Nearly 4,000 decision-makers",5,Monitor,Direct,"Willingness, not completed transactions. Supersedes the older US$50,000-threshold figures still in circulation.",2026-07-24
E40,Purchase,"20% were willing to spend over US$1 million per order that way, up from 15%.",20,% of decision-makers,McKinsey & Company,Five Fundamental Truths: How B2B Winners Keep Growing,https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-fundamental-truths-how-b2b-winners-keep-growing,E-commerce findings,2024-09-12,3 to 24 April 2024,"Nearly 4,000",B2B decision-makers across 34 sectors and eight industries,13 countries,Cross-category B2B,Reported willingness,Decision-makers willing at that threshold,"Nearly 4,000 decision-makers",5,Monitor,Direct,"Willingness, not completed transactions.",2026-07-24
E41,Trust and validation,"In dentsu's Superpowers Index, 'I feel safe signing a contract with them' was the number one decision driver for the third consecutive year.",1,rank,dentsu B2B,Superpowers Index 2025,https://www.dentsu.com/uk/en/media-and-investors/dentsu-b2b-launches-superpowers-index-2025,Decision-driver ranking,2025-11-05,2025; exact months not stated,"6,107 interviews in 2025 (16,000+ since 2021)",B2B decision-makers,21 markets,"Financial services, technology, professional services and manufacturing",Index ranking,Not applicable,"6,107 interviews",5,Current,Direct,Index-specific and limited to four industries. Weights and full sampling are not public.,2026-07-24
E42,Trust and validation,A 10-point improvement in the Superpowers Index score correlates with a 14% uplift in opportunity value.,14,% uplift,dentsu B2B,Superpowers Index 2025,https://www.dentsu.com/uk/en/media-and-investors/dentsu-b2b-launches-superpowers-index-2025,Index findings,2025-11-05,2025; exact months not stated,"6,107 interviews in 2025 (16,000+ since 2021)",B2B decision-makers,21 markets,"Financial services, technology, professional services and manufacturing",Modelled association,Not applicable,"6,107 interviews",5,Current,Conditional,A correlation inside a commercial index. Do not state as causation.,2026-07-24
E43,Trust and validation,"Brands with excellent buyer experiences close deals up to 31% faster, up to four months quicker than poor performers.",31,"% faster, upper bound",dentsu B2B,Superpowers Index 2025,https://www.dentsu.com/uk/en/media-and-investors/dentsu-b2b-launches-superpowers-index-2025,Index findings,2025-11-05,2025; exact months not stated,"6,107 interviews in 2025 (16,000+ since 2021)",B2B decision-makers,21 markets,"Financial services, technology, professional services and manufacturing",Modelled association,Not applicable,"6,107 interviews",5,Current,Conditional,Published as 'up to'. An association between index score and reported cycle time.,2026-07-24
E44,Content attention,"NetLine's Consumption Gap, the time between requesting gated content and opening it, reached 47.7 hours in 2025, a 23.9% year-on-year rise.",47.7,hours,NetLine,2026 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report,https://blog.netline.com/consumption-is-changing-introducing-the-2026-report/,Consumption Gap findings,2026-03-24,Calendar year 2025 (2024 comparison),7.2 million first-party registration events in 2025,People registering for gated B2B content across the NetLine platform,Not published in detail,Gated content registration events,Observed platform behaviour,Total elapsed time,Registration events opened,6,Current,Direct,"Platform events, not people, and not representative of B2B buyers generally.",2026-07-24
E45,Content attention,"Gated-content registrations on the platform fell 8.6% to 7.2 million in 2025, from a record 7.9 million in 2024.",7.2,million registration events,NetLine,2026 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report,https://blog.netline.com/consumption-is-changing-introducing-the-2026-report/,Demand findings,2026-03-24,Calendar year 2025 (2024 comparison),7.2 million first-party registration events in 2025,People registering for gated B2B content across the NetLine platform,Not published in detail,Gated content registration events,Observed platform behaviour,Registration events,Platform total,6,Current,Direct,"Affected by campaign inventory and client mix, not only by buyer demand.",2026-07-24
E46,Content attention,eBooks accounted for 48.8% of all registrations on the platform.,48.8,% of registrations,NetLine,2026 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report,https://blog.netline.com/consumption-is-changing-introducing-the-2026-report/,Format findings,2026-03-24,Calendar year 2025 (2024 comparison),7.2 million first-party registration events in 2025,People registering for gated B2B content across the NetLine platform,Not published in detail,Gated content registration events,Observed platform behaviour,eBook registrations,All registrations,6,Current,Direct,Reflects what was offered as much as what was wanted.,2026-07-24
E47,Content attention,"AI-related content made up 21.1% of total demand, up 28.5% year on year.",21.1,% of demand,NetLine,2026 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report,https://blog.netline.com/consumption-is-changing-introducing-the-2026-report/,Topic findings,2026-03-24,Calendar year 2025 (2024 comparison),7.2 million first-party registration events in 2025,People registering for gated B2B content across the NetLine platform,Not published in detail,Gated content registration events,Observed platform behaviour,AI-topic registrations,All registrations,6,Current,Direct,Topic classification is NetLine's own; inventory-dependent.,2026-07-24
E48,Product evaluation,"Average demo viewing time on the Consensus platform was 5 minutes 14 seconds, down 5.5% from the prior year.",314,seconds,Consensus,2026 B2B Buyer Behavior Report,https://goconsensus.com/research/2026-b2b-buyer-behavior-report,Demo duration findings,2026-05-20,2024 through Q4 2025,More than 6 million anonymised customer interactions,"Users interacting with demos, tours and demoboards on the Consensus platform",Not published,Demo-automation platform activity,Observed platform behaviour,Total view time,Included demo views,4,Current,Direct,"Platform users, not a representative buyer sample. Observation window is 2024 through Q4 2025.",2026-07-24
E49,Product evaluation,45% of demo views happened within the first 60 minutes after the demo was sent.,45,% of demo views,Consensus,2026 B2B Buyer Behavior Report,https://goconsensus.com/research/2026-b2b-buyer-behavior-report,Demo timing findings,2026-05-20,2024 through Q4 2025,More than 6 million anonymised customer interactions,"Users interacting with demos, tours and demoboards on the Consensus platform",Not published,Demo-automation platform activity,Observed platform behaviour,Views within 60 minutes,Included demo views,4,Current,Direct,"Timing of a platform event, not of a buying decision.",2026-07-24
E50,Buying group,"Demoboards shared with seven or more stakeholders were tied to opportunities 36% of the time, against 19% for demoboards shared with none, about 1.9 times the rate.",36,% associated with an opportunity,Consensus,2026 B2B Buyer Behavior Report,https://goconsensus.com/research/2026-b2b-buyer-behavior-report,Sharing findings,2026-05-20,2024 through Q4 2025,More than 6 million anonymised customer interactions,"Users interacting with demos, tours and demoboards on the Consensus platform",Not published,Demo-automation platform activity,Modelled association,Demoboards tied to an opportunity,Demoboards in each sharing band,4,Current,Conditional,An association with opportunity status. NOT a win rate and NOT causal. Larger deals plausibly cause both wider sharing and opportunity creation.,2026-07-24
X01,Excluded,86% or 91% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process,,,Forrester,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,Two public Forrester summaries give different values and the construct and denominator are not publicly defined. Exclude until the metric is defined or the full report is retrievable.,2026-07-24
X02,Excluded,Buyers complete 57% to 70% of the journey before contacting sales,,,Various,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,"Traces to a 2015-era CEB study and a separate Forrester figure, each measuring a different thing. Neither is current, and the constructs are not interchangeable. Use a named current measure instead, and say which one it is.",2026-07-24
X03,Excluded,"Buyers spend 17% of their time with suppliers, so 83% of the journey happens before contact",,,Various,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,"Time allocation across a whole purchase is not chronology. The 17% is a share of total buying time spent meeting all suppliers, not a point on a timeline. State the time-allocation figure with its own definition, or use E01 for a timing measure.",2026-07-24
X04,Excluded,The average B2B buying committee has 22 decision-makers,,,Various,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,"Adds Forrester's 13 internal stakeholders to its nine external participants. Those are an influence network, and participation is not decision authority. Report the two components separately, as E35 does.",2026-07-24
X05,Excluded,"Buyers who engage with nine or more demos close at over 55%, an 8 to 10 times increase",,,Consensus,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,"Platform association presented in causal language. Deal size and existing intent plausibly drive both demo volume and close rate. Exclude. Use E50's wording, which keeps the association framing.",2026-07-24
X06,Excluded,87% of B2B buyers want to self-serve part or all of the journey,,,Various,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,Circulates undated and without a retrievable base or question wording. Exclude until the original instrument is available.,2026-07-24
X07,Excluded,"70% of decision-makers are open to fully remote or self-serve purchases over US$50,000",,,McKinsey (era),,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,A 2020-to-2021 era figure still quoted as current. The threshold and the base have both moved. Use E39 and E40 instead.,2026-07-24
X08,Excluded,78% of buyers purchasing above US$10 million used a trial,,,Forrester,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,Not present in the public 2026 release. Exclude unless traced to the report itself. E36 is the defensible version.,2026-07-24
X09,Excluded,AI has replaced Google in B2B software research,,,Various,,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,Contradicted by the same G2 sample: 51% start with AI more often than Google while 80% still use Google somewhere. Report E10 and E12 together.,2026-07-24
X10,Excluded,80% of B2B sales interactions will occur in digital channels,,,Gartner (forecast),,,,,,,,,,Excluded from use,,,,Excluded,Do not publish,"A forecast published in 2015 for 2025, routinely quoted as an observed finding. Exclude, or label explicitly as a forecast with its publication year.",2026-07-24