B2B Buying Statistics 2026, Every Source Checked

Do B2B buyers prefer to buy without a sales rep?

67% prefer a rep-free experience. "67% of B2B buyers state that they prefer a rep-free experience," from a Gartner survey of 646 B2B buyers conducted from August through September 2025. 45% said they used AI during a recent purchase. (Gartner, March 2026)

70% prefer a completely digital, self-service buying experience, from a Gartner survey of 645 B2B buyers in the same months. (Gartner, May 2026)

Earlier figures: 61% (2024 survey), 75% before that. A Gartner survey of 632 B2B buyers in August and September 2024 found that "61% of B2B buyers prefer an overall rep-free buying experience", and 73% "actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach". (Gartner, June 2025) Until at least June 2025, Gartner's B2B buying journey page said "75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free sales experience". (Gartner, archived June 2025) The surveys differ in sample and wording, so quote 67% as the current figure, with its date.

A forecast that points the other way. Gartner predicts that by 2030, "75% of B2B buyers will prefer sales experiences that prioritize human interaction over AI". It is a prediction, not a survey result. (Gartner, August 2025)

When do B2B buyers still want a salesperson?

To validate what they found. 69% of B2B buyers "prefer to validate AI-generated insights with sales reps". Gartner found reps "remain the most important information source when buyers are researching a business problem or need, identifying a preferred supplier and securing internal support, and finalizing the purchase." (Gartner, May 2026)

Later in the journey. In G2's online survey of 1,169 B2B decision-makers in April 2025, "nearly two of three buyers prefer engaging with vendor salespeople only in later stages of their journey", up 17 points from 2024. (G2, May 2025)

When it raises their confidence. Gartner found that "confident buyers are twice as likely to report a high-quality deal compared with buyers who have low decision confidence." (Gartner, March 2026)

How much of the buying journey do buyers spend on their own?

27% researching online, 17% meeting suppliers (2019). In a Gartner survey of 750 B2B buyers, published in 2019, buying groups spent 27% of their time researching independently online, 18% researching independently offline, 22% meeting with the buying group, 17% meeting with potential suppliers and 16% on other work. "When buyers are comparing multiple suppliers, the amount of time spent with any one sales rep may be only 5% or 6%." (Gartner, archived April 2020)

Seven information sources per purchase. "Buyers reported using an average of seven information sources during a recent purchase." (Gartner, May 2026)

The favourite is picked before the first call. In 6sense's 2025 study of more than 4,000 buyers across North America, EMEA and APAC, "94% of buying groups ranked preferred vendors before first contact", and "they ultimately purchased from that preliminary favorite 77% of the time." The study also found that "the balance between independent research and seller engagement has shifted from a 70/30 split to 60/40", and buyers still averaged 16 interactions per person with the winning vendor. 6sense sells software to sales and marketing teams. (6sense, November 2025)

57% of the decision made before engaging sales (2012). CEB, now part of Gartner, surveyed more than 1,500 decision makers and influencers at customers of 22 large B2B companies. The average customer "had completed more than one-half of the purchase decision-making process prior to engaging a supplier sales rep directly": 57% of the way to their first serious engagement with sales. The survey ran in 2011. (CEB, The Digital Evolution in B2B Marketing, 2012)

How big is a B2B buying group?

13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers. Forrester's State of Business Buying, 2026, based on its survey of nearly 18,000 business buyers, finds that "the typical buying decision now includes 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers", with more for complex or strategic purchases. 94% of buyers with groups of six or more report clear benefits from them. (Forrester, January 2026; survey)

Six to 10 decision makers. Gartner's earlier figure: "The typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves six to 10 decision makers, each armed with four or five pieces of information they've gathered independently". (Gartner, archived April 2020)

The two figures count different people. Forrester counts everyone who shapes the decision, including people outside the buying company; Gartner counted decision makers on a complex purchase.

How are B2B buyers using AI to research?

45% used AI during a recent purchase, in Gartner's survey of 646 buyers. (Gartner, March 2026)

94% report using AI during their buying process, in Forrester's survey. (Forrester, January 2026)

63% used AI, and 94% of them fact-check it. TrustRadius surveyed 1,862 technology buyers and 444 technology vendors in January 2026. 63% of buyers used AI during their purchase journey, and 94% of those "said they fact-check its responses at least some of the time". (TrustRadius, July 2026)

29% start research with AI more often than with Google. In G2's April 2025 survey of 1,169 decision-makers, 29% said they "start research via LLMs more often than Google". (G2, May 2025)

Neither source is trusted blindly. 51% of buyers say they are more likely to encounter misleading information from GenAI, and 49% from a sales rep. (Gartner, May 2026)

The shares differ because the surveys ask different questions: any AI use while buying, AI use in one recent purchase, or AI as the place research starts.

Do B2B buyers want demos and free trials?

More than 60% use a trial. "More than 60% of business buyers now make use of a trial", and 78% of buyers making purchases of $10 million or more engage in a trial first. Forrester counts any trial, from usage-based trial periods to paid, bespoke sandboxes, so this is not a free-trial figure. A trial is not a sale: just over a third of buyers said they planned to convert to a fully paid version with the same provider. (Forrester, January 2026; blog)

Demos and trials are among the most influential resources. In TrustRadius's 2026 survey, "buyers ranked product demos, free trials, prior experience, and user reviews among the most influential resources when selecting a vendor", and 83% shortlisted three or fewer products. The public release gives no percentage for each resource. (TrustRadius, July 2026)

What is buyer enablement?

Buyer enablement is Gartner's term for helping buyers complete a purchase rather than selling at them. Gartner calls it "the provisioning of information to customers in a way that enables them to complete critical buying jobs", and names six jobs: problem identification, solution exploration, requirements building, supplier selection, validation and consensus creation. Buyers who found suppliers' information helpful across those jobs were "three times more likely to buy a bigger deal with less regret". (Gartner, archived April 2020) See the buyer enablement glossary entry.

Which B2B buying statistics are out of date or untraceable?

"75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience" as a current figure. Out of date. Gartner's latest survey puts it at 67%, and the one before at 61%.

"B2B buyers spend 17% of their time with suppliers" as a current figure. Out of date. It is real, but it comes from a 2019 survey of 750 buyers, and the chart is missing from the 2025 version of Gartner's page.

"Buyers are 57% of the way through before they talk to sales" as a current figure. Out of date. It comes from a 2011 CEB survey, published in 2012, and measures the first serious engagement with a sales rep.

"Buyers are 70% of the way through the journey before they contact a seller." Out of date. 6sense's 2024 release said buyers were "nearly 70% through their purchasing process before engaging with sellers" (6sense, October 2024); its 2025 study says the split between independent research and seller engagement moved from 70/30 to 60/40 (6sense, November 2025).

"Free trials influence 77% of buyers and demos 73%." Could not trace. Credited to TrustRadius's 2026 report by secondary summaries. TrustRadius's own release names demos and free trials among the most influential resources but gives no percentages, and we could not open the report.

What does this mean if you sell B2B software?

Buyers want to learn without a rep, shortlist before they call, and still want proof before they buy. That favours letting them see the product on their own terms: a free trial where one person can reach value alone, and a demo they can start without a meeting where they cannot (see free trial or demo? and gated vs. ungated demos). An AI demo agent is one way to offer that demo. Floe, the AI demo agent that keeps up with your product, runs a live, voice-led demo in your real product when a buyer asks. For what happens when buyers do ask for a call, see speed-to-lead statistics.

How were these numbers checked?

For each figure we opened the original release or report page and read it. Gartner's site blocks automated reading, so we read its releases and its buying journey page through Internet Archive copies; the CEB report through a copy of the original PDF; and the 6sense and G2 releases through their Business Wire text. Several sources sell to sales and marketing teams (6sense, G2, TrustRadius), and we name the publisher each time. Sample sizes are as each source states them. Sources checked on 4 November 2026.