What did the study find?
The study found that AI assistants are now part of most B2B purchases, but mainly as a way to judge suppliers buyers already know, not to discover new ones. The 2026 B2B Buyer Experience Report from 6sense, a US B2B marketing software company, was released on 3 November 2026 and covers 4,607 buying journeys.
Five findings matter most for companies that need to be on the list.
- AI use is widespread but has dipped. 81% of buyers used an AI assistant somewhere in the evaluation, down from 94% the year before. The fall was larger among junior roles, and larger in Europe, the Middle East and Africa than in North America.
- AI is used to judge, not to discover. Only 26% used AI to find new vendors. Most used it to sort, summarise and check information they already had. Use peaked in the middle of the journey (59% of users) rather than at the start (43%).
- Its influence is real but secondary. 25.2% said AI significantly influenced their view of vendors, and nearly half said it had some influence. In the selection phase, 21.2% named AI as an influential source, level with vendor websites but behind buyers' existing knowledge (34.4%) and internal discussion (31.8%).
- Trust is high. 51.8% reported a high level of trust in AI assistants and a further 36.5% a moderate level. Buyers who put more effort into their questions trusted the answers more.
- The shortlist is set early. The winner was on the day-one shortlist in 92% of journeys, and the favourite before first contact won 82% of the time. Buyers made first contact 59% of the way through a 10.3-month cycle, and started that conversation themselves in 82% of cases.
How was the study done?
6sense ran three surveys of B2B buyers: one on completed purchases (3,596 journeys), one on evaluations that stalled or ended without a purchase (1,011), and one on AI and economic conditions. Purchases had to be worth at least 25,000 US dollars a year, and completed-purchase respondents had to have bought within the past two years. Respondents were senior: a third of the completed-purchase sample were C-level.
| Measure | UK and Ireland | Global |
|---|---|---|
| Buying cycle length | 9.7 months | 10.3 months |
| Share of cycle gone at first contact | 56% | 59% |
| Winner was on the day-one shortlist | 92% | 92% |
| Favourite before first contact won | 77% | 82% |
| First contact started by the buyer | 85% | 82% |
| Winner was the first vendor contacted | 68% | 77% |
UK and Ireland respondents made up 18% of the completed-purchase sample and 25% of the AI survey.
The limits matter. Every answer is self-reported, and each respondent speaks for a whole buying group. The authors say the analysis is descriptive and associational, so no finding proves cause and effect. The report does not state when the surveys were fielded or how many people answered the AI survey. It is a vendor's study, though with a stated method and a large sample. It gives no Ireland-only figures, and its AI findings are not broken out for the UK and Ireland.
What does it mean for B2B shortlists?
It means AI matters most once a supplier is already in contention, when buyers use it to compare and check the names on their list. Getting onto the day-one list comes first: the winner was there in 92% of journeys, and buyers formed that list mostly from their own experience and their colleagues' views.
The study does not test what happens next, so this is an inference, but a reasonable one. Buyers use AI mid-journey to compare suppliers they already know, they largely trust the answers, and the favourite they hold before any seller speaks to them wins four times in five. An AI answer that describes you less accurately, or with less proof, than the competitor next to you on the list can weaken that preference without your sales team ever seeing it happen.
The 26% figure is not trivial either. One buyer in four uses AI to find vendors they did not know, which for a challenger is one of the few routes onto a list built mostly from experience.
The study also cuts against the hype. Buyers rated their own knowledge and internal discussion above AI, and AI assistants were the least used of eleven channels for keeping up between purchases, at 15%. AI is one input to the preference that wins, not a replacement for reputation. That is why the useful question is not whether AI mentions you, but whether its answer strengthens or weakens the case for you against the rival a buyer is weighing you against.
What does it mean for companies in Ireland and the UK?
For suppliers selling in the UK and Ireland it means less time with the buyer and a decision about whom to call that is made during research. Cycles were shorter than the global average, at 9.7 months, buyers made contact 56% of the way through, and they started 85% of first conversations themselves.
There is some room to recover. The favourite before first contact won 77% of the time in the UK and Ireland, against 82% globally, and the winner was the first vendor contacted in only 68% of cases, against 77%. Buyers in these markets appear a little more willing to change their minds after talking to sellers, but they still choose whom to talk to from what they have already learned.
The report gives no separate Irish figures and does not break out AI use by region beyond noting a larger fall in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, so none should be assumed. The commercial point stands in both countries: by the time a buyer calls, most of the comparison has already been done.
What should leadership teams do this quarter?
Start by finding out whether you are on the list before the buyer calls, and what AI says when it compares you with the rivals beside you. Five steps follow.
- Ask recent wins and losses about the day-one list. Which suppliers did the buyer have in mind before contacting anyone, and where did that view come from?
- Check the comparison questions, not just the discovery ones. Ask the assistants your buyers use to compare you with your two closest rivals for a company like your typical customer, and note who comes out ahead and why.
- Correct what is wrong at source. Buyers trust these answers, so an outdated or inaccurate description of your company carries weight. Trace each error to the sources AI relies on and fix it there.
- Keep your proof current between buying cycles. Most buyers said their view of vendors changed between purchases. Recent, specific evidence of results is what both buyers and AI draw on.
- Brief your sales team. By first contact, the buyer has usually picked a favourite. Ask prospects early what they found when they researched you, including what AI told them.
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