# How is AI changing the way B2B buyers choose suppliers?

Canonical: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-search-change-your-industry
Author: Ross Williams
Published: 2026-04-22
Last reviewed: 2026-09-24
Reviewed by: Ross Williams
Pillar: How buying is changing
Summary: How AI assistants are changing the way UK B2B buyers find suppliers in 2026, which sectors feel it first, and what founder-led firms should do this year.
Keywords: how is ai changing b2b buying, b2b buyers using chatgpt, percentage of b2b buyers using ai, ai in the b2b buying process 2026, chatgpt ads uk, ai procurement supplier research
Short answer: Buyers now start more of their research in AI assistants and arrive with a shortlist already formed. Forrester found in January 2026 that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process, and 6sense found buying groups had ranked preferred vendors before first contact in 94% of cases. Assistants now sit inside tools buyers use at work, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Search. Firms with specific, public, well-evidenced expertise get named; vague generalists are left out. ChatGPT ads do not change the answer itself.
What changed: Retargeted to 2026 with a dated log, a status check on each prediction, buyer survey figures, ChatGPT ads, and short sector summaries adding fintech and agencies.
Publisher: Fortitude Media Limited

When quoting, attribute to Fortitude Media and link to the canonical URL above.

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A few years ago, a finance director who needed a new audit firm would ask a peer, search Google and read three websites. In 2026 the same director is as likely to type the question into ChatGPT, or into the Copilot box next to their inbox, and read a short answer that names a handful of firms. The change has been fast and uneven, which is what makes it hard to plan for.

The numbers are now large. [Forrester's Buyers' Journey Survey](https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2b_buyers_make_zero_click_buying_number_one/), published in January 2026, found that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process, and 61% use private AI tools supplied by their own organisation. The [6sense 2025 Buyer Experience Report](https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/) (November 2025, more than 4,000 buyers) found that 94% of buyers used large language models while buying, mainly to summarise reviews or analyse data, and that buying groups had ranked their preferred vendors before first contact in 94% of cases. Neither survey is UK-only, but both cover business buyers broadly rather than software buyers alone.

In our view, being named by AI assistants has become a business development channel in its own right. This guide sets out how buying has changed in 2026, which of the changes we expected have happened, what ChatGPT ads mean for who gets recommended, and which sectors feel it first. It ends with a dated log that we update each quarter.

## Key takeaways

- Most business buyers now use AI while buying: 94% in Forrester's January 2026 survey, and 51% of software buyers in G2's April 2026 survey start their research in an AI chatbot.
- Buyers form a shortlist before they speak to anyone, so the assistant's answer often decides who gets the first call.
- AI now sits inside tools buyers already use at work, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Search and Chrome, so asking an assistant is becoming a habit rather than a decision.
- Buyers act on what assistants say, but most also check it against reviews, websites and references.
- Firms with specific, public, well-evidenced expertise get named; generalists with vague websites are left out.
- ChatGPT has shown labelled ads to UK users since 11 August 2026, but OpenAI says ads do not change the answer, so being named in it is still earned.

## How is AI changing the B2B buying process in 2026?

It is moving early research, and much of the shortlisting, into AI assistants. Buyers ask a question in their own words, read an answer that names a few firms, and contact fewer suppliers with more of their mind made up.

Three changes stand out. First, research starts in an assistant more often: [G2's survey of 1,076 software buyers](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-g2-research-half-of-b2b-software-buyers-now-start-their-research-with-ai-chatbots-302742807.html), run in March 2026 and published in April, found that 51% now begin their software research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google, and 71% use chatbots at some point. Second, the shortlist forms early: in the 6sense research, buyers bought from their first choice 77% of the time. Third, the assistant changes minds: in G2's survey, 69% of buyers chose a different vendor from the one they first planned because of chatbot advice, and one in three bought from a vendor they had not known before.

Buyers have not stopped checking. The [TrustRadius 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trustradius-2026-b2b-buying-disconnect-report-reveals-ai-has-changed-how-buyers-research-but-not-what-they-trust-302825792.html) (July 2026, 1,862 technology buyers) found that 63% used AI during their purchase, 94% of those fact-checked its answers at least sometimes, and 74% used reviews. The assistant opens the door; your website, reviews and references still have to hold up when the buyer checks. Which assistants buyers use, and how they differ, is covered in [our comparison of ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity and Claude](/insights/ai-search-landscape-chatgpt-perplexity-google-claude).

## What percentage of B2B buyers use ChatGPT to research suppliers?

Most business buyers use some form of AI while buying, though no published survey isolates ChatGPT use among UK buyers of services. These are the best figures available.

| Survey | Who was asked | Finding | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrester, Buyers' Journey Survey 2025 | Business buyers | 94% use AI in their buying process; 61% use private AI tools from their organisation | January 2026 |
| 6sense, Buyer Experience Report | 4,000+ buyers in North America, EMEA and APAC | 94% used large language models while buying | November 2025 |
| G2, The Answer Economy | 1,076 B2B software buyers | 51% start research in an AI chatbot; 71% use one at some point | April 2026 |
| TrustRadius, B2B Buying Disconnect Report | 1,862 technology buyers | 63% used AI in their purchase | July 2026 |

On ChatGPT itself, Forrester found business buyers twice as likely as consumers to use ChatGPT and four times as likely to use Microsoft Copilot. Copilot is what many buyers have at work: [Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor/earnings/fy-2026-q4/press-release-webcast) in July 2026. OpenAI said in August 2026 that ChatGPT has [more than a billion weekly users](https://openai.com/index/expanding-access-to-ai-with-chatgpt-ads/).

Read these figures with care. G2 and TrustRadius asked software and technology buyers, not buyers of professional services; none of the surveys is UK-only; and some come from vendors with an interest in the answer.

## Five changes we expected in 2026: where does each stand?

When this guide was first published in April 2026, we expected five changes. By late September, one has happened, two are happening and two have not shown up in any evidence we can cite.

| What we expected | Status in September 2026 | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| AI answers built into the tools buyers already use | Happened | Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats in July 2026; Gemini in Chrome reached UK desktop users on [14 July 2026](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/chrome/were-expanding-gemini-in-chrome-to-users-in-the-uk/); AI Overviews sit at the top of many Google searches |
| Sector-specific assistants recommending suppliers | Not yet | We have seen no evidence of sector assistants recommending suppliers; buyers still ask general assistants |
| More confident recommendations that buyers act on | Happening | 69% of software buyers changed vendor because of chatbot advice (G2, April 2026), though most still fact-check (TrustRadius, July 2026) |
| Procurement teams checking what AI says about suppliers | Not yet shown | No published tender clause or survey we can cite; 61% of business buyers use AI tools supplied by their employer (Forrester) |
| A visible gap between named and unnamed firms | Happening | Helm Club: "1 in 5 new members this year came through an AI recommendation." |

One change was not on our list and is now live: paid placements. ChatGPT has shown labelled ads to UK users on its Free and Go plans since 11 August 2026, which the next section covers.

The Helm Club result shows what the gap looks like from the inside: "A channel that did not exist before now brings one in five new members: founders who ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude which peer group to join are told about Helm." The detail is in [the Helm Club case study](/work/helm-club).

## Will ChatGPT ads change which firms get recommended?

Not according to OpenAI. ChatGPT has shown labelled ads to UK users on its Free and Go plans since [11 August 2026](https://openai.com/index/testing-ads-in-chatgpt/), and OpenAI says the ads are kept separate from the answer and do not influence it. The Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans show no ads, so a buyer using a company Business or Enterprise account sees none at all.

So ads create a paid slot next to the answer, not a paid place in it. A firm can buy attention from someone reading a free ChatGPT answer; the recommendation itself still depends on what the assistant finds about you. Whether ads or being named is the better use of money is the subject of [our comparison of AI visibility and paid search](/insights/economics-ai-visibility-vs-advertising).

## Which UK industries are most affected by AI search?

No UK study ranks industries by how much AI has changed buying, and the largest surveys asked software buyers, so technology and SaaS firms have the clearest evidence. In our view, the firms that feel it first are those whose buyers ask specific, researched questions before they call anyone, which covers every sector below.

| Sector | What buyers ask, in their words | What assistants look for | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | "Employment lawyer for a TUPE transfer in manufacturing" | Visible depth in named practice areas and sectors | [Law firms](/insights/ai-optimisation-law-firms) |
| Accountancy | "Accountant who handles R&D tax relief for software firms" | Named specialisms, with sector clients and worked examples | [Accounting practices](/insights/ai-optimisation-accounting-practices) |
| Consultancy | "Consultant for an operations turnaround after a merger" | Published thinking on that exact problem and evidence of solving it | [Management consultancies](/insights/ai-optimisation-management-consultancies) |
| Financial advice and insurance | "Wealth manager for a founder planning an exit" | Regulatory standing, named advisers and consistent directory facts | [Financial advisory](/insights/ai-optimisation-financial-advisory), [insurance brokers](/insights/ai-optimisation-insurance-brokers) |
| Recruitment | "Recruiter for senior finance roles in the North West" | A clear specialism, with placements and client sectors shown | [Recruitment agencies](/insights/ai-optimisation-recruitment-agencies) |
| Technology and SaaS | "Managed IT provider for a 200-person firm with Cyber Essentials Plus" | Certifications, security posture and case studies from similar firms | [Technology companies](/insights/ai-optimisation-technology-companies) |
| Fintech and regtech | "KYB checks for a UK fund administrator" | The regulator named, and a direct answer for the buyer's sector | [Fintech](/for/fintech) |
| Agencies | "B2B agency that builds demand programmes for industrial firms" | A sector focus and results with numbers | [Marketing and creative agencies](/insights/ai-optimisation-marketing-creative-agencies) |

The fintech row has a dated example. For ID-Pal, an identity verification firm: "Gemini now names ID-Pal for UK wealth managers. Claude names it for UK fund administrators, on a page rebuilt in August, and links NorthRow to ID-Pal in the same answer." The detail is in [the ID-Pal case study](/work/id-pal).

## Are procurement teams checking what AI says about suppliers?

We have not seen published evidence that tender documents ask how a supplier is described by AI tools, so treat any claim that this is widespread with care. What the evidence does show is that the people who run buying processes use AI at work, often through tools their employer supplies, and that most check what it tells them.

The practical conclusion is the same either way. Assume that someone on the buying side will ask an assistant about your firm before a shortlist is agreed, and make sure the answer is accurate. If it is wrong, [our guide to fixing how ChatGPT describes your firm](/insights/ai-conflicting-information-online) sets out the process. Where buyers go further and let an AI agent assemble the shortlist, the issues are covered in [what happens when an AI agent builds the shortlist](/insights/ai-agents-change-b2b-buying).

## Does ranking on Google still protect us?

It helps, but it no longer does the whole job, so do not stop investing in it. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search and Copilot all start from a search index, so ranking well makes you more likely to be found. But Google now runs several related searches for one question (query fan-out), so a firm that ranks for its main phrase can still be missing from the answer if it does not cover the follow-up questions or say plainly what it specialises in.

How AI Mode differs from AI Overviews is explained in [our guide to Google AI Mode](/insights/end-of-ten-blue-links). Why a first-place ranking can still leave you out of ChatGPT's answer is covered in [we rank first on Google, so why does ChatGPT not mention us](/insights/google-rankings-wont-protect-you). The work that helps both is the same: specific, public, well-evidenced expertise.

## Why does timing matter?

Because the firms named now gather the evidence that gets them named again: enquiries, case studies, reviews and coverage. What locks in and what does not, and the smallest sensible start, are set out in [whether you can afford to wait a year](/insights/first-mover-advantage-ai).

## How do we find out where we stand?

Before you change anything, find out what the assistants say now. Write a fixed list of 20 to 50 questions your buyers ask, in their words, covering your most valuable services and main regions. Ask each one several times a month in a fresh session in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Google, because answers vary from run to run, and count a win only when it repeats. Do the same for your two closest competitors.

You will usually find one of three things: you are named and described well; you are named but described vaguely or wrongly; or you are absent and a competitor is named instead. Each has a different fix. Our guide to [comparing your AI visibility with competitors](/insights/benchmarking-ai-visibility-competitors) turns the check into a monthly measure.

## What has changed in 2026 so far?

A dated log of the changes that matter to B2B buyers. We update it each quarter.

- **January 2026:** Forrester reports that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process.
- **April 2026:** G2 reports that 51% of software buyers now start their research in an AI chatbot.
- **July 2026:** Gemini in Chrome launches for UK desktop users (14 July). TrustRadius reports that 63% of technology buyers used AI in their purchase (15 July). Microsoft 365 Copilot passes 30 million paid seats (29 July).
- **August 2026:** ChatGPT ads go live for UK users on the Free and Go plans (11 August). OpenAI says ChatGPT has more than a billion weekly users (31 August).

## What to do this month

1. Write down, in one sentence each, the three things your firm is best at and for whom. If you cannot, that is the first job.
2. Rewrite your homepage and service pages so those three sentences are the first thing a reader, or an assistant, sees.
3. Publish one substantial piece on each of those specialisms, with a named author and real experience in it.
4. Fix the facts assistants cross-check, so that Companies House, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and directories all say the same thing about who you are and what you do.
5. Ask recent clients for reviews on the sites your buyers read, such as Google, Clutch, G2 or Trustpilot.
6. Write your list of buyer questions and record who is named today, for you and for two competitors.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which of our buyers are actually using AI assistants to find suppliers?

More than most firms assume. Forrester found business buyers twice as likely as consumers to use ChatGPT and four times as likely to use Copilot. Senior buyers who say they "just Google" are often reading an AI Overview at the top of the results. Ask every new prospect how they found you, and within a quarter you will have your own figure.

### Is outbound still worth doing if buyers ask AI first?

Yes. Researched outbound, where a person writes and approves every message, reaches buyers before any assistant is asked, and it works alongside being named. A buyer who has already heard from you, and then sees you named by an assistant, has two reasons to take the call. This is what [Pipeline That Fills](/pipeline-that-fills) does.

### We are a generalist firm. Are we in trouble?

You are at a disadvantage, but it can be fixed. Assistants struggle to name firms they cannot describe in a sentence. Choose the two or three areas where you are strongest, make them prominent on your site, publish on them and gather evidence for them. You can keep doing everything else; just stop presenting everything equally.

### How quickly can a firm start being named?

Assistants that search the web live, such as ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Copilot and Google's AI features, can reflect a new page or article within weeks. Answers drawn from a model's memory change only when the model is retrained, which takes months. ID-Pal is a dated example: "UK buyer questions where AI names ID-Pal: none in May, two in August, four in September 2026."

### What if AI assistants describe us wrongly?

It is common, and usually comes from stale or inconsistent information: an old directory listing, a previous positioning on a partner's LinkedIn profile, or a press release about a service you dropped. Find the sources, correct them and make your own site the clearest, most current statement of who you are. Why assistants sound unsure when sources disagree is explained in [how AI cross-checks what the web says about you](/insights/ai-cross-references-business-sources).

The next year will not change what makes a good firm; it changes how buyers find one. If you would like to know how your firm looks to buyers and assistants today, [book a free Growth Review](/growth-review): 30 minutes with David Adams, and three fixes in writing afterwards. The rest of our [guides on how buying is changing](/insights/pillar/ai-first-future) pick up from there.

## Sources

- [Forrester, B2B buyers make zero-click buying number one (January 2026)](https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2b_buyers_make_zero_click_buying_number_one/)
- [6sense, 2025 Buyer Experience Report (November 2025)](https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/)
- [G2, The Answer Economy: half of B2B software buyers now start with AI chatbots (April 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-g2-research-half-of-b2b-software-buyers-now-start-their-research-with-ai-chatbots-302742807.html)
- [TrustRadius, 2026 B2B Buying Disconnect Report (July 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trustradius-2026-b2b-buying-disconnect-report-reveals-ai-has-changed-how-buyers-research-but-not-what-they-trust-302825792.html)
- [Microsoft, FY26 fourth quarter earnings press release (July 2026)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor/earnings/fy-2026-q4/press-release-webcast)
- [OpenAI, Testing ads in ChatGPT (updated August 2026)](https://openai.com/index/testing-ads-in-chatgpt/)
- [OpenAI, A milestone in expanding access to AI (August 2026)](https://openai.com/index/expanding-access-to-ai-with-chatgpt-ads/)
- [Google, Expanding Gemini in Chrome to users in the UK (July 2026)](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/chrome/were-expanding-gemini-in-chrome-to-users-in-the-uk/)