The 2026 UK B2B Buyer Behaviour Survey draws on responses from 312 senior B2B buyers across UK-headquartered businesses with more than 50 employees. Respondents hold VP, Director, Head of, or C-suite titles, and were involved in a purchase decision of £10,000 or more in the 18 months prior to the survey. The goal is to understand how B2B buying behaviour is shifting — and what that means for the marketing and sales teams trying to reach these buyers.
Overview and methodology
Survey conducted by Harmonic London, Q4 2025. 312 respondents. Sectors: SaaS and software (34%), professional services (22%), financial services (18%), manufacturing (14%), healthcare technology (12%). All respondents involved in a purchase decision of £10,000+ ACV in the prior 18 months. Roles: C-suite (28%), VP/Director (44%), Head of/Senior Manager (28%).
Senior B2B buyers across UK companies, all involved in a purchase decision of £10,000+ in the 18 months prior to the survey.
Average number of stakeholders involved in purchase decisions above £25,000 ACV, up from 4.2 in our 2023 survey.
Percentage of buyers who completed more than half their vendor research before initiating contact with any vendor.
Percentage of respondents who used AI research tools (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini) as part of their vendor research process in 2025-26.
Key findings
Four findings stand out from the 2026 survey data as representing the most significant shifts in buyer behaviour — and the most direct implications for how B2B marketing programmes should be structured.
68% of respondents used an AI research tool (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) at some point in their most recent vendor evaluation — up from 31% in 2023. The primary use cases: initial category education, initial vendor shortlisting, and competitor comparison. Only 12% say they trust AI recommendations without further validation, but 68% use them as a starting point. Brands not represented in AI-generated category responses are invisible at the first stage of the buying process for more than two-thirds of buyers.
Average buying committee size for purchases above £25,000 has grown from 4.2 (2023) to 5.8 (2026). CFO or Finance Director involvement rose from 34% to 61% of decisions in the £25k-£100k range. Legal and compliance involvement rose from 18% to 38%. The single-champion selling motion — already fragile — is now structurally inadequate for most mid-market B2B deals. Marketing that only produces content for the primary champion is effectively dark to the majority of the decision-making unit.
Respondents ranked peer recommendation from a known contact as "very credible" at 82% — significantly ahead of in-depth named case studies (64%), review platform ratings (58%), and vendor-produced content (31%). The implication: customer advocacy programmes, reference call networks, and community presence generate more buyer trust than equivalent investment in marketing content. Vendor content is necessary but not sufficient — peer validation is what actually moves shortlist decisions.
61% of respondents said they had looked up the vendor on LinkedIn before or during their evaluation — up from 44% in 2023. 44% said they had looked up the specific person they expected to speak with at the vendor. Company page quality, employee thought leadership activity, and the consistency of the brand's LinkedIn presence are now being evaluated as credibility signals during the vendor assessment process — not as marketing outputs separate from the buying decision.
Survey data: how buyers research and decide
Implications for B2B marketers
- If you are not present in AI research tools, you are not on 68% of shortlists: The AEO implication is direct. Buyers are using Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini to build initial vendor lists. Brands not cited in AI-generated responses to category queries are invisible at the first stage of the buying process. FAQPage schema, topical authority, and original research are the infrastructure for AI citation.
- Multi-threading is no longer optional for deals above £25k: With buying committee size averaging 5.8 stakeholders and CFO involvement in 61% of decisions, single-threaded selling strategies fail at a structural level. Marketing should be producing content for every major buying committee role — not just the primary champion — and ABM programmes should track engagement across the full committee, not just the lead contact.
- LinkedIn company and personal presence materially affects credibility: 61% of buyers check LinkedIn before or during evaluation. A company page with stale updates, employee profiles with no content activity, and leadership teams with no thought leadership presence signals an organisation that doesn't take its market positioning seriously. LinkedIn presence is now a buyer confidence signal, not just a distribution channel.
- Third-party validation outperforms vendor content by a wide margin: With peer recommendation ranking first in credibility and vendor content ranking significantly lower, investment in G2 reviews, case studies with named clients, analyst coverage, and earned media generates higher return than equivalent investment in owned content production alone.