AI is rapidly changing how enterprise buyers discover and assess suppliers. Yet the final decision remains deeply human. Launching today, VML’s Future Buyer Report reveals a defining tension in modern B2B purchasing. Machines (AI powered search) increasingly shape which suppliers enter consideration, while reputation, career exposure and internal consensus determine which choice survives.
Based on proprietary research with 750 enterprise buyers across eight international markets and seven industries, the study shows that generative AI has become the most selected starting point for supplier research. Fifty-five percent of buyers begin with GenAI tools, compared with 45% using traditional search engines.
Yet greater access to information has not removed human caution from the decision. Seventy-three percent believe an underperforming purchase could affect their career, 71% have chosen a safer supplier over one they believed offered better value, and 38% of significant buying initiatives end without a decision.
VML describes this as “Defensibility Bias”: the tendency to favor a familiar, provable and internally supportable choice when the buyer’s professional reputation is exposed.
For B2B brands, the implication is clear. Machines require structured, authoritative evidence they can find and interpret. People need a choice they can explain, justify and defend to the wider buying group.
“Modern B2B marketing has to work for humans and machines at the same time,” said Dr. Andreas Ortner, Managing Director B2B, EMEA, at VML. “AI systems need clear, structured and authoritative evidence to find and understand a supplier. People need confidence in the brand, proof that the solution will work and a choice they can defend internally. Being the best option is no longer enough. A supplier must be visible, credible and easy to approve across the entire buying system.”
What The Future Buyer 2026 means for B2B marketers:
- Become discoverable and credible to AI – B2B brands need to treat AI visibility as a new front door to the business. Public content, technical documentation, case studies, product information and proof points must be clearly structured, authoritative and consistent enough to be found, interpreted and recommended by AI platforms.
- Build preference before the formal buying process – AI may help buyers identify potential suppliers, but brand, reputation and expertise shape which names feel credible enough to progress. The study finds that 59% of buyers have moved a previously unfamiliar supplier onto their shortlist because of its thought leadership. This makes distinctive brand development and genuinely valuable content important commercial assets. They help suppliers earn familiarity, demonstrate expertise and reduce perceived risk before a salesperson enters the conversation.
- Equip the internal champion to win the buying group – Successful B2B marketing must answer the questions of the entire buying ecosystem, including Finance, IT, Procurement, Risk and the C-suite. Internal champions need clear ROI, technical evidence, implementation plans, relevant case studies and stakeholder-specific arguments they can use to build consensus. The strongest content does more than attract attention. It gives buyers the evidence they need to explain, justify and defend their recommendation.
- Use human expertise where confidence matters most – The role of sales is evolving rather than disappearing. Buyers continue to prefer human engagement during negotiations, complex evaluation and post-sale support, where judgment, reassurance and problem-solving matter most.
The Future Buyer Report reveals that machines need clear, structured, and authoritative evidence, while people need choices they can explain, justify and defend. The suppliers that satisfy both will become easier to find, easier to trust and easier to approve.
Download The Future Buyer Report here: https://www.vml.com/insight/the-future-buyer-report-b2b-2026
