New G2 Research: Half of B2B Software Buyers Now Start Their Research With AI Chatbots

• 51% of B2B software buyers now start their research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google — up from 29% just 11 months ago
• AI chatbots are the #1 source influencing which vendors make buyer shortlists
• 69% of buyers chose a different software vendor than planned based on guidance from an AI chatbot — and one-third bought from a vendor they'd never heard of
• Review site citations are the #1 signal that makes buyers trust an AI chatbot's recommendation

CHICAGO, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- G2, the world's largest and most trusted data source for B2B software, today published The Answer Economy: How AI Search Is Rewiring B2B Software Buying, a new research report revealing that 51% of B2B software buyers now begin their purchasing process in an AI chatbot rather than a traditional search engine — and buyers increasingly return to AI chatbots at every stage of their journey.

Shift to AI chatbots as the starting point for software buying increases since G2's last report, influencing vendor selection, and accelerating decisions
Based on a March 2026 survey of 1,076 B2B software buyers and decision-makers, G2's report highlights how AI chatbots have accelerated software research, helping buyers achieve stronger outcomes. Sixty-nine percent of buyers indicated they chose a different software vendor than they initially planned based on AI chatbot guidance, and one-third purchased from a vendor they had never heard of before.

G2 first began tracking this shift to AI search in its April 2025 Buyer Behavior Report. Eleven months later, the trend shows no signs of plateauing — just 3% of buyers now report that AI chatbots haven't meaningfully changed their research habits.

"We're watching the third compression era of the buyer journey unfold in real time," said Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2. "The Yellow Pages compressed the market into the big book. Google compressed it into the first page of results. Now, AI chatbots are compressing it into a single answer. Buyers have moved from reference to inference. Instead of gathering sources and synthesizing the data themselves, they trust AI chatbots to return the shortlist in a single prompt. That disrupts how software vendors need to think about their presence."

Key findings on AI search and B2B buying behavior
The buyer journey increasingly starts with AI chatbots
G2's research shows that AI chatbot research has crossed a decisive threshold.

• Half (51%) of B2B software buyers now begin their software research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google, up from 29% in April 2025.
• Nearly three in four (71%) B2B software buyers rely on AI chatbots for software research, compared to 60% just seven months ago.
• Half (53%) of B2B software buyers feel research done with an AI chatbot is more productive than traditional search, up from 36% seven months ago.

AI chatbots are deciding which software vendors get considered
In the answer economy, buyers have moved from reference to inference, leveraging AI to synthesize the research process and return a shortlist. The data shows it's changing the vendors that win consideration.

• A total of 69% of buyers chose a different software vendor than initially planned based on AI chatbot guidance.
• One in three (33%) purchased from a vendor they weren't familiar with.
• AI chatbots are the #1 source influencing which vendors make buyer shortlists.
• Eighty-five percent of buyers think more highly of a software vendor when an AI chatbot mentions them in a recommendation.
• Four out of five buyers say AI chatbots accelerated their purchasing decision, and 83% report feeling more confident in their final choice.

Software review sites are the trust layer in AI search
Buyers trust AI chatbot recommendations enough to change their purchasing decisions, but citations from software review sites are the signal that makes them confident enough to act.

• Nearly half (45%) of buyers say citations from software review sites are the most confidence-inspiring signal in an AI-generated response.
• Review sites are the only source besides AI chatbots that gains influence as buyers move deeper into the purchasing funnel, growing from 40% at discovery to 47% at retention.
• Sixty-four percent of buyers encounter inaccurate AI chatbot recommendations often or very often, and when an AI chatbot conflicts with a brand they trust, 24% turn to peer reviews as their next step.

B2B software buyers aren't experimenting anymore
Today's software buyer is sophisticated — increasing their time with AI chatbots at work, running head-to-head comparisons, creating Deep Research reports, and using Thinking mode for high-stakes evaluations.

• Nearly two-thirds of buyers now spend six or more hours per week using AI chatbots for work, and over 40% self-identify as power users who leverage them daily.
• Comparing vendor strengths and weaknesses is the #1 use case for AI chatbots in software research (41%) — ahead of basic product research, vendor identification, and use case validation.
• Forty-one percent of buyers use Deep Research tools regularly for software evaluations.
• ChatGPT remains the dominant AI chatbot for B2B software research (63%), but the competitive landscape is shifting fast.

About the Report
G2 fielded an online survey among 1,076 B2B decision makers responsible for, or influencing, purchase decisions for departments, multiple departments, operating units, or entire businesses. Respondents had job titles ranging from individual contributor to manager, director, vice president, or higher.

To maximize differentiation for vendors, this survey defines small-medium business (SMB) as a company with 1-250 employees, mid-market as a company with 250-1,000 employees, enterprise as a company with 1,000-5,000 employees, and large enterprise as a company with 5,000+ employees. The survey was conducted in March 2026 and includes a global pool of respondents across North America, EMEA, and APAC.

Qualitative research was conducted via 39 interviews with B2B software marketers through G2's AI Custom Research (AICR). Generative AI reasoning models were used to define the study's focus areas, optimize survey design, and analyze results to inspire writing and data visualizations.

G2's report, The Answer Economy: How AI Search Is Rewiring B2B Software Buying, is available now at g2.com/answereconomy.

About G2
G2 is the world's largest and most trusted data source for B2B software, helping businesses reach their peak potential by enabling confident buying and go-to-market decisions. Offering trusted data, authentic peer reviews, and real-time market intelligence, the G2 ecosystem — which includes Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp — serves more than 200 million annual buyers, representing teams at every Fortune 500 company. As buyers increasingly shift from traditional search to AI search platforms, G2 has become the most-cited B2B software source across those AI-first channels where software discovery happens. Leading software and services companies like Salesforce, IBM, SAP, Adobe, and Clay also trust G2 to influence discovery, build brand credibility, reach in-market buyers, and accelerate revenue growth. To learn more, visit www.g2.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE G2