{
  "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
  "title": "B2B Buyer Journey Statistics 2026: Shortlists, Cycles and Touchpoints",
  "canonical_url": "https://konabayev.com/blog/b2b-buyer-journey-statistics/",
  "audited_at": "2026-07-11",
  "methodology": "6sense buyer survey findings and Dreamdata observed customer-journey telemetry remain separate. The article uses the disagreement between self-reported selection behavior and measured digital touchpoints as context, not as a synthetic average.",
  "rows": [
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-001",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "methodology",
      "value": "nearly 4,000",
      "claim": "6sense collected nearly 4,000 responses from B2B buyers in its main 2025 study.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "methodology",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-002",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "methodology",
      "value": "766",
      "claim": "A companion survey on AI and economic conditions contributed another 766 responses.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "methodology",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-003",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "cycle_length",
      "value": "10.1 months",
      "claim": "Average B2B buying-cycle length was 10.1 months in 2025, down from 11.3 months in 2024.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-004",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "seller_contact",
      "value": "61%",
      "claim": "The point of first seller contact moved to 61% through the journey from 69% in 2024.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-005",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "seller_contact",
      "value": "6-7 weeks",
      "claim": "The point-of-first-contact change meant buyers contacted sellers roughly six to seven weeks earlier.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-006",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "day_one_shortlist",
      "value": "95%",
      "claim": "The winning vendor was already on the Day One shortlist in 95% of purchases.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-007",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "pre_contact_favorite",
      "value": "77%",
      "claim": "The favorite at the end of the Selection Phase became the final winner 77% of the time, down from 83% in prior years.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-008",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "seller_contact",
      "value": "79%",
      "claim": "Buyers initiated 79% of seller engagements in 2025, compared with 82% in prior years.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-009",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "vendor_evaluation",
      "value": "5.1 vendors",
      "claim": "Buyers evaluated an average of 5.1 vendors, up from 4.5.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-010",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "prior_experience",
      "value": "3.8 vendors",
      "claim": "Buyers had prior experience with an average of 3.8 of the vendors they evaluated.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-011",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "day_one_shortlist",
      "value": "3.6 vendors",
      "claim": "Buyers placed an average of 3.6 vendors on the shortlist on Day One.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-012",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "shortlist_preference",
      "value": "94%",
      "claim": "Ninety-four percent of buyers ranked their shortlist by preference before seller engagement.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-013",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "buyer_experience",
      "value": "8-9 journeys",
      "claim": "Buyers had completed an average of eight to nine previous purchase journeys in the category.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-014",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "time_per_vendor",
      "value": "2.0 months",
      "claim": "Time spent per evaluated vendor fell to 2.0 months from 2.6 months.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-015",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "group_size",
      "value": "r=.635",
      "claim": "Buying-group size correlated with the number of vendors evaluated at r=.635 in 2025, down from r=.683.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-016",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "ai_use",
      "value": "94%",
      "claim": "Ninety-four percent of buyers reported using large language models, without replacing their reported reliance on vendor content or third-party experts.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "validation",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-017",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "ai_in_solution",
      "value": "89%",
      "claim": "Eighty-nine percent of buyers purchased solutions containing AI features.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "validation",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-018",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "ai_in_solution",
      "value": "93%",
      "claim": "Among software buyers, 93% purchased solutions containing AI features.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "validation",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-019",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "ai_requirement",
      "value": "62%",
      "claim": "Sixty-two percent of companion-survey buyers were mandated or strongly encouraged to select solutions with AI features.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "validation",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-020",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "ai_questions",
      "value": "62%",
      "claim": "Sixty-two percent of buyers needed sellers to answer AI-related questions.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-021",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "earlier_contact",
      "value": "58%",
      "claim": "Fifty-eight percent said uncertainty about AI caused earlier vendor engagement.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection-to-validation transition",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-022",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "economic_pressure",
      "value": "49%",
      "claim": "Forty-nine percent said economic uncertainty shortened their buying cycle.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-023",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "economic_pressure",
      "value": "62%",
      "claim": "Sixty-two percent said economic uncertainty caused earlier seller engagement.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-024",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "vendor_choice",
      "value": "about 70%",
      "claim": "Nearly 70% said economic concerns affected vendor choice and pushed buyers toward more conservative selections.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-025",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "prior_vendor_experience",
      "value": "85%",
      "claim": "In 85% of successful purchases, buyers had direct prior experience with the winning vendor.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-026",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "seller_familiarity",
      "value": "68%",
      "claim": "Sixty-eight percent of buyers already knew a seller from the winning vendor.",
      "source_domain": "6sense.com",
      "source_url": "https://6sense.com/science-of-b2b/buyer-experience-report-2025/",
      "source_title": "2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report",
      "source_quality": "primary_global_buyer_survey",
      "population": "nearly 4,000 B2B buyers in the main study plus a 766-response companion survey",
      "denominator": "main-study or 766-response companion-survey base as identified by the claim; exact question base can vary",
      "period": "2025 study with 2023-2024 comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "North America, EMEA and APAC; main sample was 46% North America, 20% Continental Europe, 20% UK and Ireland, and 14% APAC",
      "caveat": "The main findings are buyer self-reports, not observed clickstream or CRM events. Bases vary between the main study and the 766-response companion survey.",
      "evidence": "Methods, 2025 findings, implications and appendix",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "retrospective buyer survey",
      "stage": "selection",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-027",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "observed_journey",
      "value": "88 touchpoints",
      "claim": "Dreamdata observed an average of 88 touchpoints per B2B customer journey.",
      "source_domain": "dreamdata.io",
      "source_url": "https://dreamdata.io/blog/announcing-linkedin-ads-benchmarks-report-2026",
      "source_title": "2026 LinkedIn Ads B2B Benchmarks Report highlights",
      "source_quality": "first_party_customer_journey_telemetry",
      "population": "aggregated Dreamdata customer data covering more than 66 million sessions and more than 3.5 million customer journeys",
      "denominator": "metric-specific base not reported on the public highlights page; 66M+ sessions and 3.5M+ journeys describe the report-level scope only",
      "period": "2025 observations published March 10, 2026; prior-year comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "Dreamdata does not publish a geographic weighting on the public highlights page",
      "caveat": "Vendor-customer telemetry is not a census of all B2B advertisers. Metric-specific denominators are not disclosed on the public highlights page, so the dataset-wide population must not be attached to a metric as its exact base.",
      "evidence": "Public report highlights page; full report is form-gated",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "observed customer-journey telemetry",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-028",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "observed_journey",
      "value": "10 stakeholders",
      "claim": "Dreamdata observed an average of 10 stakeholders per B2B customer journey.",
      "source_domain": "dreamdata.io",
      "source_url": "https://dreamdata.io/blog/announcing-linkedin-ads-benchmarks-report-2026",
      "source_title": "2026 LinkedIn Ads B2B Benchmarks Report highlights",
      "source_quality": "first_party_customer_journey_telemetry",
      "population": "aggregated Dreamdata customer data covering more than 66 million sessions and more than 3.5 million customer journeys",
      "denominator": "metric-specific base not reported on the public highlights page; 66M+ sessions and 3.5M+ journeys describe the report-level scope only",
      "period": "2025 observations published March 10, 2026; prior-year comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "Dreamdata does not publish a geographic weighting on the public highlights page",
      "caveat": "Vendor-customer telemetry is not a census of all B2B advertisers. Metric-specific denominators are not disclosed on the public highlights page, so the dataset-wide population must not be attached to a metric as its exact base.",
      "evidence": "Public report highlights page; full report is form-gated",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "observed customer-journey telemetry",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-029",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "observed_journey",
      "value": "81%",
      "claim": "Dreamdata observed 81% of the B2B customer journey outside the sales pipeline.",
      "source_domain": "dreamdata.io",
      "source_url": "https://dreamdata.io/blog/announcing-linkedin-ads-benchmarks-report-2026",
      "source_title": "2026 LinkedIn Ads B2B Benchmarks Report highlights",
      "source_quality": "first_party_customer_journey_telemetry",
      "population": "aggregated Dreamdata customer data covering more than 66 million sessions and more than 3.5 million customer journeys",
      "denominator": "metric-specific base not reported on the public highlights page; 66M+ sessions and 3.5M+ journeys describe the report-level scope only",
      "period": "2025 observations published March 10, 2026; prior-year comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "Dreamdata does not publish a geographic weighting on the public highlights page",
      "caveat": "Vendor-customer telemetry is not a census of all B2B advertisers. Metric-specific denominators are not disclosed on the public highlights page, so the dataset-wide population must not be attached to a metric as its exact base.",
      "evidence": "Public report highlights page; full report is form-gated",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "observed customer-journey telemetry",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    },
    {
      "claim_id": "BUYER-030",
      "slug": "b2b-buyer-journey-statistics",
      "category": "observed_journey",
      "value": "4 channels",
      "claim": "Dreamdata observed an average of four channels per B2B customer journey.",
      "source_domain": "dreamdata.io",
      "source_url": "https://dreamdata.io/blog/announcing-linkedin-ads-benchmarks-report-2026",
      "source_title": "2026 LinkedIn Ads B2B Benchmarks Report highlights",
      "source_quality": "first_party_customer_journey_telemetry",
      "population": "aggregated Dreamdata customer data covering more than 66 million sessions and more than 3.5 million customer journeys",
      "denominator": "metric-specific base not reported on the public highlights page; 66M+ sessions and 3.5M+ journeys describe the report-level scope only",
      "period": "2025 observations published March 10, 2026; prior-year comparisons where stated",
      "geography": "Dreamdata does not publish a geographic weighting on the public highlights page",
      "caveat": "Vendor-customer telemetry is not a census of all B2B advertisers. Metric-specific denominators are not disclosed on the public highlights page, so the dataset-wide population must not be attached to a metric as its exact base.",
      "evidence": "Public report highlights page; full report is form-gated",
      "platform_scope": "",
      "research_method": "observed customer-journey telemetry",
      "stage": "cross-stage buyer journey",
      "definition_family": "",
      "benchmark_family": "",
      "evaluation_type": "",
      "currency": "",
      "input_source_url": "",
      "derived_by": "",
      "derivation": "",
      "audited_at": "2026-07-11"
    }
  ]
}