AI is big business, and offers an opportunity for B2B brands — if they can get it right.
Consider a study from Google, which found that 58% of buyers who made a B2B purchase in the last six months also changed vendors. What’s more, almost 75% of these buyers went from curiosity to conversion in just 12 weeks.
The common denominator? AI shopping. While familiar channels such as peer recommendations and SEO-driven searches also played a role, the use of AI tools both broadened B2B horizons and made it easier for businesses to find best-fit solutions.
Learn more about what’s behind the AI shopping revolution, how it impacts the B2B buying journey, and advice for businesses looking to make the most of AI-driven frameworks.
According to Salsify’s “2026 Consumer Research” report, 61% of customers now use AI shopping tools in some capacity. There’s nuance here — while 14% of respondents say they trust and use AI regularly, 20% are skeptical but occasionally leverage AI, and 27% say they use AI for specific purchases but verify data with other sources.
In other words, it’s a mixed bag, but one that’s growing larger by the day as generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI tools inch closer to providing an end-to-end customer experience.
For B2B businesses, it’s worth asking the question: Why the shift? What underpins AI shopping adoption at scale? The below three components are critical.
Search engines changed the way consumers interact with brands. Keyword-driven SEO practices became the norm as companies competed for the top spot in search rankings, and businesses raced to create content that helped push them up the ladder.
AI-driven shopping tools and ecommerce chatbots offer a new approach to search by laying context onto content. This is made possible by the rapid development of large language models (LLMs) and natural language processing (NLP) frameworks, which allow customers to ask simple questions and receive targeted answers.
Here’s an example.
Bob has recently moved and is looking for a new mechanic to fix his truck. Standard search offers a simple approach: Bob enters “good mechanic near me” and gets a list of local shops with decent customer ratings. He may also get an AI-generated list of possible options depending on the engine he uses. Equipped with this information, Bob starts making phone calls.
Now, let’s try it again with AI.
Bob heads to ChatGPT or a similar generative tool and asks the same question. Unlike standard search, AI-enabled solutions allow Bob to get specific. He can ask tools about nearby shops that have experience fixing his year, make, and model of truck, and include a brief description of what requires repair. From there, AI can provide a list of experts, approximate prices, and appointment availability.
According to Adobe, AI-driven traffic to retail websites rose 693% from 2024 to 2025. Travel sites saw a 539% bump, while tech and software increased by 120%.
These sites aren’t new — they’re simply seeing more traffic thanks to AI. Why? Intelligent tools cast a wider net thanks to behind-the-scenes work by machine learning (ML) algorithms. These are the building blocks of AI, and underpin how generative and agentic tools find, process, and output data.
For users, the result is more options, more quickly, along with explanations of why AI chose each. This creates an opportunity for new or growing brands to capture consumer attention.
Standard search results tell customers what they want to know. AI tools help identify what comes next.
Consider a family looking for vacation ideas. Using AI shopping tools, they can go beyond flights and hotels to get a detailed itinerary complete with places to go, things to see, and potential pricing.
For businesses, this helps move the needle from interest to action — if AI reports that a well-reviewed hotel is now offering discounts or package deals, it may prompt a booking.
AI offers the same benefits for B2B buyers that it does for B2C consumers. The result is a shift in B2B purchase practices that brings them more in line with traditional retail.
For sellers, this creates three challenges.
AI solutions give buyers access to in-depth and on-demand data. Instead of calling or emailing multiple prospective partners and asking for details, business leaders can simply query AI and get a point-by-point comparison of what B2B sellers offer, what it costs, and what level of service and support is included.
As noted by the Google report, conversion times are coming down. It makes sense; equipped with more data, buyers have the confidence to move more quickly.
For B2B companies, this means less time to make a lasting impression — buyers don’t want a sales pitch, they want to know exactly what’s on offer and how long it will take to get up and running.
If there’s one thing AI has made clear, it’s that buyers have plenty of options. Not surprisingly, this makes potential leads more likely to walk away if they don’t like what they’re hearing, even if it’s from a long-term B2B partner.
AI shopping is here to stay, so what can B2B sellers do to capture and keep business conversions? First up is GEO, followed by product pages, and taking action ASAP. Here’s a look at each in more detail.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the natural evolution of SEO. With many search engines, including Google, now using GenAI to produce high-level search result summaries at the top of SERPs, businesses need to ensure their B2B content is captured and displayed.
Three components are critical to make this happen:
Content must be clear: Think accessible, not complicated.
Content must be accurate: Claims should be sourced and verified, and data regularly reviewed to ensure reliability.
Content should be current: While some evergreen data won’t change, make sure websites, social media posts, newsletters, and product pages are updated frequently.
While AI is now the first step for many buyers, it’s not the only one. Salsify data shows that shoppers review multiple channels in the decision-making process.
In fact, 56% of U.S. shoppers use four (or more) channels before buying big-ticket items like furniture or electronics, which is more than their counterparts in the U.K. (45%) and Canada (33%).
The result? Product pages must be a priority.
Consider a B2B buyer who uses AI-enabled search to find a prospective partner. Once interest is established, the next step is investigation — the human component of the purchase process. If decision-makers find websites lacking and product pages littered with conflicting information, they’ll take their business elsewhere.
Data supports the product page priority: 31% of buyers say detailed product descriptions and specifications boost their trust in AI answers.
AI provides near-instant access to product details, pricing, and availability. As a result, buyers now expect a similar level of speed from sellers.
With a host of options and price points available, and made accessible by AI, buyers won’t wait days or weeks for a response.
Here, it’s worth considering the use of sales and marketing AI tools that can draft and send customized responses to prospective customers, in turn giving staff time to prepare for direct customer communication.
AI shopping is changing the way companies find, evaluate, and purchase new products and services. Conversion times are down, churn is up, and prospective B2B buyers are better equipped to compare and contrast possible partners.
The result? B2B sales and marketing teams need to boost their AI impact with better GEO, improved product pages, and rapid service response.