73% of B2B Buyers Now Use AI Tools in Purchase Research

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New analysis of six independent studies covering 680 million citations, 2,961 research sessions, and 1.96 million browsing sessions finds 73% of B2B buyers now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity in their research process. AI search traffic converts at 14.2% compared to Google organic's 2.8% — a 5.1x advantage — yet only 22% of marketers currently track AI visibility and fewer than 26% plan to develop content specifically for AI citations.

Why it matters

As B2B buyer behavior shifts measurably toward AI-powered search, brands that establish AI visibility infrastructure now will operate in a market where most competitors have not yet begun. The analysis highlights a critical gap between buyer adoption and marketer response, representing a window of opportunity for brands to gain a competitive edge through AI-optimized content and strategies.

The details

The headline finding: 73% of B2B buyers now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity in their research process, according to a March 2026 analysis of 680 million citations by Averi. AI search traffic converts at 14.2% compared to Google organic's 2.8% — a 5.1x advantage — yet only 22% of marketers currently track AI visibility and fewer than 26% plan to develop content specifically for AI citations. The analysis also found AI platforms cite dramatically different sources for the same query, with only 11% of domains cited by both ChatGPT and Perplexity, and brand mentions correlating 3x more strongly with AI citation than backlinks.

• The analysis combined data from six independently published studies conducted between October 2025 and March 2026.
• Averi's March 2026 analysis covered a dataset of 680 million AI citations.
• Exposure Ninja's conversion rate analysis was conducted in March 2026.
• McKinsey's consumer survey was published in October 2025.
• Yext's survey of 2,237 adults was conducted from March through April 2025.