2026 will be a defining year for B2B brands. If 2025 was the year marketers felt the sharp impact of AI, shifting buyer expectations, and economic pressure, then 2026 will see decision makers researching, evaluating, and buying in entirely new ways. The brands that win will be those that adapt fastest – recognizing that brand is now central to building discoverability, credibility, and commercial performance.
As brands evolve and decision makers adapt, the following trends should be on their radar for the year ahead.
Theme 1: A New Discovery Landscape
How buyers find and recognize brands is being rewritten.
1. AI Driven Discovery Takes Centre Stage
More buyers will begin their research journeys using AI agents, copilots, and chat based tools instead of traditional search. As a result, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) – or AI discoverability – will become a critical discipline for brand teams. If AI systems cannot clearly interpret a brand, they are less likely to recommend it. This matters more than ever as buyers ask AI agents increasingly complex questions that differ from traditional web search behavior.
2. Brand Clarity Becomes a Competitive Advantage
Like humans, AI systems favor brands with clear, concise, consistent, and structured narratives. The challenge for brands will be building visibility and trust by demonstrating a focused identity and structured messaging – the new battleground for both human and AI understanding.
3. Continuous Visibility Still Matters
Accepted B2B wisdom tells us only 5% of buyers are in market at any given time. To influence the remaining 95%, brands must maintain an always on presence to build mental availability – being seen often enough that buyers naturally think of you when they enter the market.
4. Buyers Bypass Websites for Fragmented Sources
Today’s buyers rely on more information sources than ever. Communities, social platforms, peer content, and AI generated insights are increasingly influential, meaning brand owned channels must work harder. With click through rates declining – and many buyers preferring AI generated summaries over visiting websites – brands must focus on meeting buyers where they already are. It’s no longer enough to expect them to come to you.
Theme 2: The Rising Bar for Brand Evaluation
What convinces buyers to choose one brand over another is evolving fast.
5. Trust Is the Hard Currency of Growth
As risk aversion rises, buyers prioritize brands that feel safe – transparent, reliable, and ethically aligned. In global B2B buying, feeling “safe to sign a contract” remains the number one decision driver, making trust the strongest predictor of who wins or loses the deal.
6. Emotion Re Emerges as Buyers Blend Personal and Professional Judgement
B2B buyers are balancing practical business needs with personal considerations. Younger decision makers in particular expect clarity, alignment with their values, and a sense of rapport. Even as functionality and business fit gain importance, emotional reassurance and values alignment remain critical differentiators. Brands that win are those that combine strong functional narratives with clear personality traits that build emotional connection.
7. Brand Becomes the Accelerator in Slowing Decision Cycles
As decision journeys lengthen and buying groups grow, brands are under pressure to speed up what buyers increasingly slow down. Our Superpowers research shows that although evaluation takes longer, brands that make it easier for buyers to progress – through clarity, confidence, and a friction free experience – close deals significantly faster, in some cases up to 31% quicker. This is pushing brand and demand generation closer together: brand is no longer the backdrop to the funnel, but the mechanism that reduces uncertainty, accelerates consensus, and shortens the path to commitment.
Theme 3: Brand Experience as the Differentiator
Once buyers find and trust you, experience determines whether they move.
8. Seamless, Friction Free Experience Outperforms Isolated Channel Tactics
The brands that win in 2026 will remove friction across the entire customer journey. Improving security, compliance, and integration steps – rather than optimizing individual channels or touchpoints – will become a key source of competitive advantage.
9. Video, Short Form Storytelling, and Influencer Voices Become Central
As buyers seek information from more diverse sources, video has become a quick and powerful way to communicate value and build confidence. In 2026, this is amplified by the growing influence of experts and creators. Our Superpowers research shows many B2B buyers used influencers in their most recent purchase decision, highlighting the weight placed on trusted individuals, not just brand communications. B2B buyers don’t just want to read about a brand – they want to see it, hear it, and trust who’s telling the story.
Final Word: The Opportunity for B2B Leaders
The message for B2B decision makers and marketers in 2026 is clear: your brand must be discoverable by machines, trusted by humans, and experienced as effortlessly as possible.
The brands that show up clearly in AI results… that remain recognizable across fragmented channels… that feel human, confident, and emotionally relevant… and that make buying friction free… will lead their categories.
2026, therefore, isn’t about doing more – it’s about doing the right things with greater clarity. With so much of the buyer journey happening before a salesperson is ever involved, brand is no longer a marketing asset. It’s the commercial spine that holds everything together.
Readers of this article also viewed:
The 2025 Superpowers Index A Best Practice Guide to Brand Research in B2B Markets Brand Measurement and Benchmarking: Laying the Foundations for Building Stronger B2B Brands B2B Insights Podcast #65: Common Myths and Misconceptions with Brand Research The Right Way to Measure Top-of-Funnel Performance in B2B The Right Way to Measure Mid-to-End Funnel Performance in B2B B2B Thought Leadership: Why It’s Important & How to Do It Well
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