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Forrester: B2B buyers now use AI over vendor sites for discovery

Serge Bulaev

Serge Bulaev

Recent studies suggest B2B buyers now use AI tools and platforms like ChatGPT and Reddit more than vendor websites to find information. Surveys indicate that AI chatbots may influence buyer shortlists more than company sites, which now appear to serve mainly as validators later in the process. Influence seems to come from conversational AI answers, review sites, community posts, and machine-readable listings, which brands may not directly control. Experts believe tracking website visits alone might not show true brand influence, as key decisions may happen off-site. Companies may need to check how AI tools describe them and strengthen their visibility in external channels.

Forrester: B2B buyers now use AI over vendor sites for discovery

The way B2B buyers use AI for product discovery has fundamentally changed their journey. They now turn to platforms like ChatGPT and Reddit first, meaning a brand's first impression is formed based on AI summaries, community discussions, and third-party reviews - long before a buyer visits your website.

Understanding this new landscape is critical. This guide analyzes the data behind the off-site shift, explains its impact on B2B marketing, and provides actionable steps to win visibility where today's buyers conduct their research.

Key Statistics

How AI Is Replacing Websites for B2B Discovery

B2B buyers are increasingly using generative AI and conversational search to gather initial information, compare solutions, and create vendor shortlists. This off-site research, conducted on platforms like ChatGPT and community forums, now occurs before a buyer visits a company's website, fundamentally altering the traditional sales funnel.

Recent data confirms this trend. According to a Forrester survey, Responsive's study found that 25% of B2B buyers use GenAI more often than search, and nearly two-thirds use GenAI as much as or more than search for vendor research. Industry reports suggest that GenAI chatbots now influence a significant portion of buyer shortlists, positioning the corporate site as a final validation step in a new journey defined by "AI Research - Shortlist Formation - Website Validation."

Why Off-Site Visibility Is the New B2B Marketing Imperative

Because AI models train on public data, they amplify information that brands don't directly control. Procurement teams now use these tools to compare suppliers long before engaging sales, according to Inriver. Buyers also leverage AI-powered summaries to draft RFPs and assess project timelines, drastically shortening the traditional awareness and consideration phases of the sales cycle.

The New Channels of B2B Influence

Influence has shifted from owned properties to a distributed ecosystem of third-party sources that train AI models:

  1. AI-Generated Answers: Direct responses from models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
  2. Third-Party Review Sites: Structured data and sentiment from platforms like G2 and TrustRadius.
  3. Online Community Discussions: Unfiltered peer commentary found on Reddit and LinkedIn.
  4. Structured Data Feeds: Machine-readable product catalogs and marketplace listings that AI agents can query directly.

Absence or misrepresentation in these critical channels means a brand risks being excluded from the buyer's shortlist entirely.

Actionable Tactics for Off-Site AI Readiness

  • Audit Your AI Presence: Regularly prompt major AI tools with comparative questions about your product category to identify and correct errors or omissions.
  • Amplify Third-Party Reviews: Implement a strategy to increase the velocity of verified feedback on major review sites, giving AI models concrete, positive data to reference.
  • Publish Structured Data: Create and publish detailed comparison tables, transparent pricing, and comprehensive FAQs using structured data markup to ensure accuracy when scraped.
  • Engage in Target Communities: Contribute valuable, non-promotional content to relevant subreddits and LinkedIn groups. Authentic engagement in these forums can drive qualified traffic and build credibility.

How to Measure Off-Site Influence

Website traffic alone is no longer a complete measure of brand influence. To get a full picture, marketers must combine traditional metrics with new ones. Layering intent data from review platforms with regular AI prompt audits can help gauge brand visibility before a potential customer ever clicks to your site. These composite metrics are the new indicators of brand health in an AI-driven world where the shortlist is formed elsewhere.