According to Gartner, the balance of influence in B2B buying is shifting. Its latest survey found that 67% of buyers prefer a rep-free experience, while 45% reported using AI during a recent purchase. Digital Commerce 360, reporting on the same research, notes that this suggests buying journeys are becoming more self-directed, digitally mediated, and increasingly shaped before a salesperson enters the picture.
At the same time, Gartner says CMOs are under increasing pressure to deliver measurable growth in 2026 despite constrained budgets, evolving AI capabilities, and rapidly shifting customer behavior. Revenue growth remains the top priority, with demand generation, acquisition, and retention all under sharper scrutiny.
For promo businesses, this signals that AI is not just changing how sales teams sell. It is changing how buyers discover suppliers, compare options, form preferences, and decide whether a sales conversation is needed at all.
That has real implications for both sales and marketing. Marketing can no longer think only in terms of campaigns, content, and traffic. Its role is increasingly to make the business easier to evaluate. Sales, in turn, cannot rely as heavily on being the first source of information. By the time a buyer engages, much of the shortlisting may already be underway.
We believe this shifts priority toward three things: stronger digital discovery, clearer product and pricing information, and more coordinated handoffs between marketing, commerce, and sales.
The issue is not whether AI will influence the buying journey. Gartner’s data suggests it already is. The more relevant question is whether promo businesses are making it easier for buyers to move forward without friction, confusion, or delay.
