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Psychology & Persuasion

Forrester 2025: Younger Buyers, GenAI, and B2B Disruption

Explore Forrester's 2025 predictions for business buying — genAI evaluation, generational shifts, influencer networks, and provider strategies.

BadgeLead Editorial Team10 min read

Summary

Forrester predicts genAI-savvy buyers will evaluate more vendors and switch faster — sellers must optimize for AI-mediated research and trust.

GenAI Expands Vendor Consideration

Forrester's Predictions 2025: Business Buyers blog forecasts that generative AI will enable buyers to evaluate five or more providers for large purchases — with over 90% of buyers using genAI reporting positive outcomes. Sellers face more competition in the consideration set, not less.

Providers must ensure websites, review sites, and analyst content clearly articulate differentiated value for AI summarization — opaque marketing copy becomes invisible in AI-mediated shortlists.

Dissatisfaction Drives Switching

Forrester expects two-thirds of buyers to seek new solutions due to dissatisfaction — especially younger cohorts willing to switch after poor experiences. This connects to their 2024 finding that 81% of buyers are dissatisfied post-purchase: retention and expansion require over-delivering on implementation, not just winning the logo.

External Influencers Multiply

Half of younger buyers will include 10+ external influencers — social networks, communities, creators — in purchase decisions. B2B social selling and executive visibility on LinkedIn shift from optional to defensive strategy.

Build influencer and reference programs as core GTM, not marketing afterthoughts. Champions need third-party validation peers already trust.

Provider Playbook for 2025–2026

Forrester's guidance: optimize for genAI-led buying, equip buying groups (not lone heroes), and invest in trust-building content. Pair with sense-making seller skills (Gartner) and HBR's ethical gen AI discovery prep.

References & Further Reading

This article draws on peer-reviewed research, established frameworks, and authoritative industry sources.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will genAI reduce the number of vendors buyers consider?
Forrester predicts the opposite for large purchases — buyers may evaluate five or more providers because genAI lowers research cost. Differentiation and trust signals matter more.
How should sellers respond to influencer-heavy buying?
Invest in references, analyst relations, executive LinkedIn presence, and community proof — younger buying committees delegate trust to external voices.

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