The news: B2B software research journeys are moving from the search bar to a chatbot window.

• 71% of global B2B software buyers and decision-makers now rely on AI search for software research, up from about 45% in April 2025, per G2’s The Answer Economy report.
• Over half (51%) start that research with chatbots more often than with Google, up from 29% a year ago.
• Over two-thirds (69%) of B2B software buyers selected a different software vendor than they had planned to because of assistance from a chatbot, and two-thirds bought from a vendor they hadn’t heard of before.

But the direction from which brands are showing up in genAI results is unclear.

• Yext reports that 86% of citations in genAI responses come from sources that brands own or can strongly influence, including reviews and their own websites, socials, and listings.
• Foundation Marketing and AirOps dug into B2B-specific AI queries and found that just 10% of LLM citations in those searches came from brand-owned sources, and 90% came from third parties like Reddit or YouTube.

Despite mixed information on how brands are appearing in citations, once there, they need to win authority in buyers’ minds via trust signals like customer reviews. Nearly half (45%) of B2B buyers say the No. 1 source that would most make them trust a chatbot answer is a citation of a review site, per G2.

What it means: As buyers discover businesses through chat interfaces and even switch vendors based on responses, influence is mediated by LLM outputs, not direct brand touchpoints.

• Whether answers lean on third-party validation or brand-owned content, the common thread is that credibility drives conversion.
• That makes reputation signals like reviews and independent mentions disproportionately powerful in shaping outcomes within chatbot-driven journeys.

Recommendations for marketers: Brands need to prepare for a future where AI drives purchase decisions, vendor selection, and discovery.

• Open up opportunities for reviews, discussions, and mentions on platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Work with creators and industry experts to add authority in AI citations.
• Monitor where AI is pulling from and where brand presence is falling short to identify where to boost brand presence across the web.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.