Starting From Search: The Shopping Journey For B2B Buyers
As AI continues to change how shoppers shop and even how search results are presented, new research from Reddit x SurveyMonkey confirms that search engines are still the most popular starting point for early B2B shopping journeys and research, but search is “rarely the destination — it is a navigation layer.”
“Where Buyers Go During Early Research” (Photo Source: Reddit x SurveyMonkey)
“As buyers look to validate claims and understand real-world experiences, search increasingly becomes a pathway to peer-driven content,” says The Hidden B2B Journey report, which found that peer recommendations and vendor sites were neck-and-neck as the second-most commonly used channels. “In fact, more than 200 million unique Reddit posts are clicked from Google search results, underscoring how often buyers use search engines to access firsthand perspectives rather than branded content alone.”
The report says buyers use search within their B2B research to “triangulate” away from a single source, utilizing those search engines and other sources not as competing channels, “but complementary ones.”
“Search helps buyers find information quickly,” the report says, “while peer-driven spaces provide the trust and context needed to make sense of it.”
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