Videos from Nikkei, and AI—Where 724 B2B Buyers Revealed ‘The Consideration Begins’｜かんたろう

Many people involved in B2B sales and marketing think that consideration begins once a business negotiation starts. That is why they polish their proposal materials and refine how they present demos.
However, when you ask the buyers, the order seems to be different. They have already narrowed down their candidates significantly in a space further upstream, out of our sight.
The survey ‘B2B Buying Trends 2026,’ published on September 16 by PR consulting firm Initial Inc. (PR unit ‘PADDLE’), shows us through data what is happening in that ‘upstream’ space. It targeted 724 business people nationwide who are involved in the introduction of B2B services. Following the numbers reveals that the entrance to B2B is quietly moving.

The information source that surpassed Nikkei was video

First, regarding means of gathering information. The top source was ‘business video media’ at 78.0%.
In contrast, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun/Nikkei Electronic Edition was at 55.9%, Nikkei Business/its electronic edition at 50.8%, and World Business Satellite at 43.6%. Video has pulled more than 20 percentage points ahead of the staples of print media.
Moreover, this is not just occasional viewing. 74.9% of people watch at least one day a week, and 27.1% watch almost every day. It has already become a habit integrated into their daily lives.
This does not end with the conclusion that ‘we should make videos.’ The structural change—that decision-makers are encountering industry information in places where they receive what flows to them, rather than places they actively go to read—is more important.

85.2% are asking AI before they meet you

Another major factor is AI. 85.2% of people refer to information obtained through generative AI or AI search when choosing B2B services or external support companies. Among managers, this figure rises to 91.4%.
What are they using it for? The top three uses are:
・Comparison of prices and service content: 40.6%
・Organizing the characteristics and strengths of each company: 37.0%
・Checking implementation case studies and reputation: 36.6%
When you line these up, it becomes clear. This is almost identical to the content that sales representatives used to explain in initial meetings. In other words, the first half of the comparison and consideration process is already finished through dialogue with AI before we even make contact.
The question is whether your company’s information is placed in a way that AI can read, accurately and organized. That is becoming the first hurdle to remaining a candidate.

‘The first company that comes to mind’ decided half the battle

Even more eye-catching is the figure for top-of-mind awareness. 54.1% of respondents answered that they ‘sometimes choose the company that first comes to mind in a specific field as the provider.’ The breakdown is 9.3% for ‘often’ and 44.9% for ‘sometimes’.
The concept of top-of-mind awareness itself is not new. But when it is shown by numbers that it is so directly linked to winning orders, the story changes.
Efforts to win within a comparison table are, of course, necessary. However, in half of the cases, the outcome is already decided before even appearing on that comparison table. This means that awareness-building measures are not something to do ‘if you have the spare capacity,’ but an investment that determines the very thickness of your pipeline.

The deciding factor is still in the modest details

So, what is the final push? The most common deciding factor for implementation was ‘implementation effect/cost-effectiveness’ at 24.0%. This was followed by ‘security/legal aspects’ at 11.6% and ‘support system’ at 9.5%.
You capture the entrance with top-of-mind awareness, create understanding with video and AI, and finally decide with cost-effectiveness. Although the landscape at the entrance has changed significantly, the evaluation criteria at the exit have hardly changed at all.
Conversely, this means that even if you invest in creating new touchpoints, if the language used to explain the benefits is weak, you will still be dropped at the end.

The weapon of Japanese companies is ‘peace of mind,’ the weapon of foreign companies is ‘standards’

The survey also conducted a comparison with foreign-affiliated companies. Japanese companies were superior in understanding of business customs at 63.8%, trust in long-term support systems at 62.3%, and peace of mind after implementation at 58.7%.
On the other hand, foreign-affiliated companies outperformed in ‘global standard knowledge/quality’ at 38.1%.
For domestic companies, this suggests that rather than competing head-on on advancement or speed, it resonates more to convey that ‘we will take good care of you after implementation.’ Which axis you use to talk about your company’s strengths depends more on the other party’s expectations than you might think.

Summary: By the time a negotiation starts, the other party has already made up their mind halfway

Let’s summarize the key points gathered from this survey.
・Information touchpoints are shifting to business video media (78.0%, surpassing Nikkei Electronic Edition at 55.9%)
・Preliminary research is shifting to generative AI (85.2%, 91.4% for managers)
・The entrance is controlled by top-of-mind awareness (54.1%)
・The final deciding factor is cost-effectiveness (24.0%)
By the time you sit at the negotiation table, the other party has already made up their mind halfway. If so, what you should put effort into is not the materials you hand out during the meeting, but the information you leave available before the meeting.
When you ask AI about your company’s name now, does it come up properly? I recommend trying it with your own company name once.
Source: Web Tan Forum, PR TIMES (Initial Inc. ‘B2B Buying Trends 2026’)
#B2BMarketing #GenerativeAI #Marketing #Sales #ContentMarketing #SurveyData #TopOfMind #Business