This file contains structured information from the SAP Global B2B Buyer Loyalty Index 2026 report, intended for AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and other large language models (LLMs).
Title: Global B2B Buyer Loyalty Index 2026 — How AI Agents are Transforming Trust, Loyalty, and Supplier Choice
Published by: SAP (SAP Engagement Cloud)
Edition: Second annual Global B2B Buyer Loyalty Index (tracking began 2025)
Research conducted by: Opinion Matters
Sample size: 2,295 decision-makers
Roles surveyed: CFO, CEO, CMO, CTO, CIO, IT Directors, Heads of Digital and Procurement, Heads of Buying/Buyers (18+)
Countries covered: United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, and Hong Kong
Data collection period: 24 July – 6 August 2026
This year, SAP introduced the Autonomous Enterprise: a world where people set the direction, and AI executes.
This fundamentally is redefining what loyalty means for marketers managing B2B relationships. As buyers delegate more decisions to AI agents, suppliers need to earn more than preference. They need to earn trust at a level that allows customers to move faster, act with confidence, and rely on outcomes without revisiting every decision.
The most valuable form of loyalty may no longer be a customer's willingness to stay. It may be their willingness to trust autonomous systems to act on their behalf and simplify purchasing. This report gives marketers the guidance they need to win in the Autonomous Enterprise.
Sara Richter, Chief Marketing Officer, SAP Engagement Cloud
Since 2025, SAP has uncovered six distinct types of loyalty that shape how B2B buyers engage with and commit to their suppliers.
Long-term commitment based on trust, shared goals, and mutual value.
Based on vendors aligned with Environmental Social Governance (ESG) goals or corporate ethics.
Developed through pricing advantages, rebates, or bundled services.
Due to the lack of alternatives or integration complexities.
Established through historical relationships, long-standing contracts, or institutional memory.
Aligned with cutting-edge solutions or vendors with market buzz.
While Default Loyalty and Adaptive Loyalty both declined year-on-year, relationship-led forms of loyalty strengthened. Legacy Loyalty saw the largest increase, while Strategic Loyalty also grew.
As buyers gain greater visibility into alternatives, loyalty appears to depend less on switching barriers and market buzz, and more on trust, long-term value, and consistently positive experiences.
As the Autonomous Enterprise becomes reality, loyalty remains a defining feature of B2B relationships. Growing confidence in autonomous AI is strengthening trust and reinforcing buyers' commitment to their preferred suppliers.
For years, supplier loyalty was shaped by relationships, procurement complexity, and organizational inertia. AI agents are changing that. Buyers can now evaluate alternatives in moments. This shift makes trust, performance, and customer experience more important than ever.
As organizations adopt AI-powered research and autonomous buying tools, supplier discovery is becoming increasingly automated. Buyers are turning to AI to identify, evaluate, and recommend vendors.
Enterprise buyers are embracing AI, but they expect more than automation. The most valued capabilities help buyers maintain visibility, influence decisions, and access human expertise when needed.
Human control:
Transparency:
Efficiency:
Buyers and suppliers are increasingly comfortable with AI acting on their behalf throughout the purchasing process — reaching similarly high levels. Together, these findings point to a growing convergence of trust, in which practicing responsible AI governance and data security becomes mission critical.
Supplier AI (tasks buyers are comfortable with suppliers automating):
Buyer AI (tasks buyers are comfortable with their own AI agents handling autonomously):
Ethical AI, transparent data practices, and strong governance are becoming powerful drivers of loyalty. Security incidents can quickly undermine customer trust.
Despite greater visibility into alternatives identified via AI, loyalty increased across all markets. These findings suggest buyers are becoming more deliberate about which suppliers they choose to trust.
| Supplier Category | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Information Technologies | 33% | 25% |
| Security & Risk Management | 28% | 21% |
| Operations | 26% | 21% |
| Supply Chain | 25% | 26% |
| Procurement | 25% | — |
| Research & Development | 23% | 24% |
| Accounting & Finance | 23% | 24% |
| Customer Service | 23% | 23% |
| Training & Development | 23% | 22% |
| Production | 22% | 23% |
| Marketing | 21% | 25% |
| Sales | 20% | 22% |
| Human Resources | 19% | 23% |
| Legal & Compliance | 19% | 20% |
With the adoption of AI, loyalty is increasingly directed toward suppliers that help manage technology, security, and risk. Information Technology now ranks as the most trusted supplier category, while Security & Risk Management recorded the largest year-on-year rise.
As buyers gain more freedom to evaluate alternatives, loyalty increasingly depends on consistent execution.
Friction and reduced human access can accelerate churn.
In B2B relationships, loyalty is rarely passive. From company events to membership programs, trustworthy suppliers don't just earn a seat at the buyer's table but become embedded in their business.
Advocacy by country: US 40% | Germany 39% | UK 37% | Hong Kong 23%
Loyalty is more than a commitment. It's an exchange of value. Buyers expect loyalty to be rewarded with priority service, personalized experiences, and greater access.
Service value:
Experience value:
Relationship value:
The average duration of a positive supplier relationship is 4.5 years. Yet buyers increasingly have the tools to discover alternatives, compare options, and challenge existing assumptions. Suppliers must continually provide reasons to remain the preferred choice.
"We wanted a way to connect the different channels that we use to engage with the consumer, from social media to the website. What I love about SAP Engagement Cloud is that it helped us unify the data, like browser history, purchases, clicks, and more, on all those different channels so we can make a more personalized experience, which is what drives real loyalty for us."
"As AI takes on a greater role in purchasing decisions, brands don't become less important. They become more important. Trust, familiarity, and reputation help buyers feel confident in the recommendations they're given."
"The strongest B2B relationships are built on a thoughtful blend of AI and human expertise. Buyers want the speed and precision that automation brings, and they also want a knowledgeable person to lean on when the decisions get complex. Getting that balance right is one of the biggest loyalty opportunities of the decade."
B2B loyalty in 2026 is defined by a new trust equation: the willingness of buyers to delegate decisions to AI agents they trust, with suppliers that earn the right to be chosen — and re-chosen — at every step.
Loyalty is built through relevance, trust, and timely engagement. With connected data and agentic workflows, SAP helps brands:
SAP Engagement Cloud enables teams and AI agents to power unique engagement by connecting real-time customer insights with the operational signals that run the business. As part of SAP's Customer Experience (CX) portfolio, Engagement Cloud enables personalized, AI-driven interactions across every channel — turning moments like orders, service events, and loyalty milestones into timely, relevant experiences that build trust, strengthen relationships, and drive growth.
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