Forrester State of Business Buying, 2026: typical B2B buying decision involves 13 internal stakeholders + 9 external influencers

Claim: Forrester's State of Business Buying, 2026 puts the typical B2B buying decision at 13 internal stakeholders plus 9 external influencers, rising for more complex purchases.

Source: https://investor.forrester.com/news-releases/news-release-details/forresters-state-business-buying-2026-report-finds-buyers-are

Confidence: Verified.

Updates [[gartner-6-to-10-decision-makers-2019]] — newer, larger group sizes consistent with the post-pandemic interaction increase from [[forrester-2021-b2b-buying-interactions-17-to-27]].

For GC SMB application: 13+9 is for enterprise purchases. For a $1M–$5M residential GC, buying group is owner + spouse + (sometimes) office manager. For $5M–$50M ICI, it is owner + estimator/PM + BD lead + external referrer (architect/LP partner). See [[gc-buying-group-composition-by-tier]].