B2B buyers now use an average of 10 channels across the purchasing journey, and inconsistent information across teams is the leading reason they switch suppliers, according to McKinsey's 2026 Global B2B Pulse. The survey of nearly 4,000 B2B decision-makers across 13 countries undermines one of marketing's oldest working assumptions: that a funnel stage reveals what is happening inside a buyer's decision.

The argument, laid out in a new MarTech analysis, is blunt: "A funnel stage tells us where a buyer sits in our process, not necessarily what's happening in their decision." Buyers research independently, move between channels, consult colleagues, compare alternatives, disappear, come back, and sometimes talk to sales. A buyer can sit in "consideration" in the CRM while already building a business case and working to get three other people comfortable with the decision.

What does the research say about buyer independence?

Gartner's 2026 research found that 67% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience. The study, based on a survey of 646 B2B buyers conducted in August and September 2025, also found that 45% used generative AI in a recent purchase.

Forrester's 2026 Buyer Insights research, built from more than 17,500 global buyers, reaches a similar conclusion: buyers use new sources to research options and make decisions before a seller enters the conversation.

The implication for marketing teams is direct. The first activity captured in a martech stack may not be the beginning of the buyer's journey at all. A first-time website visitor may already understand the category, know several competitors, and be narrowing a shortlist. "We call it awareness because that's when we became aware of them," the analysis notes. "That's a very different thing."

Does self-service mean buyers never want sales?

No. In May, Gartner reported that 70% of B2B buyers prefer a completely digital, self-service buying experience — yet in the same research, 69% said they prefer to validate AI-generated insights with a sales rep. Buyers reported using an average of seven information sources during a recent purchase.

"That isn't contradictory behavior. It's human behavior," the analysis argues. Buyers want independence when independence is useful, and expertise when stakes rise or uncertainty creeps in. The strategic question, it concludes, is not whether the journey should be digital or human, but whether marketing understands enough about the buyer's context to know which experience will help next.

Why doesn't more data equal more understanding?

Salesforce's 2026 State of Marketing, based on nearly 4,500 marketers worldwide, found that 83% say customers increasingly want two-way conversations. Yet only one in four marketers is completely satisfied with how their organization unifies and uses customer data to create relevant experiences.

That gap matters, the analysis argues. A team can know that someone visited a pricing page three times and still not know why — the buyer could be ready to purchase, preparing next year's budget, or comparing vendors. The behavior is visible; the meaning isn't.

The next advantage in martech, it contends, will not come from collecting another signal simply because it can be collected. It will come from interpreting the signals marketers already have and carrying that context from one interaction to the next.

What should marketers do instead of tracking stages?

The analysis proposes a sharper question: What is this buyer trying to accomplish right now? Buyers may need education, comparison, proof, reassurance, internal consensus, pricing clarity, or a conversation with someone who understands the problem.

It also offers a checklist for exposing where the stack is failing:

• Can marketing and sales see the same customer context?
• Does information survive when a buyer changes channels?
• Are we triggering outreach because it's genuinely helpful or because an automation rule says it's time to send email number four?

The standard for technology decisions should be not how many touches the stack can produce, but whether those touches make the buying experience better, the analysis concludes. The funnel remains useful for forecasting and running the business — but, as the piece puts it: "The funnel can stay. The fiction can't."