Building on the heritage of our long-running Future Shopper research, the study reveals both the forces reshaping enterprise purchasing and the sector differences across seven priority industries that determine how suppliers earn attention, build confidence, and turn preference into decision.
Transportation procurement stands apart from the broader B2B landscape. While many buyers initiate discovery via traditional search engines, final commitments require executive buy-in – with almost one-third of stalled initiatives collapsing because executive sponsorship is withdrawn. When offers are evenly matched, price can be a decisive tiebreaker.
VML’s "The Future Buyer: Transportation" report examines how transportation buyers research, evaluate and select suppliers for major investments – and what it takes for suppliers to win their business.
Download our 2026 Transportation report
Buying groups average six stakeholders, with final authority concentrated in the C-suite and central procurement. Deal survival hinges on leadership alignment, with many stalled deals failing due to withdrawn executive sponsorship, cited by 30% compared to 18% across all B2B sectors.
Unlike other sectors where AI discovery dominates, a majority of transportation buyers start supplier research on traditional search engines like Google and Bing. A considerable segment form their supplier preference during or after early sales conversations – the #1 stage in the buying cycle.
When competing solutions meet technical specifications, nearly a third of buyers name price as the decisive tiebreaker – more than double the B2B average. While brand reputation matters, tolerance for a brand premium is strictly capped: only 16% will pay a significant premium.
Transportation buyers are coming into supplier conversations better informed than ever, with AI now helping them efficiently sift the vast amounts of online information available to investigate and compare their options.
The world of B2B marketing is being disrupted. 55% of buyers now begin supplier research with Generative AI. To win, your brand must be found by AI, trusted by people and approved by the buying group. Introducing The Future Buyer Report series by VML – a comprehensive study of modern B2B buying behavior based on first-party research with 750 buyers across eight international markets. Seven reports, seven industries – delivering a clear view of what influences buying decisions and how brands can act.
Unlike other B2B sectors that have shifted primarily to Generative AI, 62% of transportation buyers start supplier research using traditional search engines like Google and Bing (compared to 45% across B2B). Generative AI ranks second at 49%, followed by analyst reports at 38% and direct supplier outreach at 30%. However, 79% of transportation buyers who use AI chat tools for work report using GenAI frequently or always during supplier research.
According to VML's "The Future Buyer: Transportation Report 2026," 35.7% of significant buying initiatives end without a decision. The leading causes for stalled deals are budget uncertainty or reallocation (35%), strategic/operational direction changes (35%), and the withdrawal of executive sponsorship (at 30% substantially higher than the 18% all-industry B2B average).
Transportation buyers are most likely to form a strong supplier preference during or after early sales conversations, cited by 24% of respondents (compared to 19% across all B2B sectors). The formal evaluation or RFP stage follows at 22%, while 19% form preferences during independent research prior to speaking with suppliers.
Price is the leading tiebreaker between comparable suppliers, cited by 30% of transportation buyers, which is more than double the 14% average across all B2B industries. Responsiveness and ease of working throughout the process ranks second at 24%, while stronger brand reputation ranks third at 14%.
Transportation buyers show growing confidence in AI-led evaluation. 54.1% would feel fairly or fully comfortable approving a significant purchase where AI conducted the primary evaluation. This includes 27.0% who would feel fairly comfortable if the criteria were defined by a trusted human and 27.0% who believe AI evaluation can be more consistent and less biased than human review.
Yes. A supplier’s AI capability was the primary differentiating factor for 29.7% of transportation buyers when choosing between comparable suppliers. It also contributed meaningfully to the decision for a further 32.4% - meaning 62.2% say supplier AI capability has already influenced selection in some way.
Transportation buyers want AI to focus on practical business value and operational fit. 48.7% would want an AI-generated shortlist to prioritize compatibility with their existing technology systems, while 43.2% would prioritize proven ROI or quantified outcomes from similar organizations. Price and overall commercial terms also rank highly, at 43.2%.
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