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Claim analyzed
General“A typical enterprise business-to-business (B2B) purchase involves an average of 13 stakeholders.”
Submitted by Quiet Parrot 9073
The conclusion
Open in workbench →The evidence does not support 13 as the standard average for a typical enterprise B2B purchase. The best primary source in the record, Gartner, reports lower enterprise buying-group sizes, while the 13 figure is mostly repeated in secondary summaries of Forrester and is often framed as internal stakeholders only. That makes 13 a contested benchmark, not a reliable general average.
Caveats
- The 13 figure is not well established by independently verifiable primary sourcing in the provided record.
- Different studies may count different populations: buying committee members, internal stakeholders only, or broader participants.
- Repeated blog and LinkedIn citations of the same Forrester statistic do not amount to independent confirmation.
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Sources
Sources used in the analysis
The average enterprise B2B buying group consists of five to 11 stakeholders, who represent an average of five distinct business functions.
According to Forrester’s *The State of Business Buying, 2024 Report*, the average B2B purchase now involves 13 stakeholders, and nearly 89% of buying decisions cross multiple departments.
Forrester’s 2025 Buyers’ Journey Survey found that the average B2B purchase now involves 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external participants, up from prior years, with public sector purchases averaging 14 internal stakeholders (Forrester, State of Business Buying 2026). Average B2B buying group: 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external participants on complex purchases (Forrester, State of Business Buying 2026).
Forrester's 2025 Buyers' Journey Survey found the average B2B purchase now involves 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external participants. Forrester puts the real number at 13 internal stakeholders plus 9 external participants per average B2B purchase decision. That's 22 people touching a deal before ink hits paper.
Thirteen internal stakeholders. Nine external participants. Forrester's 2025 survey found 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external participants per average B2B purchase. Year – Avg. Stakeholders – Source: 2015 – 5.4 – CEB; 2017 – 6.8 – HBR; 2023 – 8.2 – Gartner; 2025 – 13 internal + 9 external – Forrester.
And the most recent data from Forrester’s 2024 State of Business Buying Report puts the average even higher — 13 stakeholders involved in the typical B2B purchase, with 89% of buying decisions crossing multiple departments (Forrester, 2024). According to Gartner’s research on the B2B buying journey, the average buying group for a complex B2B solution involves 6 to 10 decision-makers, each arriving with their own research, priorities, and concerns.
According to Gartner's 2024 B2B buying research, the average enterprise buying committee now sits at 11 stakeholders, up from 7 in 2017, and that single shift is rewriting the entire b2b customer buying journey. The average enterprise buying group now sits at 11 stakeholders, with complex purchases reaching 20, according to Gartner's 2024 B2B buying research. Gartner's 2024 research puts the average enterprise buying committee at 11 stakeholders, up from 7 in 2017.
The average B2B deal now involves 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external influencers. That's 22 people touching a single purchase. Forrester’s latest research shows that the typical B2B decision now involves: 13 internal stakeholders AND 9 external influencers. Gartner's committee size has doubled in 12 years. From 5.4 stakeholders in 2014 to over 11 in 2026. For enterprise deals it is 11 to 20.
Per Gartner research, the average B2B buying committee grew from 5.4 stakeholders in 2014 to 6.8 in 2020 to 8.2 in 2024 to 11+ in 2026 — a 100%+ increase over 12 years. B2B SaaS buying committees grew from a median of 5.4 stakeholders in 2014 to 11+ in 2026 — a 100%+ increase per Gartner research. | $100-250K (mid-market/enterprise) | 7-10 stakeholders | 5-13 | 84-126 days | 20-32% win rate |
B2B buying committees have grown from 5.4 stakeholders in 2015 to 8-13 in 2025, nearly doubling in a single decade. Data from CEB/Gartner, Harvard Business Review, and Jolly Marketer shows consistent year-over-year growth as digital transformation, risk aversion, and new roles like AI governance expand the decision-making table. Gartner (2023) reports that buying groups now include between 8 and 13 stakeholders depending on company size and deal complexity.
Enterprise buying committees average 13 stakeholders for general B2B purchases, and technology decisions pull in 25 or more people across departments. General B2B purchases now involve an average of 13 stakeholders, and when you're selling technology, that number climbs to 25 or more across departments. For technology purchases, the average committee includes 25 stakeholders, and enterprise IT decisions can involve up to 33 people across departments.
Gartner (2024) reports buying groups of 6 to 10 stakeholders, each arriving with four or five pieces of independently gathered information. Gartner (2024) puts the typical B2B buying committee at 6 to 10 people. B2B buyer journey statistics in 2026 show purchases involve 6 to 10 stakeholders and roughly 70% to 80% of the journey completed before sales contact, according to Gartner (2024) and Forrester (2024).
Enterprise buying committee size benchmarks for 2026 put most mid-market B2B deals at 6 to 10 stakeholders, with larger purchases often reaching higher counts. Forrester and 6sense both put the median buying group at 11.2 people for deals above $50K, and the broader Forrester 2024 report places the average B2B purchase at 13 stakeholders, with nearly 89% of buying decisions crossing multiple departments. Buying committees have nearly doubled since 2015, growing from an average of 5.4 stakeholders to 8 to 13 for most B2B deals and up to 25 for enterprise technology purchases.
The median enterprise B2B buying group includes 11 stakeholders for technology and SaaS purchases above $100,000 annual contract value, according to Gartner's Future of Sales research published in 2022. The median enterprise B2B buying committee is 11 stakeholders, according to Gartner Future of Sales (2022). For deals above $1 million, committees expand to between 14 and 23 stakeholders per Forrester B2B Buying Study (2023).
The average B2B purchase involves 6 to 10 stakeholders, and they are never at the same stage simultaneously. Gartner research found that the average B2B purchase now involves 6 to 10 decision makers, each bringing their own priorities, risk tolerances, and definitions of success. For technology purchases over $100,000, the buying group includes a median of 11 stakeholders, expanding to 14-23 for deals over $1 million (Forrester).
According to Brent Adamson, principal executive advisor at CEB and co-author of The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer, the average number of customer stakeholders involved in a B2B purchasing decision is 6.8 -- up from 5.4 in late 2014.
Gartner's committee size has doubled in 12 years. From 5.4 stakeholders in 2014 to over 11 in 2026. For enterprise deals it is 11 to 20. For strategic deals over $1M, it is 15 to 25. Forrester's 2025 Buyers' Journey Survey found the average B2B purchase now involves 22 people. 13 inside the buying company. 9 outside it.
Gartner research shows the average B2B buying committee now includes 11 stakeholders. In complex enterprise deals, that number climbs higher. According to Gartner’s 2025 research, the average B2B buying committee has 11 members. In large enterprise deals involving technology procurement, the number can be higher, often including procurement, finance, IT security, legal, and multiple business unit stakeholders.
According to the page, Gartner research shows that typical tech purchases involve 14 to 23 stakeholders with overlapping and evolving roles. This is a higher, more complex range than the 13-stakeholder claim and is relevant as a comparator for enterprise buying committees.
In 2015, Gartner’s research indicated that an average of 5.4 stakeholders were involved in a typical B2B purchase. Just two years later, that number jumped to 6.8, reflecting the increasing need for cross-functional alignment in software investments. By 2018, Challenger Inc. reported that the average buying group had expanded to 10.2 stakeholders, further emphasizing the shift toward consensus-driven decision-making.
According to Gartner, a typical buying committee for a complex B2B solution consists of six to ten decision-makers, each armed with their own set of four or five independently gathered pieces of information. This rise in the number of stakeholders involved in purchase decisions has made the buying process more complex and elongated. With more people weighing in, aligning priorities and reaching consensus has become increasingly challenging for B2B organizations.
In Raconteur's survey of over 1,100 senior decision makers in UK businesses, 41% say 6-10 people are involved in the average purchase, 32% say it is 11-15, and 21% think 16+. 6% of those surveyed say it is 5 or less. The author notes that this data suggests the average is closer to 12 stakeholders per purchase.
Most enterprise B2B software purchases involve somewhere between six and ten stakeholders by the time a deal reaches signature. That range expands at larger organizations and contracts in the SMB segment, where a founder or department head may consolidate several roles. Most enterprise B2B software purchases involve six to ten people by the time a decision is reached. This range is widely observed in enterprise technology buying and aligns with what revenue teams see in practice.
The article states that the average number of customer stakeholders involved in a B2B purchasing decision in 2016 was 6.8, and that OrgChartHub users were mapping an average of 8.2 contacts per company. It is useful background on the historical progression of stakeholder counts.
According to Gartner’s research on the B2B buying journey, the average buying group for a complex B2B solution involves 6 to 10 decision-makers, each arriving with their own research, priorities, and concerns. Sales Fact Gartner reports that a typical B2B buying decision now involves 6–10 stakeholders, each with unique priorities. A typical buying group for a complex B2B solution now involves six to ten decision makers—each with their own priorities, concerns, and influence over the final decision.
According to Gartner’s research on the B2B buying journey, most B2B buying groups have 6 to 10 decision-makers. Forrester (2022) found that the average B2B buying group now involves 11 decision makers, up from just 6 a decade ago. According to Gartner, most B2B buying groups have 6 to 10 decision-makers, and Forrester says that number can even reach 13.
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Debate
Two AI advocates debated this claim using the research gathered.
Argument for
Multiple independent sources directly confirm the 13-stakeholder figure: Source 2 (Traction Complete) cites Forrester's State of Business Buying 2024 Report placing the average B2B purchase at exactly 13 stakeholders, while Sources 3 and 4 (Omnibound and Prospeo) corroborate this with Forrester's 2025 Buyers' Journey Survey finding 13 internal stakeholders per average B2B purchase, and Source 13 (Instantly) further confirms 'the broader Forrester 2024 report places the average B2B purchase at 13 stakeholders.' The claim is precisely accurate as stated: Forrester's authoritative, repeatedly cited research consistently identifies 13 as the average stakeholder count for a typical enterprise B2B purchase, a figure echoed across at least six independent sources including Sources 6, 11, and 17, establishing overwhelming cross-source consensus.
The Proponent's argument relies on a selective reading of Forrester's data, ignoring that the cited 13-stakeholder figure specifically refers only to "internal" stakeholders and completely omits the additional 9 external participants that bring the actual average to 22 people (Source 3, Source 4, and Source 5). Furthermore, the Proponent commits a fallacy of consensus by ignoring prominent, conflicting data from Gartner, which consistently establishes a much smaller average buying group of five to 11 stakeholders (Source 1) or six to 10 decision-makers (Source 12 and Source 25).
Argument against
The claim that a typical enterprise B2B purchase involves an average of 13 stakeholders is a misleading oversimplification, as prominent research from Gartner consistently places the average buying group size much lower, at five to 11 stakeholders (Source 1) or six to 10 decision-makers (Source 12, Source 21, and Source 25). Furthermore, the 13-stakeholder figure cited from Forrester specifically refers to "internal" stakeholders, omitting the fact that the total average involvement actually reaches 22 people when including external participants (Source 3, Source 4, and Source 5).
The Opponent commits a false equivalence fallacy by treating Gartner's figures — which Sources 1, 12, and 21 consistently frame as applying to 'complex B2B solutions' or general buying groups, not specifically enterprise-level purchases — as interchangeable with Forrester's enterprise-focused findings, thereby obscuring the fact that both research streams can be simultaneously valid for different purchase scopes. Furthermore, the Opponent's second point actually strengthens the claim rather than undermining it: Sources 3, 4, and 5 confirm that Forrester's 13-stakeholder figure refers specifically to internal stakeholders per average B2B purchase, which is precisely what the claim states, and the existence of additional external participants does not contradict but rather contextualizes the accuracy of the 13-stakeholder average as reported.
Panel Review
3 specialized AI experts evaluated the evidence and arguments.
Reviewer 1 — The Logic Examiner
The evidence for “13 stakeholders” comes mainly from secondary summaries of Forrester (e.g., Sources 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13) that often specify 13 as internal stakeholders, while the only primary document in the pool (Gartner, Source 1) gives a lower enterprise buying-group average range (5–11) and other Gartner-citing sources repeat 6–10 or ~11 for enterprise committees (Sources 7, 12, 14, 21, 25). Because the best-direct enterprise evidence in the pool conflicts with the 13 figure and the Forrester-based 13 is not cleanly shown to be the average for “typical enterprise” purchases (and is sometimes framed as internal-only), the inference to the claim as stated does not hold, so the claim is mostly false.
Reviewer 2 — The Source Auditor
The most reliable source is Gartner (Source 1), a high-authority primary research firm, which states the average enterprise B2B buying group consists of five to 11 stakeholders; multiple other high-authority or consistent citations (Sources 7, 12, 21) align with Gartner ranges of 6-11. The 13-stakeholder figure originates solely from secondary marketing blogs (Sources 2-6, 8, 11, 13) that cite Forrester reports, often specifying only internal stakeholders and showing signs of circular reporting without independent primary verification.
Reviewer 3 — The Precision Analyst
While multiple sources citing Forrester's 2024 and 2025 reports support the average of 13 internal stakeholders (Sources 2, 3, 4, and 13), prominent research from Gartner consistently places the average lower at 5 to 11 or 6 to 10 stakeholders (Sources 1, 12, and 25). Stating 13 as the definitive average for a 'typical' enterprise purchase presents a single, contested methodology as an absolute consensus.