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B2B Marketing Benchmark Report

The HotTopics Technology Buyer’s Shortlist 2026

What enterprise technology buyers really want

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Every tech provider wants to be trusted.
We asked the buyers who actually earns it.

Plenty of technology providers claim to be the best. But what do the people making the buying decisions really think?

We went straight to our C-suite community to find out.

Drawing on insights from 125 senior technology leaders, the HotTopics Technology Buyer’s Shortlist 2026 reveals which providers they recommend, who's catching their attention and what it takes to earn their trust.

Big promises. Bigger buying decisions.

AI tops investment priorities. Operational efficiency and cost reduction are front of mind. And with budgets and resources stretched, every technology investment needs to deliver.

So, who makes the shortlist?

Our research looks beyond vendor claims and marketing messages to reveal which providers enterprise leaders value, why they recommend them and what B2B sales and marketing teams can learn from their experiences.

Real buyers. Real recommendations. Real insight.

125
Senior technology leaders surveyed

200+
Technology providers recommended

30
In-depth executive perspectives

A few things your buyers probably wish you knew.

What's inside?

Who made the shortlist?

Meet the 10 most-recommended technology providers and discover what makes them stand out.

Who's winning across the tech stack?

Explore 45 recommended providers across AI, cloud, cybersecurity, data, business applications and more.

Who should you be watching?

Meet the emerging specialists, start-ups and challengers catching the attention of enterprise technology leaders.

How do you actually sell to the C-suite?

Straight from the buyers themselves: what they value, what turns them off and how to build relationships that last.

 

B2B Marketing Leaders Benchmark Report-2

 

Want to earn their trust? Start with their challenges.

Kirsty Mason, CIO, Go-Ahead Group

My advice to technology vendors is simple: understand the business outcomes we are trying to achieve before proposing technology."


Kirsty Mason, CIO, Go-Ahead Group

Want to get closer to the people making the decisions?

Knowing what enterprise technology buyers want is one thing. Building meaningful relationships with them is another.

At HotTopics, we connect senior technology leaders and B2B brands through trusted, peer-led experiences and community intelligence.

We help you understand what matters to your buyers, become part of the conversations that count and build relationships that create commercial opportunities.

 

Download the HotTopics Technology Buyer’s Shortlist 2026

Discover the providers earning recommendations, the challengers making their mark and the lessons every B2B technology sales and marketing leader should know.

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About the research

The HotTopics Technology Buyer’s Shortlist 2026 draws on recommendations gathered through the Technology Leadership Benchmark, surveying 125 technology, digital, data and security leaders, followed by 30 additional in-depth executive perspectives.

The research, conducted between September and December 2025, examines more than 200 recommended technology providers, highlighting the most-recommended brands, emerging challengers and what enterprise technology leaders value in their partnerships.

Research led by Doug Drinkwater, Editorial and Strategy Director, HotTopics.