How SMBs Use AI

October 17, 2025

A recent Bredin survey of 500 U.S. SMB principals reveals how SMBs are adopting AI now, and what’s ahead. This study builds on our August report showing that 59% of SMBs say AI is already making a significant business contribution.

While adoption differs by company size, SMBs are focusing their AI efforts on tracking customer behavior, marketing, security, and business insights.

‍Web, social, and digital analytics lead the way. Across all company sizes, SMBs are using AI most to understand customer behavior, optimize campaigns, and measure the performance of their online presence.

‍Smaller SMBs emphasize marketing. Marketing and advertising rank second among very small businesses (VSBs, 1-19 employees) and small businesses (SBs, 20-99 employees).

‍VSBs pursue planning and productivity. Strategic planning and virtual assistant or productivity tools are tied for third among VSBs.SBs prioritize finances and sales. For SBs, finance and accounting rank third, followed by e-commerce and online sales in fourth.

‍Larger SMBs focus on customers, security, and insights. Midsize businesses (MBs, 100-1,000 employees) are using AI to enhance customer support (second), strengthen cybersecurity and prevent fraud (third), and improve business intelligence and data analytics (fourth).

‍Future plans emphasize productivity and cybersecurity. When asked how they will use AI over the next 12 months, SMB priorities vary by company size.

  • VSBs: Business intelligence and data analytics, sales enablement and lead management, cybersecurity and fraud detection.
  • SBs: Legal and compliance support, HR and talent management, supply chain and logistics.
  • MBs: Legal and compliance support, supply chain/logistics, sales enablement and lead management.

Top Five Current Uses of AI

Wondering what SMBs are thinking, doing, and planning? Bredin can give you answers. With an exclusive focus on the SMB market and decades of market research experience, Bredin delivers uniquely valuable and actionable custom and omnibus research. Contact us to learn how we can support your visibility, product, content, PR, social, and sales goals.