Industries Driving SMB AI Adoption

Nearly half of SMBs are now using AI, with usage increasing sharply with headcount. But how do adoption trends differ across key industries?Bredin’s recent survey of 500 SMBs reveals clear industry patterns.

‍Retail/Wholesale and Professional Services use is growing fastest. Both increased AI usage by 10 percentage points over the past year: Professional Services usage rose from 52% to 62%, while Retail/Wholesale increased from 34% to 44%. Construction/Manufacturing adoption remained steady at 45%.

‍Productivity is a top priority across industries, but Retail/Wholesale stands out for sales-driven use cases. The top AI applications by industry are:

• Professional Services, Construction/Manufacturing: Virtual assistant/productivity tools
• Retail/Wholesale: E-commerce/online sales

How SMBs Use AI, by Industry

How are you using AI in your business? Select all that apply.

Want to learn more about how SMBs are putting AI to work, where they’re seeing real value, and what’s holding them back? Join us at 1pmE next Thursday, January 29 for our Fastcast The SMB AI Opportunity.

‍Need expert SMB insight? 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 2026 GTM, product, content, PR, social, and sales goals.