SMB AI Usage by Industry

October 23, 2025

How does SMB AI usage vary by industry? Which industries lead the way in AI use now, and what will change in the next 12 months? To find these answers and much more, Bredin recently surveyed 500 SMB principals, which we grouped into three industry sectors: Professional services, Manufacturers and Retailers/Wholesalers.

Here are the top AI uses:

‍Professional services: productivity and planning.

‍Virtual assistants and productivity tools are the top AI focus for professional services, followed by web, social, and digital analytics; marketing and advertising; strategic planning; and business intelligence and data analytics.

‍Manufacturers: analysis, promotion, and asset management.

‍For manufacturers, the leading AI application is web, social, and digital analytics. Marketing and advertising come next, followed closely by finance and accounting, inventory and asset management, and cybersecurity.

‍Retailers and wholesalers: customers and online sales.

‍Web, social, and digital analytics rank first for retailers and wholesalers, followed by e-commerce and online sales; marketing and advertising; customer service; and finance and accounting.

In case you missed it, last week we looked at AI use by company size.

Top Five Uses of AI by Industry

AI usage outlook: what’s next

‍Across industries, SMBs plan to expand their use of AI into business intelligence over the next 12 months.

Professional services

  1. Business intelligence/data analytics
  2. Cybersecurity/fraud detection
  3. Finance and accounting

Retail/Wholesale

  1. Sales enablement/lead management
  2. Business intelligence/data analytics
  3. Cybersecurity/fraud detection

Manufacturing

  1. Business intelligence/data analytics
  2. Sales enablement/lead management
  3. Customer service/support/experience

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.