September 21, 2026
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., [September 21, 2026] — More than half of small and midsized businesses (SMBs) say they’re very likely to use an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini to first learn about products or services for their business. New research reveals which companies stand out when SMBs use these tools. It also shows which companies lead across social, email and other channels.
Bredin, a market research firm specializing in the SMB market, surveyed 500 U.S. SMB decision makers about companies in 7 product and service categories that appear most often when they search for vendors using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or Claude.
Google Workspace stands out, with 37.6% of SMBs naming it the productivity suite that does the best job of coming up in AI search, the highest percentage of any company studied. QuickBooks Payroll follows at 30.6%, PayPal at 30.0% and Apple at 26.0%.
“AI has become an essential way for companies to reach SMB decision makers,” said Stu Richards, CEO of Bredin. “Companies have worked for years to stand out in search, social media, advertising and other channels. Now they also need to understand whether they are visible when SMBs turn to AI for answers.”
AI search leadership is remarkably consistent across business size. In 6 of the 7 categories studied, the same company has the highest AI search percentage among very small businesses with 1 to 19 employees, small businesses with 20 to 99 employees and midsized businesses with 100 to 1,000 employees.
Banking is the exception. Capital One has the highest AI search percentage among very small businesses, JPMorgan Chase among small businesses and Bank of America among midsized businesses.
Who stands out in other channels
Bredin also asked SMB decision makers which companies do the best job of reaching them through online search, social media, advertising, peer recommendations, content and emails.
Some AI search leaders also lead across other channels. Apple leads all 6 other channels studied in PCs and tablets. QuickBooks Payroll does the same in payroll/HR, and PayPal leads all 6 channels in payments.
In other categories, the leader depends on the channel. Among productivity suites, Google Workspace leads AI search, online search, useful content and email, while Microsoft 365 leads social media, advertising and peer recommendations.
In telecom, AT&T Business leads AI search, online search, useful content and email, while T-Mobile for Business leads social media, advertising and peer recommendations.
Among marketing and e-commerce companies, Google Ads leads AI search, online search, peer recommendations, useful content and email, while Meta Ads leads social media and advertising.
“Showing up in AI is important, but SMBs encounter companies in many different places,” Richards said. “Understanding where a company stands across these channels can help marketers see where they are doing well and where competitors are getting more attention.”
Contact Bredin for more detail by size of SMB and for industry and geographic region findings.
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Bredin SMB MarketPulse provides ongoing intelligence into how SMBs want companies to reach, market and sell to them, along with their priorities, buying behavior and perceptions of leading companies. Learn more about SMB MarketPulse or contact Bredin at info@bredin.com.
About Bredin
Bredin is a market research firm specializing in the SMB market. For more than 20 years, Bredin has helped the world’s leading companies understand, reach and acquire small and midsized business customers through research and market intelligence.
