B2B growth and sales · Abstract-supported mixed-method empirical study
Co-creation in B2B AI sales: buyers’ perspectives from a mixed-method study
Daniel Fehrenbach, Carlos Herrando (2026). Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
Plain-English take
Buyer engagement depends on supplier-selection criteria, buyer role/readiness and project-specific factors; positive prior attitudes, perceived value and willingness predict co-creation intention. For a founder, use this as a question to test in your own context, not a universal playbook.
How much weight to give this
2.5/5 Exploratory evidence; interpret cautiously
The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.
Synthesis or analytical design addresses the question, but conclusions depend on included literature or model assumptions.
The accessible source does not report a usable sample size.
The comparison structure is limited or depends on the paper's model/context.
Only publisher abstract/metadata was retrieved; full methods and robustness could not be checked.
Double-blind? Blinding was not established from the captured source; it may not apply to this study design.
Research question
What the authors investigated
How can co-creation be integrated into the B2B AI sales funnel, and what makes industrial buyers willing to co-create?
Design
Sequential mixed methods: case study of a manufacturing startup’s real-world sales process; in-depth buyer interviews with thematic analysis; then a second-stage quantitative test of the framework.
Sample and setting
Industrial buyers involved with a manufacturing startup; the accessible abstract does not give the quantitative-stage n.
Reported result
What the study found
Buyer engagement depends on supplier-selection criteria, buyer role/readiness and project-specific factors; positive prior attitudes, perceived value and willingness predict co-creation intention.
This is a paraphrase of the source. Check the original paper for definitions, estimates, statistical uncertainty and analysis details.
Scope and transfer
Limitations to keep in view
The accessible publisher record does not state sample sizes or detailed limitations for the quantitative stage; editorial review required before library inclusion.
Possible founder application
Treat this as evidence for the specific b2b growth and sales question studied. Compare the setting and sample to your company before changing a growth decision; use a local experiment where the paper does not match your context.
Evidence access
Publisher abstract/metadata retrieved; full text not reviewed
Publisher DOI record and accessible article/abstract directly support the bibliographic record and the summary fields; editorial review remains appropriate for duplicate checking against the unseen 300-study library. Correction notices were not separately verified in this collection; consult the current publisher record before applying the findings.
If only an abstract or metadata was available, the profile is limited to claims supported there. A paper's paywall does not change its evidentiary status, but it limits what we can substantiate from accessible text.