BuyerJourney Study 2026

How Engineers Actually Discover, Evaluate, and Select Vendors. And Where They Quietly Walk Away

EETech, in partnership with SparkWire, surveyed 750 engineers to understand what really drives their vendor decisions, from first search to final sign-off. The results challenge some long-held assumptions B2B electronics marketers plan around.

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What's Inside?

5 Things You'll Learn From The Study

1. The New Top Switching Trigger

There's a new leading reason engineers abandon a familiar vendor, and it's not price or performance. Find out what's overtaken both, and why it's now a message vendors need to lead with instead of burying it.

2. The Disqualifier No One Talks About.

Most engineers won't tell you why they didn't choose you. The study uncovers a quiet factor that removes vendors from consideration, one that barely shows up when engineers are asked directly.

3. Where the Deal Actually Slips.

Most engineers have real influence over vendor selection. So why do so many "won" deals still fall through? The data shows exactly where recommendations break down on the way to a signed PO.

4. What an Approved Vendor List Really Means.

An AVL isn't the wall most marketers think it is. The study shows how often engineers can, and will, push a new vendor through approval, and what actually convinces them to try.

5. How Engineers Really Find You.

There's no single channel where engineering decisions begin. The report breaks down where discovery happens across search, publications, distributors, and more, and which one is growing fastest.

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Download the Buyer Journey Study

Get the complete data set covering switching triggers, discovery channels, AVL behavior, and the recommendations vendors are using to close the gap between winning the engineer and winning the order.