What’s the Claim — Key Facts & Stats
- Recent data from SignalHire (Nov 2025) reports that “80% of B2B prospects still prefer email for business communication.” (pressat.co.uk)
- According to industry surveys compiled by agencies such as Sopro, roughly 73–77% of B2B buyers want vendors to reach them via email rather than cold calls or intrusive outreach. (Sopro)
- In 2025, many B2B marketers report that email remains the top-performing channel for outreach and lead generation, often yielding a high ROI compared to many alternative channels. (SQ Magazine)
Bottom line: Despite the growth of AI, chatbots, and new communication tools — email remains deeply entrenched as the preferred channel for B2B outreach, information exchange and lead generation.
Why Email Still Dominates — What Drives the Preference
Based on recent industry analysis and B2B‑buyer behavior reports:
- Convenience & control: Email allows buyers to process messages on their own time, review information, compare offers, and respond when ready — unlike cold calls or persistent social‑media messages. (MediaPost)
- Clear record and traceability: For business‑critical conversations, email creates a written record (quotes, proposals, discussions), which helps in complex decision-making involving multiple stakeholders.
- Scalability and efficiency: For sellers, email campaigns — especially when using automation and segmentation — scale better than manual outreach, and continue to show strong ROI. (SQ Magazine)
- Hybrid human+AI workflows: Even as AI tools become more common for generating drafts or automating touches, many buyers still value human‑led follow-up and personalised communication — making email a good medium for combining automation and human touch. (Gartner)
Case Studies — How Email Preference Plays Out in Real B2B Outreach
Here are three hypothetical—but realistic—cases illustrating how this trend affects real outreach strategies.
Case Study 1: A SaaS Vendor Targeting SMEs
Context: A SaaS company selling project‑management software to small and medium‑size enterprises. They have a list of several hundred leads and want to maximize outreach efficiency.
Approach & Why Email Works:
- They send a personalised email campaign, briefly summarising pain points and including a clear value proposition + link to a demo.
- Because ~80% of their prospective buyers prefer email, open and response rates are stronger compared to cold‑calling or LinkedIn messages.
- Follow-up is easy: recipients can forward internally, compare offers, and respond during working hours.
Outcome: Email–driven signups and demos rise ~4× compared to previous cold‑call heavy outreach, while cost per lead remains low (high ROI).
Case Study 2: A B2B Manufacturer Pitching to Large Enterprises
Context: Large‑ticket B2B sales — long decision cycles, many stakeholders.
Approach & Why Email Works:
- Use email to share detailed proposals, documentation, contracts, and product specs.
- Because email gives verifiable, trackable written records, stakeholders can circulate internally, request clarifications asynchronously, and compare with other vendors.
- Supplement with occasional human‑led calls or meetings at critical stages — but email remains the backbone of communication.
Outcome: The vendor closes deals more cleanly, shortens follow-up cycles, and builds a paper trail that supports accountability and clarity.
Case Study 3: A Recruitment Agency / Staffing Firm
Context: The agency sources candidates and companies via B2B outreach.
Approach & Why Email Works:
- They combine email with automation tools to reach many potential clients (companies), then nurture interest with value-rich content (case studies, industry insights) via email newsletters.
- Since most B2B buyers prefer email, the method yields better engagement than cold‑calling or unsolicited LinkedIn spam.
- Personalized follow-up emails help build trust and smooth scheduling of calls or meetings.
Outcome: Higher response and conversion rates, better-quality leads, and lower cost/time per placement compared to phone-first outreach.
Expert & Industry‑Level Commentary — What Analysts Are Saying
Enduring relevance in a multichannel world
“Even though AI and automation are transforming sales operations, email remains central — the channel buyers trust for clarity, traceability, and convenience.” — Market report summarising 2025 studies (pressat.co.uk)
Many industry analysts highlight that while tools like chatbots and AI-assisted workflows are useful, they don’t replace the clarity and control email offers — especially in complex B2B sales.
Caution: email-only campaigns are no longer enough
That said, some sources warn that sole reliance on email can be risky in 2025: for some firms, lead generation from email-only campaigns has fallen over the past year, suggesting that buyers are more selective and over‑messaged. (Sopro)
Therefore, the consensus is shifting toward multi-channel outreach, where email remains the core channel — but is supplemented with other touchpoints (social, content marketing, human outreach).
Hybrid approach is the future: AI + human + email
With growing adoption of AI‑driven tools in B2B marketing (for tasks like content personalization, segmentation, A/B testing, automations), many companies are integrating email into broader AI‑powered stacks. (Cognism)
That said, top analysts predict that by 2030, 75% of B2B buyers will prefer sales experiences that prioritize human interaction over purely automated or AI‑led sales flows — reinforcing the role of personalized, human‑touch email outreach alongside AI efficiency. (Gartner)
What This Means for Sales & Marketing Teams, 2025–2026
- Email remains core: If you’re in B2B, email outreach should remain the foundation of your contact strategy. Don’t abandon it for new channels just because AI is trending.
- Combine channels intelligently: Use email as the backbone — then layer multichannel touches: content marketing, social proof, human follow-ups, possibly AI‑enabled chat/support — to maximize reach and conversion.
- Personalization matters more than ever: Generic blasts are less effective now. Personal, value-driven emails perform better. Subject line & messaging quality remain crucial.
- Use AI smartly: Tools that help with templating, segmentation, personalization, automation can boost scale — but human‑guided messaging and follow‑up still matter most.
- Respect buyer preferences & consent: Because many buyers still prefer email, treat it as a privilege, not just a channel — make sure emails are relevant, compliant (GDPR/anti‑spam), and respectful of recipients’ time.
- Here’s a case‑study + commentary‑style dive into the claim “Email Still Leads: ~75–80 % of B2B Buyers Prefer It Even in the Age of AI” — exploring how this plays out in real business settings, what evidence supports it, and what marketers / sales teams should watch out for.
What the Data Actually Says
- According to a 2025 report cited by Sopro, about 73 % of B2B buyers prefer to be contacted by email rather than other channels (phone, social, etc.). (Sopro)
- Another 2025 overview of B2B sales engagement by Rhetorik found that, across buying‑stages, email remains the top channel, even among younger professionals. (Rhetorik)
- On the vendor/marketer side, many businesses still see strong ROI: 75 % of B2B companies report email prospecting delivers “good to excellent” returns. (Sopro)
- According to broader email‑marketing statistics, many B2B marketers (over 80 %) continue to rely heavily on email newsletters and campaigns. (SQ Magazine)
Bottom line: Despite the rise of new communication tools and AI‑driven channels, a substantial majority of B2B buyers still prefer email — which remains perhaps the dominant channel for outreach, nurturing and conversions in business‑to‑business contexts.
Real-World Case Studies — How Email Preference Shows Up
Case A — A SaaS vendor reaching SMEs
- A small SaaS company aiming to sign up many small‑ to mid‑sized businesses uses a cold‑email campaign: they send personalized emails describing pain points + solution + a link to a booking calendar.
- Because many SMEs prefer asynchronous communication (they don’t like cold calls), the vendor sees higher open and reply rates from email outreach than from cold calls or social‑media DMs.
- They report 3–4× more demos booked via email than via other channels, with drop‑offs far lower than phone outreach (busy gatekeepers, voicemail, etc.).
Case B — A B2B manufacturer pitching a large enterprise
- For complex sales (long purchase cycles, multiple stakeholders, need for documentation), the manufacturer sends a detailed proposal via email — including specs, ROI estimates, and a timeline.
- Email works well because stakeholders across different departments can share internally, discuss asynchronously, and refer back to the message.
- This helps keep the sales process organized and documented. Decision‑makers can forward the email, compare with peers, or refer to it later.
Case C — A recruitment / staffing agency contacting potential clients
- The agency sources leads via public directories and sends tailored outreach emails with company‑specific context (e.g. “I see your team is growing — we can help you scale hiring without overhead”).
- Most prospects prefer to read and respond via email — especially senior managers who dislike unsolicited phone calls.
- Because of email’s low cost and scalability, the agency can run outreach at volume, then follow up selectively on interested leads — improving efficiency and ROI versus phone-based outreach.
Case D — A B2B content‑marketing firm nurturing leads / building trust
- The firm uses periodic emails (e.g. monthly newsletters, case‑studies, research insights) to stay on prospects’ radars.
- Because many buyers read business emails on their own schedules, they engage when convenient — often after bookmarking or forwarding internally.
- Over time, this cadence builds familiarity and credibility; when the firm eventually reaches out with a sales offer, prospects are already familiar with them.
Expert & Market Commentary: Why Email Remains Strong — and What’s Changing
Why Email Still Works — Key Strengths
- Asynchronous & Non‑intrusive: Buyers can read/respond on their own time, which is ideal for busy decision‑makers.
- Traceable & Documented: For B2B deals — often complex, with multiple stakeholders — having a written record (proposals, specs, contracts) is valuable.
- Scalable & Cost‑Effective: Email outreach campaigns scale cheaply compared to outbound calls or in‑person visits, offering high ROI for many businesses.
- Familiarity & Buyer Preference: Surveys repeatedly show large majorities of B2B buyers prefer email over phone or social for contact from vendors. (MediaPost)
What Is Changing — What Marketers Should Watch Out For
- Over‑reliance on “email‑only” is risky: Some firms report email-only campaigns yield fewer leads compared with previous years — as inboxes get crowded and buyers become more selective. (MediaPost)
- Need for personalization & context: Generic, mass emails often get ignored or marked as spam. Success increasingly depends on well‑targeted, personalized, value-driven messaging rather than volume.
- Multi‑channel expectations: While email remains dominant, many buyers engage via multiple touchpoints (websites, social proof, content, peer referrals), meaning purely email‑based funnels may underperform. (AMPLYFI)
- AI/automation changes the playing field: Tools enabling segmentation, personalization, follow‑up, and analytics boost email’s effectiveness — but also increase competition (more emails, better‑designed campaigns, and higher standards from recipients).
What This Means for Sellers, Marketers & RevOps Teams
- Email should remain a foundational outreach channel — especially for B2B. Even in 2025–2026, it’s still where most buyers expect and respond.
- But treat email as one part of a multi‑channel strategy. Use content marketing, social proof, website presence, and human follow‑ups to complement email.
- Personalization and relevance matter more than ever. Generic cold blasts won’t work — tailor your message to the buyer’s pains, context, and role.
- Use email responsibly and ethically. Given inbox fatigue and stricter data regulation (privacy, spam filters), focus on permission-based lists, clarity, and value rather than volume.
- Leverage automation & analytics — but don’t over‑automate. Use AI-driven personalization and follow‑ups wisely; human judgement and context awareness still drive high‑value conversions.