TFC: Bridging the Belief Gap: How Live Experiences Drive Trust and Action in an AI-Driven World

The Freeman Company — 2026 — Customer Experience

The Freeman Company’s 2026 Belief Gap report shows that although AI now dominates discovery—used by 94% of B2B buyers and roughly 75% of consumers—it does not inherently create trust or purchase conviction. The research finds live, in-person experiences build the three pillars of belief—Connection, Credibility, and Conviction—driving measurable outcomes: 93% of B2B buyers report increased trust after firsthand experiences and 94% of B2B buyers who attended a live experience report greater conviction. The report advises senior marketing and CX leaders to reallocate resources toward interactive events, systematically capture authentic event content for AI inputs, and implement ROI and governance frameworks to attribute conviction-driven retention, expansion, and referrals.

Key Statistics

• 94% of B2B buyers use AI as their primary vendor research source
• Approximately 75% of consumers use AI for product discovery
• 87% of B2B buyers say AI-generated content makes it harder to trust vendor claims
• 93% of B2B buyers report greater trust in a brand after a firsthand, in-person experience
• 94% of B2B buyers who attended a live experience came away with more conviction (only 1% reported less conviction)

Key Takeaways

• Reallocate marketing budgets to prioritize high-impact, in-person events (user summits, executive roundtables, interactive launches) that facilitate direct attendee-brand engagement
• Design events for interaction—structure Q&A, one-on-one meetings, hands-on workshops and ensure CX teams are present to surface and resolve trust issues in real time
• Capture and operationalize authentic event-generated content (video, transcripts, unscripted testimonials) and integrate it as authoritative input into AI/search strategies
• Establish cross-functional operating models and ROI frameworks (marketing, CX, product, legal) plus feedback loops and performance thresholds to measure conviction-driven outcomes like retention, upsell, and referrals

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Cite as: The Freeman Company. (2026). TFC: Bridging the Belief Gap: How Live Experiences Drive Trust and Action in an AI-Driven World. Retrieved from https://research.agilebrandguide.com/reports/the-freeman-company/tfc-bridging-the-belief-gap-how-live-experiences-drive-trust-and-action-in-an-ai-driven-world