Are case studies, testimonials and evidence still relevant for businesses and buyers?

AI summaries and LLMs are now typically the main point of call for buyer research, with 54% of buyers now AI tools regularly or occasionally during research (as stated in our B2B Buying Decisions report).

It’s thanks to these platforms that case studies and testimonials are being consumed in different ways by buyers. AI overviews and LLM outputs read and digest your case studies, testimonials and reviews and turn it into an easy to understand overview for the researcher.

So, in short, yes, you still need case studies and other pieces of social proof content in your marketing plan. But, the way that they show up has changed, the direct-consumption model may be eroding (Forrester’s 2026 State of Business Buying) and it would be sensible to adapt with the changing landscape.

In this article, I will go over what these pieces of content are, what’s changed, why buyers still need these materials and what I think about it all.

What are case studies and testimonials?

To start off with, I thought it would be handy to explain what a case study actually is. As summarised by MailChimp case studies are ‘proof points that show potential customers how the product or service solved real problems for real clients. They tell the story of a customer’s journey from challenge to solution, highlighting the specific value your business provides.’

Similarly, testimonials do the same thing but in a shorter, bitesize format. As Adobe puts it ‘[a] testimonial is a brief statement from a satisfied customer that describes their experience with your company.’

Why do customers need them?

So, now we know what they are, why do our customers and buyers need them?

Mainly because of that definition supplied by MailChimp, but it also stems back to the ancestors…

Yes, it really does, stick with me here.

‘In our evolutionary past, our ancestors were under constant threat. Keen awareness of others helped our ancestors survive in a dangerous and uncertain world.’ While it might seem like a bit of a leap, we are all literally programmed to take and appreciate the opinions of our peers – because centuries ago it might’ve saved our lives.

Think about the last time you read the reviews of a restaurant, there could be 20 that say it’s the best place ever and just 2-3 that disagree. Those 2-3 reviews have now sown a seed of doubt in your mind – was the food really that good? Is it really worth the price? Will it be worth it? Equally, you would be a bit unnerved if the business had 0 reviews anywhere – you might even choose somewhere else because of it.

And the business world is no different.

Don’t just take my word for it, the buyers have told us this themselves. When asked ‘what buyers trust most?’ 89% chose recommendations & referrals. (B2B report)

That being said, it is important to flag the decline in case study consumption from buyers. Our report highlighted a 24 point drop in personal consumption of case studies and testimonials. From 60% of respondents choosing this as a source of information in 2025 to only 36% in 2026 (B2B report).

What has changed?

What happened? Quite a few things, but mainly the rise of AI in that initial research stage of the customer journey; with ‘54% of buyers now us[ing] AI tools regularly or occasionally during research’ (B2B report).

• AI is consuming information for buyers – as mentioned previously and within the B2B report, AI is doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to research. So, in many cases, the AI tools could be reading your case studies and sharing that information with buyers, without them realising.
• Trust has moved to third-parties – while AI might be the buyers’ start point, they are not trusting it wholeheartedly. According to Forrester’s 2026 State of Business Buying report, ‘buyers compensate for AI’s incomplete information by seeking validation from peers, product experts, and industry analysts within their buying network’ showcasing that ‘buyers are increasingly seeking validation from sources vendors don’t control.’ (Trust Radius)
• Content fatigue – feedback in the B2B report, states that many consumers gave up on case studies due to generic and weak content.

How to optimise your customer journey and case studies for the new age buyer?

At LikeMind, we do not ‘read the decline in case study consumption as a signal that case studies no longer matter. Instead, it matters where the case study lives and the format you choose.’ (B2B report)

So here are a few things you can do, more suggestions can be found in the B2B report.

Show up in third-party review spaces and forums, think Reddit, TrustPilot etc.

Have a presence and encourage your customers to leave reviews and testimonials for potential customers to find. According to a report by TrustRadius ‘74% of buyers said they consulted user reviews as part of their buying process […] buyers are increasingly seeking validation from sources vendors don’t control.’

Multiply your case study into different formats

A video overview, a scan-able webpage or a deeper dive document. Each of these will meet different customers where they are and give you a range of evergreen content.

Provide a summary

Plain and simple language summaries are perfect for AI systems to scan and summarise for your buyers.

Both provide the buyer with evidence of your claims regarding your products and services and are key pieces of the customer journey.

In short, still create those case studies, still ask for those testimonials, but now you have to put a bit more effort into where they live and what you do with them afterwards.

None of this should take up too much extra time, but if you feel like you could do with some support then book a no-obligation discovery call to see how we might be able to help with the time and resources you have.

As marketeers we know that buyers ‘trust independent voices more than supplier-produced content’ (B2B report). But the way that buyers are accessing case studies, testimonials and general evidence has changed for everyone.

So I think the answer is pretty clear. Yes, we do still in fact need case studies to support our marketing efforts and aid our customer journeys. We now just need to adapt how we promote them, where we put the information and what we do with it all after.

Download our latest report

To understand more how case studies, testimonials and other evidence feature in the buyer’s decision-making process, download our latest B2B Buying Decisions Report 2026 here.

Article posted by Priya Kaur Wileman

Priya is an experienced all-round marketer and content creator. With experience in the B2B software space, Priya understands the realities of marketing and branding when you don't have the cool and "sexy" business and she loves to figure out how these particular businesses can make their content fun, engaging and accessible.