New Pax8 research shows that small businesses are adopting AI faster than they are building strategies to manage it.

Pax8 Pulse AI SMB 2026 shows that small businesses are adopting AI faster than they are building strategies to manage it.

Pax8 , the leading cloud commerce marketplace, today announced the results of its first Pax8 Pulse, a quarterly survey tracking technology adoption trends among U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to the survey, a significant gap emerges: operational leaders see the urgency of AI much more clearly than the business leaders who set the strategic direction. At the same time, SMBs are struggling to embrace AI at a pace that is outpacing their ability to manage it.

”Small businesses are at a critical turning point,” says Nick Heddy, President and Chief Commerce Officer at Pax8. ”AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, but many SMBs are implementing tools without the governance frameworks, integration strategies, or internal alignments needed to maximize value and minimize risk. The companies that will succeed are not necessarily the ones that adopt it the fastest – they are the ones that build strategy alongside capability.”

A leadership gap is widening

One of the most significant findings shows a 14 percentage point difference between how operational leaders and business owners view the urgency of AI. Functional leaders – operational managers, department heads and others responsible for day-to-day implementation – are much more likely to feel the urgency of AI than the owners who set the strategic direction:

• However, 70% of functional leaders believe that AI will be critical to competitiveness within three years;
• Only 56% of the owners and founders share this view.
• 73% of functional leaders say their business needs to take action with AI within the next six months
• 69% of operational managers report that AI investments are already delivering measurable results

This gap creates real operational risks: fragmented tool implementations, integration failures, and a growing gap between what the business can do and what management understands.

Small and medium-sized businesses see AI as a competitive necessity

The research shows a strong belief that AI will be crucial for competitiveness:

• 62% of SME executives say that without AI, their business will not remain competitive within three years.
• 74 % believes that AI gives SMEs the opportunity to compete with larger companies
• 67 % expect their use of AI to increase in the next 12 months.

Yet speed and security are increasingly at odds. 22% of SMBs cite security or privacy concerns as their single biggest barrier to AI implementation—a point of friction that is driving many to external partners who can help them operate securely.

Small and medium-sized businesses spend money with conviction

Nearly half (48.5% of SMBs) increased their technology spending over the past year, while another 48.5% maintained current investment levels. This is in an economic environment where discretionary spending is under pressure across the board – only 2.5% of SMBs reduced spending. Additionally, 73% of SMB leaders express confidence in their company’s ability to grow over the next 12 months.

Demand for trusted providers of managed information management

The survey shows significant demand for external guidance as SMEs navigate AI implementation:

• 84 % say they would rely on an external technology advisor to help their company implement AI
• 70 % agrees that small businesses need external technology partners to fully benefit from AI
• 94 % are confident that they can find reliable external support to implement new technology

”The opportunity for MSPs to evolve into Managed Intelligence Providers has never been clearer,” added Heddy. ”SMBs aren’t just looking for products – they’re looking for partners who can help them build AI strategies, design and orchestrate intelligent systems, and deploy them with confidence. The MSPs that recognize this shift and position themselves as strategic advisors rather than IT support will be the ones that thrive. Trust is the product, and the channel is uniquely positioned to deliver it.”

Methodology

Pax8 Pulse is a quarterly survey that tracks technology usage, investment, and sentiment among U.S. small business owners. The March 2026 survey was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Pax8 and was sent to 400 U.S. small business owners involved in technology decisions at companies with 5–499 employees across a range of industries and geographic regions. The margin of error at 95% confidence is ±4.9 percentage points for the total sample.

To learn more about Pax8, visit pax8.com .

About Pax8

Pax8 is the cloud commerce marketplace of the future, connecting partners, suppliers, and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support. With a global partner ecosystem of over 47,000 managed service providers, Pax8 empowers SMBs worldwide by providing software and services that unlock their growth potential and improve their security. Pax8 is committed to innovating cloud commerce at scale, driving customer acquisition and solution consumption across its ecosystem.