What B2B Product Teams Actually Need in 2026

When we asked B2B product leaders what they need most in 2026, the answers surprised us. It's not more tools, not more AI, and not faster delivery. What teams are actually asking for is fundamentally different.

The top three priorities

1. Deeper customer understanding — 59%

Nearly six out of ten product leaders say their biggest need is deeper insight into customer motivations, context, and real behavior. Not more data — more understanding. Teams want to know why customers make the decisions they do, not just what they click on.

2. Faster validation — 48%

Almost half of all teams want shorter validation cycles, more real-world learning, and clearer evidence to guide decisions. The gap between "we think this will work" and "we know this works" is still too wide for most B2B product teams.

3. More strategic time — 41%

Four in ten product leaders say they need more time to think ahead instead of constantly firefighting. When every week is consumed by urgent requests and operational overhead, long-term product strategy becomes a luxury teams can't afford.

The real message

Product teams aren't asking for more output. They're asking for more clarity, faster validation, and deeper customer understanding. That's a fundamentally different conversation — and one that should reshape how we think about supporting product teams.

These findings come from our comprehensive survey of 67 product leaders. Download the full discovery guide to see all the data and practical recommendations.