Invoca’s Broken Funnel Report finds AI agents are becoming a new sales channel, yet 74% of marketers can’t track whether an agent-handled lead turns into a sale

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AI now sits on both ends of the B2C buying journey. Consumers increasingly turn to AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Mode to research and find new products, and seven in ten brands have AI agents live or in pilot to answer questions when those buyers reach out. Yet only 27% of marketers running AI agents measure them on revenue, bookings or conversions, and 74% can’t track whether an agent-handled lead turns into a sale, according to the Broken Funnel Report, released today by Invoca, the data and AI platform for revenue growth.

Ads are becoming conversations. Most marketers aren’t ready.

From Google to ChatGPT, ad platforms are exposing AI agents in their ad products, putting the sales conversation at the forefront of the buyer journey. Marketers can see these AI-driven buyers arrive: 86% say they can identify leads who started their research in an AI answer engine.

But as these buyers move closer to purchase, most marketers lose track of the journey before the purchase happens. Even though AI agents are on the front line of the sale, the survey of 451 US B2C marketing leaders found most brands aren’t measuring them that way yet.

Where the funnel breaks

• Most marketers measure AI agents on engagement, not sales. Just 27% of marketers running AI agents use revenue, bookings or conversion rate as their primary KPI. Most rely on engagement metrics like customer satisfaction, qualified leads or conversation volume instead.
• Three in four can’t tell whether agent leads become sales. 74% of marketers with AI agents cannot fully track an agent-handled lead from first click to conversion. As CFOs increasingly scrutinize AI investments for business impact, these deployments are at risk if marketers can’t demonstrate how AI agents drive improved sales results. 
• Few can tell which ads drive agent sales. Only 26% can tie agent conversations to the campaign or ad that drove them, and 19% can reliably send outcomes back to their ad platforms. That means AI-driven improvements in sales effectiveness may inadvertently hamper marketing efficiency.
• More than half of marketers lose track of leads at the local handoff. 56% can’t track once a lead reaches a dealer, franchise or local branch.
• Marketers drastically overrate their response times. 84% say they respond to web leads within an hour. Only 36% of consumers say they hear back that fast, according to Invoca’s recent 2026 B2C Buyer Experience Report. One in four marketers lose 20% or more of inbound leads to slow or missed responses.

At the same time, marketers want AI agents that understand the context of the full buyer journey. Their top requests are tailoring conversations to the buyer’s digital journey data (43%) and recognizing returning customers and their history (41%). Yet fewer than a third have agents that can use that journey data to tailor the conversation today.

What AI agents need to drive revenue

“Too many consumer brands measure their AI agents like a help desk and expect them to perform like a sales team,” said Gregg Johnson, CEO of Invoca. “When prospective buyers start conversations with a brand, the AI agent is effectively a new sales channel. And you ultimately measure sales channels on revenue, not conversations or activity.”

Invoca’s platform gives AI agents the buyer journey data they need to drive revenue, and shows marketers which agent conversations turn into sales. Invoca agents use digital journey context, such as the ad a buyer clicked and the pages they viewed, to engage prospects, recover missed opportunities and convert more leads. Invoca recently introduced Messaging Agents For Google Ads, which turn a search ad into a brand-owned conversation. Conversations are tied to the campaign or ad that drove them, and outcomes flow back to ad platforms to power AI-driven optimization and improve return on ad spend.

Methodology
Invoca commissioned research firm Gather to survey 451 US B2C marketing leaders at manager level and above, at companies with 100 or more employees in automotive, healthcare, home services, financial services and telecom. The survey was conducted between Sept. 14 and Oct. 5, 2026.

Download the full report at https://www.invoca.com/reports/broken-funnel-report-2026.

More information:

• Learn more about what Invoca’s survey on AI agent performance revealed: https://www.invoca.com/blog/measuring-ai-agent-performance-survey 
• Access Invoca’s 2026 Broken Funnel Report: Home Services Edition at https://www.invoca.com/reports/home-services-broken-funnel-report-2026
• Access Invoca’s 2026 Broken Funnel Report: Healthcare Edition at https://www.invoca.com/reports/healthcare-broken-funnel-report-2026

About Invoca

Invoca is the data and AI platform that unites marketing, digital, and contact center teams to grow revenue in high-stakes purchase categories.

With Invoca, marketers tie digital advertising to revenue outcomes and use that data to power AI-driven optimization and improve return on ad spend. Digital teams deploy AI agents to engage prospects, recover missed opportunities, and convert more leads. Contact centers use digital journey context to help human and AI agents close more sales and deliver better experiences.

Leading organizations, including Mayo Clinic, Mutual of Omaha, and Verizon, rely on Invoca to deliver modern buying journeys that combine the best of digital, AI, and human expertise. Investors include Upfront Ventures, Accel, Silver Lake Waterman, H.I.G. Growth Partners, and Salesforce Ventures. For more information, visit www.invoca.com.

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SOURCE Invoca