U.S. B2B tech spending hit $35.3B in H1 2026, with cloud leading at 15% growth

U.S. B2B technology reseller revenue hit $35.3 billion in the first half of 2026, rising 10% year over year across cloud, software and services, and IT hardware combined. That figure comes from Circana's latest Future of B2B Technology forecast, published August 5, and it positions enterprise technology spending as one of the more durable pockets of business investment in an otherwise uncertain macro environment.

The second half is expected to remain positive but cooler: Circana projects $35.7 billion in H2 2026, a 6% gain, as replacement cycles normalize and organizations grow more deliberate about where they commit capital. The combined full-year total would put 2026 on track for roughly $71 billion in B2B technology reseller revenue.

Cloud leads, hardware delivers the volume

Cloud was the fastest-growing segment in the first half, reaching $1.69 billion and expanding 15% year over year, according to the GlobeNewswire release of Circana's report. Circana expects that rate to hold through the back half of the year, making cloud the only major segment not projected to decelerate.

IT hardware remains the market's revenue anchor. At $17.67 billion for the six months ending June 2026, it represents roughly half of total B2B technology spend and grew 11% from the prior year. Growth is expected to moderate to 8% in H2, but the segment will still be the largest dollar contributor. Storage hardware, computers, and PC memory led performance within the category.

Software and services generated $15.98 billion in H1, up 8% year over year. That pace is forecast to slow to 4% in the second half, with cybersecurity, managed services, and operational efficiency tools cited by Circana as the primary spending drivers sustaining the category.

Price, not volume, is driving hardware gains

The IT hardware story in 2026 is fundamentally an average-selling-price story. Circana notes that unit shipment volumes have actually declined, but higher memory and NAND pricing, tighter supply conditions, and a clear enterprise preference for higher-capacity, higher-performance configurations have pushed revenue upward anyway. Organizations refreshing aging device fleets are not buying down; they are buying up.

For procurement and IT operations leaders, that dynamic has direct budget implications. A PC refresh cycle that looked routine on last year's unit-price assumptions will land higher than planned if component costs and configuration choices have shifted. Circana's data suggests that trend persists into H2 and likely into 2027.

Enterprise and midmarket are carrying the cycle

Mike Crosby, senior technology advisor at Circana, told GlobeNewswire that commercial technology demand remains healthy and that infrastructure modernization and PC refresh initiatives are the primary engines, particularly among enterprise and medium-sized businesses. That framing matters for how operators interpret the growth numbers: this is not broad-based consumer-style adoption but targeted, project-driven spending concentrated in segments with real depreciation schedules and compliance requirements.

Circana's own characterization of technology as one of the most resilient areas of business investment is supported by the H1 figures holding at 10% growth despite what Crosby described as an uncertain economic environment. The moderation to 6% in H2 is a normalization, not a retreat.

2027 outlook: selective, not stalled

Looking past this year, Circana forecasts 5% combined B2B technology revenue growth for 2027. The firm's model assumes organizations will become more selective with spending as economic growth cools, but it does not project pullback in the categories that carry the clearest ROI case: security, productivity tooling, infrastructure, and workforce enablement. That selectivity is itself a signal for vendors and solution providers that differentiated value arguments will matter more as budget scrutiny increases.

For IT and procurement leaders building 2027 budget cases now, the Circana forecast gives external validation for continued hardware and cloud line items while signaling that software and services growth will be the most competitive arena, with buyers focused on measurable outcomes over broad platform expansion.