Mobile devices have become the new frontier for B2B commerce.
A Gartner survey found 83% of B2B buyers prefer ordering and paying online, with millennials—who demand a digitally sophisticated purchasing experience—projected to make up 70% of buyers.
With nearly half of business-to-business purchases now happening online, companies must adapt quickly. A notable 85% of B2B organizations now prioritize unifying their commerce on a single, mobile-friendly platform.
This push reflects a broader B2B ecommerce trend: businesses are streamlining tech infrastructure to create seamless omnichannel experiences for the new generation of mobile-first buyers.
This article explores mobile’s growing role in B2B ecommerce, its impact on buying habits, and how to build better customer relationships with buyers on their phones.
What is B2B mobile commerce?
B2B mobile commerce is when companies buy and sell goods or services via smartphones and tablets. This shift to this type of buying reflects the surge in mobile internet usage, with nearly 50% of global web traffic now coming from mobile devices.
B2B purchasing has also gone omnichannel. Decision-makers expect to engage with a brand in many ways, anywhere, at any time, with digital self-service and mobile becoming the main pain points.
Forward-thinking companies are leaning into mobile-first B2B shopping and marketing to meet those expectations.
Key differences between B2C and B2B mobile experiences
On mobile, B2B flows require the same speed and polish as B2C—quick-loading pages, informative product pages with media, and lightning-fast checkout.
The main difference is that B2B experiences have to be layered with specific features, such as role-based access, negotiated pricing, and a workflow for quotes and approvals. When you run both your direct-to-consumer (DTC) and B2B store on the same admin—like you can on Shopify—it’s especially simple to build mobile experiences that convert.
Here’s a quick look at some of the differences between a B2C and B2B mobile experience.
| B2C mobile | B2B mobile | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Individual or household | Buying teams with up to 10 or more people |
| Catalog | Simple attributes, lifestyle content | Deep specs, compatibility, MSDS/technical docs, quote attachments |
| Pricing | Public prices | Contract pricing and volume tiers |
| Checkout | One-step | Quotes, POs, tax IDs, split shipments, delivery windows |
| Payment options | Cards, wallets, BNPL | POs, net terms, ACH, invoicing |
| Account type | Basic profile | Multi-site hierarchy with user management and approval workflows |
| Support | Chat and FAQ | Rep handoff options |
What are the benefits of B2B mobile commerce?
Meet changing buying behaviors
B2B mobile commerce helps businesses adapt to new buying habits. Young professionals who grew up with digital technology now hold key purchasing roles in companies. According to Forrester, 73% of people involved in B2B buying decisions are millennials.
These buyers expect work-related purchases to be as smooth as their personal online shopping. Businesses need to meet these high expectations to keep existing customers. Research shows 87% of business buyers will switch to a different supplier or pay more for a better buying experience.
By offering mobile commerce options, B2B companies can:
- Cater to the preferences of millennial buyers
- Provide a modern, user-friendly purchasing process
- Reduce the risk of losing customers to competitors
- Potentially justify higher prices through an improved buying experience
Tap into first-party data to personalize offerings
B2B mobile commerce lets companies gather and use first-party data to create personalized offerings for their customers. You can learn directly from how your clients use your mobile apps or sites. Then, use this info to tailor products, deals, and experiences to each customer’s needs and preferences.
For example, a company might notice that a particular client often buys office supplies in bulk every month. Using this data, they could send targeted notifications about bulk discounts or set up automatic reorder reminders.
Personalization makes shopping easier and more relevant for the buyer, improving sales and customer loyalty. A McKinsey study found that companies using advanced personalization techniques can increase their revenue by 15% and improve the efficiency of their marketing spend by 10% to 30%.
Improve customer experience
To make the most of this information, Shopify lets you create custom fields in customer profiles. These fields can capture specific data points that matter most to your company. For instance, you might track a client’s preferred delivery schedule, industry-specific needs, or participation in loyalty programs.
Plus, through Shop Pay, you can match credit card information to existing customer profiles, creating a smooth checkout experience. This feature gives businesses instant access to a buyer’s history, allowing for personalized recommendations and targeted offers.
Tapping into first-party data helps you deliver a shopping experience that feels custom-made for each B2B client.
Increases sales with faster website speed
A fast website is necessary to sell anything online. Quick-loading websites result in a more seamless shopping experience that increases sales.
Recent data from Shopify reveals some eye-opening differences. An analysis of nearly 200,000 online stores found that Shopify stores load 1.8 times faster, on average, than their competitors.
Even a small speed boost can make a big difference. Improving your site speed by just half a second can increase your conversion rate. More conversions mean more revenue for your business.
Here are some key numbers to consider:
- Shopify stores load in about 1.2 seconds, on average.
- Other platforms take about 2.17 seconds.
- Shopify’s server speed is up to 3.9 times faster than its competitors.
These aren’t just abstract figures—they lead to real business results. Take Molekule, an air purifier company, for example. When the company switched to a faster platform, they saw:
- A 75% increase in mobile device purchases
- A 10% boost in overall website traffic
