The podcast kicks off with Brian Beck and Andy Hoar exploring why B2B companies are lagging in mobile commerce. Despite the overwhelming prevalence of mobile in consumer eCommerce, B2B appears stuck. Brian points to a recent survey of B2B executives showing some startling numbers: 34% of B2B companies see less than 5% of their eCommerce sales coming from mobile, only 20% of companies generate more than 21% of their eCommerce sales via mobile, and 18% aren’t even tracking mobile sales at all. Even worse, mobile consistently ranks as one of the lowest investment priorities among B2B companies.
Andy agrees, noting that this seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Companies assume B2B buyers don’t buy on mobile, so they don’t invest in mobile—and then, unsurprisingly, they don’t see mobile sales. He acknowledges that in some industries, mobile purchasing genuinely isn’t a priority, but in many cases, companies are simply clinging to outdated assumptions. The belief that B2B buyers don’t buy on mobile just doesn’t hold up in 2025.
Brian reflects on the consumer side, where mobile has dominated for over a decade. Even ten years ago, he recalls seeing massive mobile sales when leading eCommerce efforts for retail companies. Today, around 60% of eCommerce revenue for large retailers comes from mobile devices. The reality is that those same people—the mobile-savvy consumers—are now B2B buyers.
Brian brings up the HVAC industry as a perfect example. Field technicians aren’t sitting at a desk; they’re in front of HVAC units and electrical panels, using mobile phones to research and order parts. This mobile-first behavior is increasing, especially as younger, digitally native workers enter the field.
Andy adds a personal angle: his brother-in-law, an HVAC technician, has been using his mobile phone on the job for over a decade. Mobile isn’t just for research—it’s the tool for ordering parts, snapping photos, sending videos, adding items to carts, and picking up orders at will-call windows. Companies like Grainger have already adapted, offering AI-powered visual search tools that let users snap a picture of a part and quickly reorder it.
The generational shift is undeniable. Research shows that 75% of Gen Z uses mobile phones as their primary device for online ordering. Gen Z is projected to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030 and will become the largest segment by 2035. These are buyers who have grown up with mobile in their hands.
Andy points out that B2B decision-makers often remain stuck in older mindsets. Many still view mobile as a call-first device, failing to appreciate how younger generations—who are already in the workforce—use it as a transactional tool. In some industries, mobile may not yet dominate, but in many, it is already essential for research and increasingly for purchasing.
Brian emphasizes that this misunderstanding exists even among digital leaders. Many in the B2B community—people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s—are underestimating the importance of mobile, perhaps because the youngest buyers haven’t fully entered leadership roles yet.
Andy notes that B2B eCommerce teams are often small, underfunded, and overburdened, with priority lists topped by urgent issues like fixing product data. Mobile often slips to the bottom, but with mobile-native generations taking over soon, that’s a dangerous bet.
Brian and Andy agree that mobile capabilities already exist in most B2B eCommerce platforms—it’s not a technology gap but a prioritization problem. Andy references a comment from Shay English, CEO of Acro Commerce, who says manufacturers often deprioritize mobile because they perceive it as too complex or not worth the ROI, even though that’s a huge missed opportunity.
Brian acknowledges that in some industries, mobile may genuinely not be the primary channel, especially where purchasing is done by procurement agents sitting at desks. But B2B companies need to truly understand their customer base. In industries where field technicians are buying in real-time, mobile is critical. Companies should be questioning their assumptions.
When Master B2B asked their LinkedIn community why B2B lags in mobile commerce, the top response was the belief that “B2B buyers don’t buy on mobile.” The second most common answer was that mobile sites are poor. Andy suggests that with AI-enabled mobile experiences, ordering could soon be as easy as asking a question, getting a result, and hitting “yes”—making mobile an incredibly efficient channel.
