Voice, AI and apps: what the next-gen B2B buyer experience looks like

Here’s a fun (or maybe scary) thought: in a few years, you might have customers who never visit your website. 

Instead, they’ll simply ask an AI assistant to “reorder the same connectors we got last quarter, with next-day delivery and 30-day payment terms,” and boom. Job done. No keyboard. No mouse. No dodgy checkout forms.

So, the big question is: are you building for the buyer of the future, or are you still creating product content like it’s 2014?

Voice search isn’t just for ordering cat food on your Alexa

Let’s clear something up: voice isn’t a gimmick. It’s the ultimate in convenience for consumers and business buyers alike.

In B2B, where repeat orders and complex product specs are the norm, voice search could be a game-changer, but only if your product content and data is ready for it.

Picture this: a buyer says to their mobile device “Find 2-inch stainless steel bolts, anti-corrosive, same ones as PO #3847, and check if they qualify for 60-day payment terms before placing the order.”

In order for the AI agent to recommend your product, your system needs:

• Clean, structured product data
• Memory of past purchases
• Live credit eligibility data
• Real-time pricing and stock information

Spoiler alert: most B2B platforms aren’t even halfway there. And yet, this is exactly where buyers are heading.

AI isn’t coming (it’s already here)

If you think AI-enabled search is “a thing for next year,” let us gently break it to you: you’re already missing the party. But you can still make it in time for a fashionably late entrance if you get your sh*t together now.

Search engines are being replaced by AI. Keywords are being ditched in favour of contextual statements of intent. And platforms like ChatGPT are becoming the entry point for product discovery.

So, when a buyer asks:

“What’s the best fire-retardant insulation board for an industrial cold room, with delivery under 48 hours and purchase on invoice?”

…will your product show up?

Not if your product data reads like it was written for humans in a hurry:

“High quality insulation board. Best in class. 5 stars.”

Yeah, that’s not so helpful for our robotic friends.

AI needs structured, contextual and intent-ready data — compatibility info, certifications, delivery windows, and yes… payment options. If your data and content doesn’t tell the full story, your product won’t make the shortlist.

Nobody wants to use a desktop at 6AM in a warehouse or kitchen (there’s an app for that)

Let’s be realistic. Many of your customers are not sipping lattes in an air-conditioned office browsing your product catalogue on a 27" screen.

They’re on job sites, in warehouses, in transit, in industrial kitchens, juggling parts lists and procurement pressures. They don’t care about a “website experience.” They need a tool that gets the job done. Which is why B2B apps like REKKI, Toolstation and Joor are exploding in popularity right now.

The best ones offer:

• One-tap reordering
• Push notifications for delivery updates
• Quote approvals on the go
• Saved carts, personalised pricing, live inventory
• Integrated payment and trade accounts options
  
  

Yes, even trade credit. Picture this – your customer gets a push notification:

“Your order is ready. Approve with 60 days payment terms?”

Tap. Approved. Items on the way. Job done.

You just removed 3 emails, a credit check phone call, and a whole load of work for your customer.

Humans and robots working hand in hand

Just because things are getting smarter doesn’t mean they’re getting less human.

In B2B, relationships still matter. But now, your buyer expects you to remember their preferences, anticipate their needs and respect their time. 

AI and automation don’t replace relationships. They save time so your people can focus on value-add conversations, not chasing invoices or hunting down shipping quotes.

TL;DR: build for entry points, not endpoints

In the next phase of the B2B e-commerce revolution, your website will no longer be the destination but just one of many touchpoints. Buyers will discover your brand and products via voice, AI assistants, mobile apps and embedded procurement tools.

Your job is to:

• Make sure your product data is structured and ready for machines
• Support flexible, embedded payment options like real-time trade credit
• Build genuinely helpful digital tools, not just glorified brochures

The future’s not coming. It’s already here. The only question is whether your stack and your strategy are able to keep up.

Want to future-proof your buyer experience?

We help B2B merchants embed smarter trade credit into every channel – web, app, in-store or wherever your buyers prefer to shop. Let’s talk about making payments as modern as the rest of your tech stack.