Retailers are heading into 2026 with familiar pressures. Industry reports show shoppers are becoming more selective and prioritizing purchases that feel worth the money. These shifts in what, where and how people buy are being shaped by social influence and the digital platforms guiding discovery and decision-making. Inflation, agentic adoption, evolving tariffs and tight margins also remain part of day-to-day planning.

Most leaders respond with a mix of tools. They sharpen promotions, lean harder on forecasting and keep investing in eCommerce channels. All that matters, but there is another growth lever sitting outside the typical merchandising and marketing conversation: Business buyers.

Retailers already have them in their checkout, but there’s an opportunity to move from passively serving those buyers when they show up, to intentionally targeting them. Especially since in the U.S., B2B eCommerce site sales are on track to top $3 trillion by 2028, according to eMarketer.

B2B retail growth depends on removing payment friction, not adding complexity to already strained financial workflows.

The next growth segment is already in your checkout

Once you look at these buyers as a defined segment, the value becomes clear. Research shows 95% of business buyers use corporate credit cards at least once a month. For larger or recurring purchases, more than half say they prefer to pay by invoice, or buy on terms, rather than pay at the point of sale. For retailers, these are buyers who place larger orders at a steady cadence, offering more stable and reliable revenue over time.

Many retailers already serve small businesses, schools and local organizations through existing eCommerce channels and in store. The shift is to recognize them in your checkout, invite them into a business program and make sure the payments experience fits in with how they manage cash flow.

For most of these buyers, the shopping journey is similar to how they shop in their non-business lives. It often starts with the same search, navigation and product pages built for everyday shoppers. The difference shows up at payment and after the sale. They care about payment choice, invoicing and the clear visibility into spend so they can reconcile charges quickly.

Payment choice builds loyalty for B2B buyers

For years, B2B commerce lagged the consumer world when it comes to checkout, but that gap is closing. Business buyers expect the same simple, flexible experience they get in their personal lives, but it but it accounts for the added complexity of business purchases.

In this environment, payments choice is not a nice-to-have. It should sit at the center of the experience. B2B transactions often involve larger orders, approval workflows and procurement rules, so a single default payment method will not work for every account.

Research shows 72% of business buyers are more loyal to companies that provide their preferred payment options and 51% would switch merchants for flexible terms. Another 86% say having their preferred payment option is important and many will walk away if it is not available.

These buyers still use corporate cards because they are simple and familiar. But when the order is larger or recurring, many prefer to buy with net terms so offering both options is imperative. Pay by Invoice lets approved buyers place an order today and receive a detailed invoice later that supports recordkeeping, procurement and cash flow. According to a recent report by Flagship Advisory Partners, SMBs gain working capital flexibility by using net terms as a financing tool, while large enterprises consolidate many purchases into a single monthly payment, simplifying approvals and reconciliation.

Retailers that tailor payment options by buyer segment make it easier for those customers to keep coming back.

What does it take to capture business buyers?

The same Flagship analysis, which looked at the NRF Top-30 U.S. retailers and Top-20 E.U./ U.K. retailers, uncovered corporate buyer programs are becoming increasingly prevalent. Some retailers have developed sophisticated, tailored solutions for business customers, while others continue to manage corporate buyers like consumers, overlooking the revenue opportunities.

What separates the leaders is how they operationalize the program. They lean on automation behind the scenes to make B2B purchasing consistent and scalable, rather than a series of one-off exceptions. An intentional B2B program means validating buyers, assessing credit risk, issuing accurate invoices and seamlessly managing collections.

When those steps are handled manually, they are often slow and error-prone. Business buyers feel that right away. They run into long onboarding processes, invoices that do not match negotiated pricing and confusing dispute paths. The result is abandoned applications, delayed orders and, in some cases, lost relationships.

Retailers need an intentional approach to attract and retain business buyers. Instead of building a full credit and collections operation from scratch, they can standardize and automate key steps in the order-to-cash process so approvals are faster, Pay by Invoice works the same online and in-store, and invoicing and reconciliation become routine. The technology or partner model will vary, but the goal is the same: give B2B buyers the same smooth experience as any other customer, with added control over credit, invoicing and reconciliation.

2026 is the right time for a strategic B2B focus

In 2026, treating B2B as a core part of the retail strategy is a practical way to build revenue. It starts with recognizing business buyers in the checkout, offering them the payment choice they expect and making sure the mechanics behind the scenes are as well designed as the front end of your eCommerce site.