More B2B buyers are using their smartphones and tablets to research products and services they plan to deploy in their business.

A report from Oracle and Endeca found that an increasing amount of B2B buyers are using the mobile web to research products and services they plans to deploy throughout their companies. According to the survey, 24.5 percent of respondents named the mobile web as an influential touchpoint. Mobile browsing fell only behind a vendor’s website and direct sales efforts.

As smartphones and tablets become increasingly capable, both consumers and B2B buyers are using them nearly as often as desktop and laptop computers. With product research more common on these mobile devices, companies using content marketing must ensure that their articles or blog posts are fully accessible for mobile browsers. Similarly, the SEO strategies that drive many custom content efforts should include elements likely to appeal to these users.

Whether or not prospects convert from their mobile devices or simply use them for research, B2B buyers must be sure to factor these prospects into their campaigns. Most channels included in new media marketing campaigns have seen more use from mobile devices. Whether it’s social, email or search, consumers and B2B buyers alike are using their handsets to find information on the items they plan to purchase.

In the B2C sector, tablets are becoming major contributors to mobile commerce activity. Again, whether or not a prospect converts is not as important as the research they’re conducting from their device. Brafton recently reported that when tablet users do make purchases from their handsets, they often spend more than other users with 49 percent of orders processed from tablets for more than a company’s average order price.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.