The Bottom Line: Znode has 1,200+ REST API endpoints - but no mobile app. Building one from scratch means recreating your B2B workflows, personalized catalogs, approval chains, and ERP integrations in a separate codebase. MobiLoud takes your existing Znode storefront and delivers it as a native iOS and Android app, with all of your B2B complexity intact.
Nobody picks a platform like Znode because they need a basic product catalog and a checkout page.
You're running personalized catalogs for different buyer groups, tiered pricing across accounts, approval workflows with budget controls, quote management, list-based reordering, and real-time ERP sync through Commerce Connector.
Maybe multiple storefronts for different brands or regions, all from one platform.
That's the kind of B2B operation Znode was built for. And it's working.
But your buyers are increasingly placing orders from phones. Warehouse managers checking stock between meetings. Sales reps pulling up the catalog at a client site. Procurement teams reordering supplies during their morning commute.
Your responsive web storefront handles those scenarios, but a native mobile app handles them better.
The problem is that Znode doesn't offer one, and building a custom app for a B2B platform this complex is a serious undertaking.
Can You Build a Mobile App With Znode?
Znode's architecture technically supports it. The platform is API-first with over 1,200 REST API endpoints. A development team could build a mobile app that pulls data from those APIs. But "technically possible" and "practical" are very different things in B2B ecommerce.
Znode Has No Built-In Mobile App
There's no app builder in the Znode admin, no mobile app module, and no plug-and-play solution in the partner ecosystem.
Znode's product focus is on the core platform: Commerce Connector integrations, the PIM, the multi-store architecture, the Visual Page Builder, and the B2B workflow engine. Mobile apps aren't part of the offering.
The API-First Architecture Is a Double-Edged Sword
Znode markets itself as headless and API-first, which is true. Those 1,200+ endpoints cover catalog data, pricing, accounts, orders, and more. In theory, you could build any frontend you want, including a mobile app.
In practice, building a mobile app that faithfully reproduces your Znode storefront is a different category of project than building a simple shopping app. Consider what your storefront actually does:
- Personalized catalogs that show different products and pricing based on who's logged in. Your distributor in Ohio sees different inventory and pricing than your direct customer in Texas. That logic lives in Znode and needs to be replicated in any mobile frontend.
- Approval workflows where a procurement manager submits an order, a supervisor reviews it, and budget limits are enforced automatically. Building that approval chain into a mobile interface requires careful UX design and deep API integration.
- Quote management with merchant-side quoting and customer self-service. That's not a standard feature in any mobile app template.
- List management for project-based or recurring orders. Your B2B buyers rely on saved lists to reorder quickly. Recreating that workflow in a mobile app means more than just displaying products.
- Dynamic pricing with unlimited tiers, volume breaks, contract pricing, and multi-currency support. The app needs to display the right price to the right buyer every time.
Each of these features works on your Znode website today. Each one would need to be individually designed, built, and tested in a custom mobile app. And each one would need to stay in sync as your Znode configuration evolves.
Custom App Development Costs for B2B
For a standard B2C store, a custom native app might run $100K-$200K.
For a Znode-level B2B operation with personalized catalogs, approval workflows, quote management, and ERP integration, you're looking at $300K-$750K or more for the initial build.
Enterprise implementations with multiple storefronts or complex account hierarchies can push past $1M.
Annual maintenance runs $75K-$150K, covering iOS and Android OS updates, App Store compliance, bug fixes, and the ongoing work of keeping the app in sync with changes you make to your Znode storefront.
The most expensive part isn't the upfront build. It's the maintenance burden of running two separate B2B commerce systems indefinitely.
When you add a new account type, update pricing tiers, reconfigure an approval workflow, or connect a new ERP through Commerce Connector, those changes need to happen in the app too. That coordination cost compounds over time.
Your Options for Launching a Mobile App
There are two ways to look at launching your mobile app. If we’re being honest, only one really makes sense.
Custom Native or Cross-Platform Development
Hire a team to build iOS and Android apps (or a cross-platform app in React Native or Flutter) against Znode's REST APIs.
You get full design control, and can tailor the mobile experience to specific B2B workflows.
This makes sense if you have a large enough technology team to justify a parallel mobile codebase, and a clear business case for why the app experience should differ significantly from the web.
For most Znode merchants, the web storefront already delivers the right experience. The channel is the problem, not the interface.
Website-to-App With MobiLoud
Your Znode storefront already handles all the hard B2B logic. Personalized catalogs, pricing rules, approval workflows, quote management, list-based ordering, ERP sync. It all works in a mobile browser today.
MobiLoud takes that complete storefront and delivers it as a native iOS and Android app.
Your buyers get the same experience they're used to on the web, plus push notifications, a home screen icon, and the performance advantages of a native app.
No API integration project, no separate codebase, no feature gaps.
Why MobiLoud Works for B2B Commerce on Znode
The website-to-app approach solves a specific problem for B2B platforms: preserving operational complexity without duplicating it.
Every B2B Workflow Carries Over
Your approval chains, budget controls, quote requests, saved lists, account-specific catalogs, contract pricing. All of it works in the app because the app is running your Znode storefront. There's no subset of features, no "B2B lite" mobile version. Your buyers get the full toolset.
This matters because B2B buying workflows are interconnected. A procurement manager who can browse the catalog in the app but can't submit orders for approval hasn't gained much. With MobiLoud, the entire workflow is available, end to end.
Commerce Connector Integrations Stay Intact
Znode's Commerce Connector handles real-time data exchange with your ERP, CRM, 3PL, and accounting systems. That integration layer is the backbone of your B2B operation. Inventory levels, order status, pricing updates, account data: it all flows through Commerce Connector.
A custom mobile app would either need its own integration with those backend systems (expensive and fragile) or would need to go through Znode's APIs and hope that every data point surfaces correctly.
With MobiLoud, Commerce Connector keeps working exactly as it does today. The app is just a different window into the same system.
Multi-Store, Multi-Brand, One App (or Many)
Znode supports unlimited storefronts, portals, and catalogs from a single installation. Some merchants run separate brands. Others run regional storefronts. Others maintain distinct B2B portals for different customer segments.
MobiLoud can work with any of those configurations. Separate apps for separate storefronts, or a single app that routes users to the right experience. Your multi-store architecture stays as-is.
Push Notifications for B2B Engagement
Push notifications aren't just a B2C retention tool. For B2B buyers, they solve real workflow problems:
- Order status updates. Your buyer placed a $15,000 order. They want to know when it ships, not check their email three times a day.
- Quote responses. A buyer requests a quote, and the notification lands when pricing is ready. No email to dig through.
- Reorder reminders. If your buyers purchase consumables or supplies on a regular cycle, a well-timed push notification brings them back before they run out.
- Price change alerts. Contract pricing updated? Let the right accounts know immediately.
- Back-in-stock notifications. For products with inventory constraints, notify buyers the moment availability returns.
These aren't marketing messages. They're operational communications that make your buyers' jobs easier.
Your Visual Page Builder Content Shows Up Too
Znode's Visual Page Builder lets marketing teams create rich, responsive storefront pages without developer help. Product landing pages, promotional banners, category pages with custom layouts.
All of that content appears in the app automatically, because the app renders your storefront as-is.
With a custom app, those marketing pages either don't exist in the mobile experience or require their own implementation. With MobiLoud, your marketing team publishes once and it's live everywhere.
No .NET Team Needed for the App
Znode merchants typically work with .NET developers and Znode implementation partners.
MobiLoud doesn't add to that stack. There's no mobile codebase to manage, no Flutter or React Native developers to hire, no app deployments to coordinate.
MobiLoud is fully managed: the build, app store submissions, ongoing maintenance, OS updates, and support. Your existing team keeps working on Znode. Changes they make to the storefront show up in the app the moment they go live.
How It Works
- Preview your storefront as an app. Share your Znode store URL and we'll create a working preview you can test on your own phone. See exactly how your B2B storefront performs as a native app before committing.
- Configure and build. MobiLoud sets up your native iOS and Android apps with push notifications, native navigation, deep linking, and your branding. If you run multiple storefronts, we configure the app architecture to match.
- Test with your team and your buyers. You review the app on real devices. We adjust based on your feedback until the experience meets your standards.
- Submit to the App Store and Google Play. MobiLoud handles compliance, metadata, screenshots, and the submission process for both stores.
- Launch and ongoing management. Your apps go live. MobiLoud manages OS updates, store policy changes, and support. Your Znode storefront remains the single source of truth.
Most projects wrap up in four to six weeks.
Next Steps
Your Znode implementation represents a significant investment in B2B commerce infrastructure. Personalized catalogs, complex pricing, ERP integrations, approval workflows. That system powers your business.
A custom mobile app would mean rebuilding that infrastructure in a parallel codebase and maintaining both indefinitely. For a B2B operation at this level of complexity, that's a seven-figure commitment over a few years.
Your storefront already delivers the full B2B experience on any screen. A native app just puts it on your buyers' home screens, with push notifications to keep them coming back.
Book a free strategy call to see your Znode storefront as a native app. No commitment - just see if MobiLoud is the right option for you.
