The Virtual Economy: Identifying Supplier Industries Receptive to Virtual Cards

Although buyers increasingly favor virtual cards for their control, automation, and working capital benefits, many suppliers question whether acceptance delivers enough value to justify the cost. Yet high-potential opportunities for virtual cards exist in industries facing extended receivables cycles, elevated bad debt risk, and complex, fragmented buyer networks. 

Using a composite scoring model built from Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Census, and Bureau of Economic Analysis data, this study evaluates more than 160 industries across four criteria: working capital strain, bad-debt exposure, customer base complexity, and current card acceptance infrastructure. Readers will learn which supplier industries are structurally aligned with virtual card benefits, such as faster payments, credit risk reduction, and receivables automation, and where providers should prioritize their outreach. The report offers a clear road map to accelerating adoption and targeting strategic growth.

Key questions discussed in this Commercial & Enterprise report: 

• Which U.S. supplier industries are most receptive to accepting virtual cards for business-to-business payments?
• Where does buyer demand for virtual card payments align with supplier receptiveness?
• How can providers use industry data to prioritize supplier outreach efforts? 

Companies Mentioned: 

Armellini Logistics, AT&T, Aviat, Bank of America, Bookazine, Bunzl USA, CHS Inc., Ciena, Citibank, Comcast, Comtech, Continental Floral, Core-Mark, Dana Inc., Denver Wholesale Florists, Diamond Vogel, Eby-Brown, Ford, Genuine Parts Company, Growmark, H.T. Hackney, Ingram Content Group, ITG Brands, Janovic, J.P. Morgan, JTI USA, Kennicott Brothers, LKQ, Mastercard, McLane Company, National Coatings & Supplies, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Painters Supply & Equipment, Readerlink, Reynolds Consumer Products, TNG (The News Group), The Andersons Inc., Univar Solutions, U.S. Bank, Veritiv, Verizon, WEX, Wilbur-Ellis