Marketing Differences: B2b Vs. B2c

Marketing Differences: B2B vs. B2C

Marketing is an important part of any business whether the business is the traditional ‘brick and mortar’ or web based. The term marketing usually summons images of consumer goods and advertising of products. (Oliva) In marketing to an individual customer or to another business, one of the most important things for a business to do is establish good relationships. An internet business owner needs to be able to determine how to best reach the customers and supply what the customers with what they want just like a traditional ‘brick and mortar’ operation does.

The terms B2B and B2C were created to differentiate Internet commerce businesses that sell primarily to consumers those businesses that sell primarily to other businesses. The terms definitions have expanded to refer to any business who sells primarily to the customer (B2C) or to other businesses (B2B), both online and offline. Even though the marketing programs are the same for each type of business, the outcome of the marketing activities are different. (Murphy, D.)

B2B and B2C differ greatly from one another in many ways however the first step in developing a marketing plan for B2B is similar to the first step in a B2C plan: identify who the customer is and why they need to hear the message of the business. After that, the marketing plans differ.

Business to Consumer

Business to Consumer or B2C refers to buying and selling products or services online from the retailer to the consumer. The major characteristics of B2C are that businesses try to establish a direct relationship with consumers without involving distributors, dealers, or wholesalers. In B2C marketing the target customer is usually the public, the relationship will be generally non-existent and dealings will be completed online with out the use of a sales representative. A B2C site is usually set up like a store where the consumer can search through different products and purchase a product when convenient for the consumer. The price is usually a fixed price and not negotiable. Some B2C sites are often packed with a great deal of information and use many colors, flashing words, and sometimes even sound to attract a consumer. Some business-to-consumer marketing features include:

• Transactions through the dealer to the end consumer

• Value determined by end-consumer perception

• Focus on brand management

• Large number of generally similar consumers

• Small transactions

(Oliva, R.)

Business to Business

Business to Business or B2B refers to buying or selling products or services from one business to another business. As technology continues to improve, businesses are finding that the internet is becoming the method in which to conduct business. B2B relationships can take on many forms such as buyer to seller or supplier to seller to buyer. Competition is high in the B2B market. This high competition allows for more negotiation on prices. The goal of B2B marketing is to convert prospects into customers however the process to do so can be long and very involved. B2B companies need to focus on communication and building relationships by using marketing activities that generate leads that can be nurtured during the sales cycle. (Murphy, D) Some business-to-business marketing features include:

• Transactions among and within value chains

• Value primarily determined by business economic use

• Small numbers of customers,