Case Studymarketing Verses B2c Marketing

: B2B Marketing Verses B2C Marketing

Craig Rintoul

University of Phoenix

EBUS/400

Group ID: PD05BSM01

Stephen Young B.S., M.B.A.

September 14, 2006

B2B Marketing Verses B2C Marketing Opportunities

Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing is different. Some people think marketing is marketing and whether it is marketing to consumers or marketing to businesses, it is still just marketing to people. E-commerce is rapidly becoming the new frontier of the 21st century. As a business strategy with tremendous potential, is worth taking a close look at what works and why and why it can work. In the today business environment, there is a clear advantage to being on the Web ahead of the competitors and in presenting a high quality image and positive, productive communications through Internet contacts.

Advertising by promotional pages is an extremely effective way to highlight a single product and is rapidly becoming the product presentation form preferred. Especially when combined with e-mail or newsletter programs, it offers terrific versatility in adapting your advertising to specific interest groups and retail customers. Promotional pages have been regularly used in print media to introduce a product, but the electronic version can be used and reused for as long as needed without additional printing expense. It is clean, focused, concise, and detailed, is the next best thing to putting a product sample in the consumers hands.

Marketing by means of the Internet offers both opportunity and hazards for businesses that choose to operate online. On the opportunity side, the B2B electronic market is an remarkably important area of marketing since the dollar transaction levels; about two thirds of all dollar transactions that take place in the business-to-business area and more than half of all employment is found there. In addition, B2C, online spending has risen every year, and shows every indication of continuing to do so. On the hazardous side, many online business providers have failed to achieve profitability, and many B2B implementations have failed to achieve the desired results.

A person buying a product for themselves verses buying for their company is a very different, emotional experience. In fact, there are rational differences that must be kept in mind when developing marketing activities. B2B depends on relationship building marketing efforts. Using consumer-focused strategies to market a B2B business, at best it just has a great del on investment (Schneider, G. P. 2004).

The terms were created to distinguish an Internet commerce business that is sells to primarily to consumers' verses those whose markets is other businesses. The terms have stretched their definitions to refer to any business that sells primarily to the end item customers (B2C) or to other businesses (B2B), both online and offline. While the marketing programs are the same for each type of business, how they are implemented, what they say, and the outcome of the marketing activities differ (Schneider, 2004).

The following summarizes the differences between B2B marketing and B2C marketing. Each marketing plan needs to take into account the differences and ensure that the development of the right types of activities for the particular market.

A B2B market is based on being relationship driven, maximizing the value of the relationship, focused on a specific target market, multi-step purchasing process, extended sales cycle, brand identity, and purchasing decision based on business value. A B2C marketing is product driven, maximizing the value of the transaction, large target markets, single step purchasing process, short sales cycle, brand identity through repetition, merchandising, point of purchase, and emotional / impulse buying decision based on status, desire and/or price.

The goal of B2C marketing is to change shoppers into consumers as quickly and consistently as possible. B2C companies employ more merchandising activities as coupons, displays, and storefronts, and offers to entice the target market to buy. B2C marketing promotions are concerned with the transaction, and are shorter in duration and need to capture the customer's interest