register

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C

Back
10
Jul 2018

Nowadays, eCommerce is an independent business branch with its own features and specifics. Commercial relationships take their place on the websites specialized in providing services online. As businesses are significantly more global service suppliers, the most common website specializations are B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business-to-Customer).

SourceTYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 30

Types of eCommerce Websites

As it may seem from the first look, B2B and B2C approaches are similar and aim for the same objectives. However, the live analogy would be comparing grocery store with hairdressing salon. They both serve the same people, but the interests and demands they are satisfying differ. Knowing your customer’s expectations and providing them with targeted services are the keys to ensure that your eCommerce business model succeeds.

B2B eCommerce Websites

B2B website orientation implies the need to satisfy other businesses needs. Just like you, they are ambitious corporations striving to grow and develop long-time relationships, establish clear, loyal terms of partnership and communication.

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 31

Source

Here are 5 vital points to keep in mind while creating a successful B2B eCommerce model:

  • Practical benefits are preferred over emotional experience;
  • Businesses demand the rational spend of monetary and time resources;
  • B2B clients search for special offers, mutually beneficial deals;
  • Companies often become regular clients. It makes long-term relations establishment a top priority;
  • Individual prices, delivery conditions, loyalty programs are essential.

Your customer is a company

When you deal with corporations, the most common issue is understanding client specifics. Your customer is not the representative you’re talking to, but the organization they represent. And here’s the kicker, they set similar goals to yours. Although the end consumers of your product are ordinary people, your ultimate objective is to convince the corporation in practical benefits and convenience of your services to it.

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 32

Source

You must explain why exactly you’re the best in your scope. Show statistical data, charts, make all needed information accessible. Provide the deep insight into your obvious advantage over the competitors. Once the business chooses you as a partner, all your efforts will pay off. B2B eCommerce is relationship-driven, which means you’ll get orders from the same client over and over.

Communication is of vital importance

B2B eCommerce specifics imply much fewer customers than B2C websites. It gives you the opportunity to find a personalized approach to every client. As companies are super choosy with the service suppliers, it’s up to you to provide the best partnership conditions possible.

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 33

Source

The website must set your client one click away from reaching you. Communicate with your customers, hear their demands out. Make them feel valued and fully informed. Be available via a private chatbot channel, provide 24/7 support.

Offer individual service terms and conditions

Best B2B eCommerce practices rely on special offers. The website must reflect your willingness to propose unique delivery conditions, reconsider service costs in every single case. Express your respect by offering special treatment and terms of cooperation.

B2C eCommerce websites

B2C websites are significantly different platforms. They aim to provide your services to individuals. It changes the game fundamentally. Unlike other eCommerce solutions, B2C websites focus on expanding their coverage in the first place. People tend to make single purchases, which relatively decreases the efficiency of relationship-driven eCommerce model.

All in all, there are 3 essential aspects of the successful B2C website:

  • Setting an emotional bond with the client;
  • The obviousness of an immediate benefit from purchase;
  • Pretty similar favorable service terms for every customer.

Gain the brand trust

Decent website interface is a must for both B2B and B2C eCommerce. However, individuals are much more prone to emotional decisions. They strive for practical and emotive benefits at the same time. You can force the customer for purchase by using basic user experience design techniques. Correct fonts, colors, text, images – all these tools create an emotional bond between the user and a brand.

Let’s have a look at Pani Yanovska online store design solutions:

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 34

Elegant and fashionable, it puts its customers right in a mood of buying a piece of this aesthetic taste expression. That’s the client’s feelings you are to generate.

Benefit from impulsive human nature of customers

Online shoppers tend to behave spontaneously. Very few of them spend sufficient amount of time to evaluate the market situation or to compare a lot of websites to find the juiciest deal. Customers often stop at the first online store offering pleasant user experience and attractive purchase & delivery terms. It means you have all the chances of winning the customer if you can explain to them right now why should they use your services.

With an average online user attention span of fewer than 10 seconds, you have very little time to convince the buyer in your superiority. In Adler Style, we implemented the chained option functionality. It boosts user search speed allowing them to find the much needed product faster.

TYPE OF E COMMERCE WEBSITE – B2B VS B2C - 35

Capture users with an instant offer

OK, the client is on a product page. They rapidly skim a description and are ready to move to another website. B2C specifics force you to make an instant offer appealing enough to decide in favor of a purchase. You can’t discuss it with the client, as the customer coverage is immense. It’s physically impossible to hear out wishes and needs of all individuals. The best practice is to show why exactly your product is worth buying. Write about its practical use and emotional experience a client will receive. End your line with announcing an average price and comfortable delivery terms. It’s often enough to get a better part of all customers. Others are unlikely to stay any longer. That’s the B2C eCommerce world. You get your user now or never.

Conclusion

B2B and B2C website models both are parts of contemporary eCommerce. However, they use entirely different approaches and techniques to capture the customer’s attention. While B2B implies building of strong and loyal long-term relationships with every single customer, B2C often relies on one-time purchases. While B2B websites offer personalized terms of cooperation, B2C base their strategy on satisfying the majority of customers with the single favorable deal. It’s crucial to decide what eCommerce model to use, as it has a drastic impact on your success. Still have some questions left unresolved? Feel free to contact us right away. Let’s discuss the prosperous future of your eCommerce website!

Ilya Smyrnov

Author: Ilya Smyrnov

Position: CEO, Business analyst

Biography: Более 8 лет занимаюсь анализом бизнесов клиентов и повышаю их эффективность с помощью внедрения IT-решений.

Thank you for your interest!

We will contact you soon