The term e-commerce or electronic commerce consists of an electronic medium that in turn allows commercial transactions to be carried out safely. It is mainly applied to the sale of products and services aimed at end customers, but it can also be surrounded by sales mechanisms aimed at a business-to-business relationship.

The new situation that we all know and that unfortunately we are experiencing, has changed the way of doing business, and therefore electronic commerce is experiencing its own particular revolution in the market.

For years, Business to Customer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B) have been talked about as the two great business models with a company-market relationship. In this article I am going to talk about how a B2C together with a B2B, although in principle they are oriented to different final objectives, can coexist as a unified platform within the same e-commerce.

Benefits of a B2C

  1. Cost reduction at the company level and consequently a price reduction for consumers.
  2. Reach consumers located in any geographic area of ​​the target market.
  3. The consumer will enjoy greater comfort when choosing the desired product. You will have knowledge of it, you will be able to analyze it and compare it when choosing.
  4. Provide better and more personalized customer service, allowing the customer to trust us again.
  5. Knowing the user experience and that in turn will help us to detect our weak points and how we can improve them.
  6. Efficient management of stocks and compliance with delivery dates.

Benefits of a B2B

  1. Likewise, cost reduction at the company level, saving time and resources. Free up time for the sales team.
  2. Large number of initial orders as well as replacement orders, therefore, higher billing per customer.
  3. Improve the relationship with the professional, you can have all the necessary information at any time without having to communicate with the company or its commercial agent.
  4. Increase in the speed in the closing of operations having a greater control of purchases.
  5. Efficient management of stocks and improvement of production processes, reducing failures in them and improving their corresponding logistics and distribution.

As we discussed earlier, although the B2C and B2B models are aimed at a totally different target audience, they have some points in common, since they are not only compatible, but can also complement each other.

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B2C and B2B, coexist as a unified platform

Users in general are increasingly used to the B2C purchasing model, in which they need to know more about the product. Therefore, we are obliged to provide you with the most information about it, playing with your emotions and even allowing you to give your opinion and / or assessments. We will add different views of the product, 360º images, corporate videos, description and characteristics, etc. All this information helps the professional to decide, so we can apply it in the B2B model. Therefore, in a single e-commerce we can enhance our brand aimed at a final audience as well as a professional audience, although we still do not know it.

Virtual showrooms

Another important concept to take into account and that is here to stay, are the so-called virtual Showrooms, which consist of a digital tool that allows you to recreate a physical exhibition hall in a virtual way. The Showroom allows to show in detail different products (images, videos, 3D views) and also provides links with their corresponding access to the purchase or to generate favorites lists. This represents an important competitive advantage for brands especially oriented to the fashion and / or real estate sector.

User experience

To attract, retain and retain the customer, we must improve the user experience, and not only during the sale process, but also once the sale is completed, informing at all times of the status of their orders.

Fully customized configuration

As the main differentiation, when a user registers in our e-commerce, according to the type of user we must establish a totally personalized configuration, taking into account that:

  • A B2C user does not usually work if their buying process takes too long, on the other hand, for a B2B user their sales process is usually broader and more voluminous.
  • Pricing policies. For a B2B it depends on the type of customer, whereas for a B2C they are usually perfectly defined.
  • Promotions policy. For a B2C it is usually associated with times of the year or certain events, but for a B2B it is applied to build customer loyalty.
  • Stock management. For a B2B, different types of stocks can be established with immediate availability or future availability, on the other hand, for a B2C we can report the same stock with immediate or separate availability in another warehouse.
  • With the B2B user we must share added information, such as the status of their payments, sales statistics, catalogs, upcoming seasons, etc.

Marketplaces

I must also mention that another of the current trends and that is giving a lot to talk about, are the so-called marketplaces and their value-added services. We configure our product within e-commerce and we can share the same information in each of the established business channels, whether it is B2C, B2B, or even B2B marketplaces.

Social media marketing

Likewise, a marketing strategy based on social networks and oriented especially for B2C, with a few brushstrokes, can also serve us in the B2B model. Let’s remember that social networks were initially created between people, but nowadays they are the most used means of communication by companies, regardless of the target audience we want to reach.

e-Commerce synchronized with the ERP

The e-Commerce synchronized with the ERP of the company will not only improve the sales process, but also will automate administrative tasks, improving the user experience on both channels and giving value to our brand.

In short, electronic commerce allows us to publicize our products and also receive purchases in a short time. B2B and B2C will continue to be the basis of the online market, however, companies must adapt to continue being competitive by boosting their brand, as well as taking advantage of the new growth opportunities and benefits offered by digitization in the company.