B2B and B2C – Definition

What is Business To Business (B2B)?

Business To Business (B2B) is a specific type of transaction where only companies are involved, for example, a manufacturer and wholesaler. Products and services are targeted predominantly to other businesses; therefore, a long-lasting relationship has to be established and maintained. Both sides have to be satisfied with the cooperation. The B2B is an ideal solution when it comes to gathering and providing essential semi-products or components (which can further be sold as a final product to an end-user.) When a client is involved, however, the type of business relation changes from B2B into B2C.

What is Business To Client (B2C)?

Business To Client (B2C) is conducted between a business and a client (who is the main user of provided goods and services.) The B2C idea was invented by Michael Aldrich in 1979, who was the first to take advantage of the TV and carry out real-time online shopping transactions. At first, B2C was reserved solely to mall shopping and eating out in the restaurants but, with the expansion of the mass media, it also dispersed to the internet, where it’s known as e-commerce branch. The goal of each B2C transaction is for the businesspeople to establish positive relations with their customers to encourage them to come back and recommend a company’s products and services to their colleagues.

The Prosperous B2B and B2C Strategies

We all love examples, so let’s take a look at the B2B and B2C visual marketing strategies. The first example of B2B corporation is IBM and their Instagram account (@ibm), which gives you an anti-cliche perspective on their brand. Their presence in social media helps to build affinity, and nice-to-share content expands their popularity both among their business partners and clients.

A clearly-organized structure of B2C marketing strategy can be seen on McDonald’s (@mcdonalds) Instagram profile. A lot of pictures show both private and at-work moments when a cup of coffee or a snack from the top fast-food restaurant is a trigger for the positive vibes.

To sum it up, both B2B and B2C companies aim for the public perception and establishing the positive and trusted image for their brand.

Addendum: The Difference Between the Client and the Customer

The difference between the client and the customer is that the former is a person who signs a contract with the business (while the later doesn’t have to.) Thus, every customer can become a client. Although the difference seems to be a minor one, it’s worth to take note of it when talking about B2B and B2C.