General Electric is a great example of a company that operates within both the business-to-consumer space and the business-to-business space. As far as consumer products are concerned, GE provides a number of products and services including, electronics, appliances, lighting, personal healthcare, and housewares. In the B2B space specifically, GE has a number of divisions, including aviation, energy consulting and management, healthcare, oil and gas, mining, power, and transportation. There are many differences between the customer behavior of the B2B space and the B2C space. For one thing, the wants and the needs of these two customers are entirely different. Individual consumers only need to worry about their own needs, whereas B2B customers need to look at the needs of the company as a whole. It behooves B2B companies to seek out influencers and powerful executives, while B2C companies may focus on any one consumer seeking a product or service. In this corporate space, customers’ needs are based less off personal reflection and more on the company’s overall business strategy. Businesses customers are more likely to research product attitudes, including quality, productivity, and overall value. Additionally, when it comes to choosing or identifying the products that they need, businesses generally have a process that they follow when they go about making purchasing decisions that is more strict than your everyday consumer. There are, in most cases, specifications set
'Traditional marketing in the business-to-business environment requires very different strategies from those campaigns directed towards the consumer market.' (ExtraVision, n.d., p. 1) 'Consumer competition can be a lot fiercer, with customer loyalty a constant battle.? (ExtraVision, n.d., p.1)
Most of the needs experienced by the business to business (B-B) market are those which help them fulfill the needs of their own customers –“derived demand” (“B2B Market”, 2015). All businesses need resources and infrastructures in order to provide services and products for their customers (Grewal, p. 210).
The car manufacturer would deal directly with a tire manufacturer to get their product. The different supply channels in this situation would travel from the car manufacturer to the tire manufacturer to the raw supplies dealers. An example of a business to consumer model would include an individual looking to book a flight and hotel in Las Vegas. The supply channels would typically travel through a variety of more channels compared to the B2B model that include the individual, the online store, the airline, the airline staff, the hotel and hotel staff. Another key difference between B2C and B2B has to do with properly integrating technology characteristics. B2B needs to be integrated to their business partner 's software for adequate re-supply of inventory, billing and other elements. This is an aspect that the B2C does not have to deal with since the customer will return to them out of loyalty and satisfaction versus convenience. Using once again an example with a car manufacturer and a tire manufacturer, Mars Auto signs a deal with Firestone tires. Mars Auto must accurately communicate to Firestone in order for Firestone to know exactly how many vehicles are going to need tires delivered for the upcoming weeks, months and years. Firestone will also have to account for the tires received and charge the company accordingly, so the integration of the billing and payments can be transferred back and forth effectively
It has a complex and longer purchasing process, and the order can be repetitive and stable. It is focus on relationship management, and B2B need to keep that chain of command in mind. It has higher risk than B2C, because the investment sums are much higher. Purchasing the wrong product or service, the wrong quantity, the wrong quality or agreeing to unfavourable payment terms may put an entire business at risk. Since there are more people involved in the decision making process and technical details may have to be discussed in length, the decision-making process for B2B products is usually much longer than in B2C. Companies seek long term relationships as any experiment with a different brand will have impacts
When a business conducts a thorough market research for the duration of the service, the company is communicating with current customers. This assists the company in two ways the first area is that the company is obtaining valuable information from current customers that reflects how the customer’s needs are being met. The second way it assists the company is that it takes the deductive reasoning out of customer service and gives the customer the sense that the company cares. This step is important to the company and the customer because it provides accurate feedback on whether the company is providing the best possible service.
When you are marketing to a consumer, you pay particular attention on the benefits of the goods. There is personal emotion attached to it when making a decision. Consumers are not alike in that they request for diverse distribution channels for convenience, not like that with business to business market. Consumers do not seem to be
B2C sales representatives are accustomed to a moderately short purchase cycle and a much closer association with marketing and e-business. Exchanging to the B2B world would have a tendency to baffle most B2C salesmen because of the more extended term technique and necessities for relationship building. Then again, moving from B2B to a retail environment may turn out to be excessively serious for the normal B2B sales proficient, with little of the consistency or arranging they are utilized to. In either case, while fabricating a successful sales force, you ought to consider the foundations of your business
B2B is a type of transaction that exist between businesses, such as one involving a manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer. B2B marketing is marketing of goods and services to commercial enterprises, non- profit organisation, government, independent businessman for use in goods and services that they, in turn, produce for resale to other industrial customer or final customer.
General Electric (GE) is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of major appliances in the world. The company offers four different brands; The GE brand which is a line of basic appliances, The Café brand which is a line of restaurant inspired appliances at reasonable prices, the Profile brand which offers contemporary designs along with the latest technologies, and the Monogram brand which offers custom built, professional quality appliances. GE is at the forefront of innovation and offers products that make life easier and conserve energy. The company offers over 400 different appliances for its
Marketing differs between business to business and business to consumer in a few different ways the main one is the emotional experience of the buyer. The marketing programs are the same, which includes: events, direct marketing, internet marketing, advertising, public relations, word of mouth and alliance. The difference is how each marketing program is executed, what is said in the program, and the outcome.
The value of the relationship in B2B is maximized whereas B2C the value of transaction is maximized. In B2B the target market is smaller compare to B2C, which has a large target market. The purchasing aspect in B2B is a multi-step process whereas in B2C the purchasing process is a single step.
The shift to a more customer focus is because the world of business has changed and customers are not all equal. In the past, companies focused managing the products and selling the same products or services to as many customers as possible, regardless of how different those customers were. Today, customers’ wants and needs are the central focus for most companies to give them longevity and to give them the competitive edge.
The company chosen to be the focus for the marketing management is the Edible Arrangements. According to Popkova, Abramov, Ermolina, and Gandin (2015). The headquarters of this company are located at Soweto in South Africa. Its mission statement is: “To supply chemical-free vegetables for the benefit of both the customers and the shareholders” (p.16). The act of the former marketing manager developing an advertising campaign before the marketing strategy can potentially affect the company product regarding sales and also increase expenses. This is because when advertising comes before the marketing strategy, it means that the target audience and their needs are not yet known. This will be
Buyers can browse their required product online on various shops. Same product then can be found in different brands and price range. Consumers can buy the one that is suitable according to them.
Coffee culture is thriving in Hong Kong with big business opportunities, In 2006, a total of about 5 018 tonnes of imported coffee beans and coffee powder, and 2 196 tonnes of imported coffee products (e.g. instant coffee) were consumed in Hong Kong.