Comparing B2C and B2B Marketing Marketing ultimately depends on who you are delivering your message to. With Business to Business (B2B), an organization needs to know the business needs, current situation, competitors, trends, technology and costs. Business to Commerce (B2C) also means knowing who you are selling to. You need to know their wants and needs, competition, distribution, supply chains and costs. B2B sites are often more informative and technical. There is less branding, or at least a different kind. It's not so much an emotional connection as an intellectual connection. B2C sites are more entertainment. They often change with promotions and products and are made simpler to make navigation easier for the common user. The main characteristic of B2B is that companies try to automate sales and purchasing processes to improve them. The main characteristic of B2C is that companies try to create a direct relationship with consumers without the involvement of distributors, wholesalers and retailers. The difference in marketing is that a B2B seller seeks to differentiate itself from the competition by marketing its value towards its specific market. as one that will save buying companies a great deal of time and money by automating as much of their supply chain as possible. They do this through traditional offline methods of advertising, trade shows, field sales, etc. along with websites that only provide customers with access to their accounts and inventory. Additionally, email marketing and other communications using supply chain channels are effective. B2C also uses traditional offline methods along with the integration of online tools such as interactive websites, email marketing, online communities, pop-ups and banner ads. B2B can also use some of those mentioned for B2C and vice versa. The goal of any marketing program for both is to find the combination of integrated online and offline tools that will produce maximum sales, minimum spend, and maximum profit. B2C sites tend to be more transaction-oriented than B2B sites. Both types involve transactions, but consumers are typically online to transact or purchase the product or service immediately; B2B users tend to be more investigative and know that it may take longer to get full details of responses about the products they are interested in. Many company sites entice those interested in learning more; register and provide your contact information in exchange for obtaining the information you desire. This allows for human intervention, when applicable, which can really make an online business transaction very pleasant and start building a long-term business relationship.