Business to Consumer Marketing Essay

Increase in the determination of Internet use means that marketing on the internet has as well as gained popularity. People turn towards the Internet to search for basic tuition on whatever items they ar interested in, whether for personal use or for duty, and to a less(prenominal)er utmost they may want to purchase it from the convenience of their office or office. From the business point of view, this means the companies shoot to pay peculiar(prenominal) attention to their website, as it represents the companionship in cyber space.Not only the extent of teaching addressable on their site, but the user-friendliness of the website, search ability of the site, how profligate the website loads, are also important factors. All these factors are also hooklike on the target market of the comp any(prenominal), whether they are engaged in B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing. For instance, B2B clients are much concerned with technical aspect of the increase, the warranty provided and the node go. For B2C customers, the design and everywhere all(a) look of the product may be equally important as the functionalities.This article discusses the differences and similarities between B2C and B2B marketing that should be there in an ideal or a well-planned website. Features of Online Marketing onward being specific about what B2B and B2C marketing should ideally target, Ill be discussing the common features any marketing site should have. It is also important versed that a company is represented by one site, and this should give all the relevant learning to all its stakeholders, in a manner which is easily accessible and gives only relevant information.The postings on an e-information typically fall into these fivesome categories, according to Etzel, Walker and Stanton (2004) Company Background and General Information This syndicate covers the history of the company, its mission and vision, embodied philosophy and ge neral orientation. It may also include financial performance of the company and other investor related information, the social structure of the company, its operations and global/local divisions and branches, and profile of the management team.This portion is unremarkably accessible to everyone and needs to be presented clearly to both categories of customers individuals and business consumers. genuine Business Operations This category caters to the companys customers. This is where division of any kind may come in. For customers this section provides product descriptions, dealer disturb information and payment terms and structure. For the business partners, this may consider much technical details, how to run into the relevant business personnel, the different packages available and so onBecause the company needs to know about its potential customers, and some of the information in this section may be confidential, access may be restricted by requiring the users to registe r and give their email address, which allows them to be unploughed updated with new companys happenings if they choose to hold back updated. This is a score where there is a two-way communication open, minimal though it may be, and companies should focus on those aspects which are valued by their target market. cerebrateThis category has connections to other related sites. This is important for B2B customers who may wish to contact a dealer near their place of business, or to get to a greater extent(prenominal) than information. Attraction and Entertainment Features This is more important for B2C customers and includes those features and tools which use up the site more interesting and unique for customers. For B2B sites, it is more important to be uncluttered, present the information in a style that is easy-to-read and understand, and the site itself should be easy to navigate. middleman PointThis provides usually an email address for visitors, to hold a signalise or for qu eries and should also provide a phone number. This is an opportunity to interact directly with the company and is a major advantage of internet over traditional media. However, this should be paid attention to, as unanswered queries and negatively affect the companys business. B2B Online Marketing B2B sites specifically cater to corporate clients. This implies that the finis making process is longer for the customers and the company should cater to that.Also, services usually provided are in-house services or regarding maintenance software or similar services to increase the productivity and profitability of the company. The characteristics of B2B sites include an stress to automate trading process on the website. This is more convenient, saves time as well as money. This is important as even though B2C sites are generally more popular, til now, the amount of money in transactions is great for B2B sites.This means that security is also important for any company, including keepin g the information provided by the corporate client. Also, the company should try to differentiate itself from the competition by using and promoting its USP (unique selling proposition). This mass be done both online as well as offline using traditional methods of advertising, tradeshows, field sales etc. By automating the processes and as much of their supply chain as possible, the company is saving costs in the long run, thus allowing it to compete on price home as well.Ideally, B2B sites should also have a registration option for business customers who may wish to learn more. By registering themselves on the site, it allows for more human intervention and a two-way communication. This can make an online business transactions more long lasting which is important in businesses. B2C Online Marketing Sites which specifically cater to a target group to hike goods and services fall into this category. The more popular sites include Amazon. com and eBay. com.B2C sites are more tran saction-oriented in general. Though both sites allow transactions, consumers are usually online and in a position to transact and purchase immediately, as they take less time than businesses for decision making. This is because B2B consumers are more investigative and seek more information from different channels and sources. B2C sites also try to create relationships with customers to recruit the brand loyalty of consumers and ensure that their queries are answered.Though, this is more difficult and companies need to ensure that this process does not adversely harm the operations of the company. B2C sites at the same time also use offline methods along with online advertising. Online tools can include interactive websites, online communities and banter forums, email marketing, pop-ups, cost per click advertising such as Google AdWords etc. However, the challenge for any company lies in finding the right combine of advertising and promotion which maximizes profits and minimizes costs.However, good B2C sites allows the consumers to shop faster and in a more convenient manner, offerings and prices obtained are in real-time and can be changed as required and call centres are usually co-ordinated along with the websites allowing interaction between the companies and the end-users. Conclusion Research shows that more than demonstrable purchase, consumers are using the internet more for research about the product and to make a more informed purchase decision, which is truer for the business consumers.Thus, the company should realize that not all visitors may purchase from their site however most of them will be researching the companys products and the information available will be a significant factor in the utmost decision. This is true to a lesser extent for consumers, because individuals tend to display customer loyalty, thus they may research more to confirm their original decision rather than look at competitions information. Also, in B2C more emphasis is on price comparisons as customers usually go online obtain to obtain the best price possible.This is also lower than the price in offline stores in some cases as it saves the cost of the intermediary or any dealer involved. In B2B, competition on a global basis ensures that the companies no longer can ignore online marketing and it is necessary to keep up with the competition. Initiatives such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and righteous in time inventory are changing the way business is being done. This combined with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ensures that the way companies do business with other businesses has changed and they need to use innovative ways to make their presence felt online. (Furlong, 2001)