eBay Versus National Hospitality Supply
Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) are two very unique ways of conducting business. Many think marketing is merely marketing, but the fact remains that whether one is marketing to consumers or marketing to businesses, marketing is still just marketing to the average Joe or Jane in the street. While this is true to some extent, people buying a product from eBay for themselves, versus buying for the company they work for is a very different emotional experience. In fact, profound differences between the two are things one must consider when developing marketing activities. B2B depends on relationship building marketing efforts with a company, while B2C marketing focuses on the individual consumer, not the company. “Take the decision-making process for example. Sure, most families consult on houses and cars, but no one ever gets fired for making an impulse buy while in the line at the grocery store.” A B2C type business like eBay is what in fact compels the impulse sale and “is the core tenant of B2C marketing.” (Leopard. S. 2006).Using consumer-focused strategies to market a B2B will, at best, cost the company money and in some cases cause the loss of customers.
eBay
The eBay site is very similar to the National Hospitality Supply site. A registration or sign-in block is available with a variety of items to choose for buying. The advertisement of items for sale is listed by categories from antiques to everything else imaginable. These items for sale are normally done with auction type bidding. However, in some cases a “buy it now” item may override the auction, and purchase of the item without bidding is acceptable. I believe the bidding makes some people feel ...