Browse Definitions :
Definition

B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer)

B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) extends the B2B (business-to-business) model to include e-commerce for consumers. The goal is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between suppliers of goods and services and online retailers.

B2B2C can help a company market its product or service more effectively by entering a B2B relationship with a company whose expertise is selling online -- a B2C (Business2Consumer or Business-to-Consumer) company. In return, the B2C company is able to offer its customers more options. Often, a third entity serves as a middleman to move goods between the provider and the e-commerce vendor or to aggregate customers the other two parties want to reach.

In a B2B2C arrangement, the product or service provider might pay the B2C e-commerce company for sales leads, actual sales or the names of users of its e-commerce site, or for help building brand recognition. The B2C company might also earn a share of the revenue from the products and services it sells, or gain new customers who are interested in the business partner's offerings.

B2B2C can raise significant issues of integrating the business processes and IT systems of the partners, especially back-end systems, such as accounting, ERP and warehouse management. Transactions on the e-commerce site might need to be recorded in the back-end systems of the partner company. Price changes in ERP might have to be reflected on the e-commerce site.

Vendors of enterprise e-commerce platforms that have omnichannel features, among them Demandware, IBM, Oracle and SAP Hybris, are the main purveyors of B2B2C technology, though some ERP vendors also offer it. Industries that have traditionally relied on distribution channels and resellers, including manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, are considered prime candidates for B2B2C.

This was last updated in February 2016

Continue Reading About B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer)

Networking
  • firewall as a service (FWaaS)

    Firewall as a service (FWaaS), also known as a cloud firewall, is a service that provides cloud-based network traffic analysis ...

  • private 5G

    Private 5G is a wireless network technology that delivers 5G cellular connectivity for private network use cases.

  • NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure)

    NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) encompasses all of the networking hardware and software needed to support ...

Security
  • virus (computer virus)

    A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches itself to a program or file. A virus can replicate and spread across an ...

  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

    Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the ...

  • cryptography

    Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications using codes, so that only those for whom the information is...

CIO
  • IT project management

    IT project management is the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an ...

  • chief financial officer (CFO)

    A chief financial officer (CFO) is the corporate title for the person responsible for managing a company's financial operations ...

  • chief strategy officer (CSO)

    A chief strategy officer (CSO) is a C-level executive charged with helping formulate, facilitate and communicate an ...

HRSoftware
  • HR automation

    Human resources automation (HR automation) is a method of using software to automate and streamline repetitive and laborious HR ...

  • compensation management

    Compensation management is the discipline and process for determining employees' appropriate pay and benefits.

  • HR technology (human resources tech)

    HR technology (human resources technology) is an umbrella term for hardware and software used to automate the human resource ...

Customer Experience
  • martech (marketing technology)

    Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms, and applications designed to streamline ...

  • transactional marketing

    Transactional marketing is a business strategy that focuses on single, point-of-sale transactions.

  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

Close