2. Situational Analysis in the Marketing Planning Process82
2.5 Comparing B2B and B2C Markets
Areas of difference between the business and consumer markets can be summarized as
follows (see Table 2.2).
The Internet is playing an increasing role in both B-t-B and B-t-C markets. Web sites enable organisations to promote brand values, reduce printing costs, attract and qualify
prospects and leads, and foster customer loyalty. Sites can also expand the customer
database, provide customer service, and showcase and sell products. Online purchasing, often called e-procurement, is growing rapidly. E-procurement gives buyers access
to new suppliers, lower purchasing costs, and hastens order processing and delivery. In
turn, business marketers can connect with customers online to share marketing information, sell products and services, provide customer support, and maintain customer
relationships (Kotler and Armstrong, 2009).
2.6 SWOT Analysis
Successful SWOT analysis is basically a process of finding the optimum fit between
the firm’s controllable strengths and weaknesses and uncontrollable opportunities
and threats of the firm’s environment in which it operates; and not just today’s environment, but also that of the predictable future. This explains why charting a SWOT
profile (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) is by one of the most popular
marketing planning tools. It provides a means by which all the key internal (company-
B-t-B market B-t-C market
Market structure Geographically concentrated•
Relatively few buyers •
Oligopolistic competition •
Geographically dispersed •
mass markets (often millions)
Pure competition •
Size of purchase Often extremely large • Usually small •
Buyer behaviour Functional involvement •
Rational/task motives prevail •
Stable relationships •
Professionalism, expertise •
Family involvement•
Social/emotional motives •
prevail
Less buyer-seller loyalty•
Less trained, often inexperi-•
enced
Buying influences Committees, technical •
experts, and management
are all involved in decision •
making (buying centre)
The individual, household •
members, or friends and
relatives
Decision-making Distinct, observable stages•
Often group decisions •
Vague, mental stages•
Usually individual decisions •
Supplier
relationship
Long-term contracts and •
supplier involvement
Many single purchases •
Table 2.2: Comparing B2B and B2C markets
Kapitel_2.indd 82 03.08.2010 12:46:36 Uhr
Chapter Preview
References
Zusammenfassung
Marketing – A Relationship Perspective
Moderne Grundlange zum Marketing
Das Lehrbuch behandelt eines der wichtigsten und aktuellsten Themenfelder des modernen Marketings. Der Ansatz verbindet dabei den klassischen Ansatz der strategischen Marketingplanung und seiner Instrumente mit dem neuen Ansatz des Relationship Marketing. Der ganzheitliche Ansatz des Buches umfasst dabei die aktuellen Marketing-Grundlagen, Praxisbeispiele sowie anwendungsorientierte Fallstudien und eignet sich somit ideal sowohl für Manager und Entscheidungsträger im Marketing-Bereich, Studenten in Bachelor- und Materstudiengängen sowie Dozenten und Trainer.