B2B is primarily concerned with ‘supply chain management’ which ultimately results in the transfer of goods or services from one business to another. B2C, however, is all about enticing the consumer to buy from you as opposed to someone else. Consequently the websites involved provide different roles and this is reflected in their structure and design.

In the B2B world, marketing is not a prime issue because the business doing the purchasing knows its needs and is using the on-line system to place orders, make payments etc. Advertising will still be visible but only to inform the purchaser that a new product is available. A pub for example will have the opportunity to buy a new beer that has just come onto the market.

It will undoubtedly have to choose items from pages displayed on websites but there is no advertising and pressure to buy something else - be it different or more expensive. It is simply a means to an end – a much more economical and quicker way than the telephone, post or email. The website will provide facilities to submit orders, receive invoices, make electronic payments etc.

With B2C, marketing is at the forefront of the company’s mind. It is trying to lure the consumer into buying from them as opposed to someone else – and will try a variety of tactics in order to procure a sale such as offering special discounts and offers such as BOGOF (buy-one-get-one-free) etc. The consumer will be able to purchase online, but the quantities we are talking about here are nowhere as large as that of a business and consequently there is no need for sophisticated systems which help with bulk-buying, invoicing etc.