B2B vs B2C customer journey: Differences, importance, mapping, and examples

Before starting a business, it is important to analyze the customer requirements, target audiences, and the business model. Based on whether it is a business-to-business model or a business-to-customer model, businesses should focus on different strategies, audiences, marketing efforts, and customer journey mapping.

In B2B model, businesses should target other businesses while in the B2C model, they should target the end-line customers. The sales cycle for both models will differ from each other. Apart from the business model, businesses should focus on their overall customer experience throughout their journey.

This article elaborates on the differences between B2B and B2C customer journeys, the importance of mapping, and examples of both customer journeys.

Understanding customer journey

Customer journey refers to the path from where a customer started their travel with your brand. It starts when a customer hears your brand name, and it continues even after purchasing. Mapping customer journeys includes analyzing everything like brand awareness, going through your marketing campaign ads, searching about your product, being engaged by your salesperson, purchasing the product, and seeking customer service. This mapping is very crucial to understand your customer’s opinions and issues to help them to enhance their overall experience.

The customer journey includes various stages such as:

Awareness: This is where your customer’s journey with your brand starts. You can create awareness through advertising through various channels, word-of-mouth, and various marketing strategies. Use this stage to attract customers by addressing their pain points, and requirements, and creating trust.

Consideration: At this stage, customers will start considering your product or service and search about reviews and they will compare it with some of your competitors for better quality and pricing.

Decision: After all the research, customers will make decisions whether to purchase or not based on various factors like pricing, quality, features, reviews, and customer service.

Purchase: If they feel everything is satisfactory, then they make purchases and complete transactions.

Post-purchase: Post-purchase stage is also an important one that will convert the customers into loyal customers. Provide post-purchase support and better customer service whenever they need it to enhance their relationship for the long term.

B2B vs. B2C customer journey

Complexity

B2B is more complex than the B2C business model. In B2B marketing, marketers need to fulfill a large team with more logical explanations whereas in B2C marketing, marketers need to satisfy individuals without major efforts.

Decision-making process

In the B2B business model, decisions are to be made by a committee, or a team and it takes a long duration like 3 months or 6 months. Whereas in the B2C business model, within days decisions are made by individuals.

Marketing approach

Marketers need to provide more personalized marketing content like formal presentations and proposals for B2B customers, while for B2C customers, they can move casual and reach customers through digital platforms like social media platforms, email marketing campaigns, and affiliate marketing.

Customer interaction

Customer interaction will be more formal with the B2B customers whereas more casual and friendly with B2C customers.

B2B customer journey mapping

The various stages of B2B customer journey mapping include:

Awareness: In the awareness stage, customers will identify their requirements and assign a team or an employee to find the best solutions for them. Marketers can use events, referrals, and marketing content like whitepapers, blogs, or posts, to create awareness to the B2B customers. They can use LinkedIn or official websites to reach B2B customers effectively.

Consideration: Customers will do research about your product, visit your website, and analyze product reviews. Marketers can start their first contact through chatbot, or personalized conversation. They can schedule meetings or demos and provide detailed proposals, case studies, and testimonials that can be helpful for the customer to move further.

Decision: This may take some time as the organization needs to consult with many stakeholders and decision-makers. In this stage, customers will go for internal discussions, negotiations, contract discussions, and approval processes.

Purchase: Once all the discussions are ended in a positive way, then they will go through contract signing, implementation, and onboarding processes.

Post-purchase support: After purchasing, support like implementation, training, and customer support must be provided properly to maintain customer retention rate.

B2C customer journey mapping

Awareness: Customers will become aware of your products or services through social media platforms like Facebook, and Instagram. Marketers can use social media platforms for advertising to create brand awareness among such customers.

Consideration: As they need the product, they will visit your website, search for product descriptions, move to their cart, and compare your competitor’s site for better pricing and quality.

Decision: When customers are satisfied with all the marketing approaches and their search results, then they move their product to cart, make purchases, and complete transactions.

Post-purchase: After the customer completes purchases, businesses need to send confirmation messages, shipment details, on-time delivery, and customer support if needed. This will help you to increase retention rates.

Examples of B2B and B2C customer journey

B2B: When a business acts as a customer, its requirements will be based on streamlining its business operations. These customers will enquire for software like automation tools for enhancing business process management that includes features like integrating various tools like project management, workflow management, collaboration, and sales and marketing.

B2C: In this business, individuals are their customers, and their requirements will be like buying a product like home appliances, electronic goods, or some other products. Customers may visit the store personally or search online like e-commerce platforms to complete their purchases.

Conclusion

Understanding the customer journey is crucial in every business apart from the business model. Analyze your business model and customer journey stages to move your business process forward. Proceed as per the requirements in each business model and make your business process formal and friendly whenever needed. The right approach will help marketers to enhance their lead conversions and customer retention rates. Also, focus on providing the proper post-purchase support for both business models to retain your customers for the long term. By mapping customer journeys effectively, both B2B and B2B businesses can achieve their goals and enhance customer experience effectively.