B2B (Business to Business)

The term business to business, or B2B, refers to a transaction between businesses — like between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between wholesaler and retailer, rather than between businesses and individual customers (B2C). As an e-commerce seller, you may be able to sell directly to a marketplace like Amazon, Walmart, or eBay rather than to a customer. B2B is typical in the supply chain because companies buy raw materials to manufacture goods or purchase goods in bulk to sell them to individual consumers.

Amazon Business is a specific B2B opportunity for manufacturers, distributors or existing professional sellers who are seeking to reach business customers via the Amazon platform. Amazon Business offers a suite of tools to help enable B2B transactions, assisting small businesses to enterprises through supply chain relationships. To get started, you need a professional sellers account.

  • A B2B business is significantly different than that of a B2C company. Marketing and sales strategies and needs can dramatically differ from those relating to an individual consumer. Here are some typical characteristics of being a B2B seller.
  • Typically the value of sales is significantly higher as you are most often not dealing in individual products but rather a higher volume or a set volume of goods.
  • The length of time for a transaction between businesses is longer than it is between business and consumer. B2B decisions can take weeks or even months, depending on the order and its size.
  • Because decisions may need to be approved by a number of people or by a board, the time from initial inquiry to sale can be extensive.

Related Terms

Learn More

B2C

Learn More

Distributor

Learn More

Reseller