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B2BCMarket supports different ways businesses can participate in marketplace commerce.
A marketplace model describes the relationship between the business providing an offering and the person or organization receiving that offering.
B2BCMarket supports three primary marketplace models: B2B, B2C, and B2BC.
B2B describes marketplace transactions or business relationships in which a business provides products or services to another business.
This model is commonly associated with wholesale, commercial purchasing, business supplies, and other business-oriented offerings.
B2C describes marketplace transactions or business relationships in which a business provides products or services directly to consumers.
This model is commonly associated with consumer products and services.
B2BC describes a marketplace relationship in which business relationships and consumer markets can work together.
It can support businesses that operate across both commercial and consumer-oriented marketplace relationships.
The B2B model focuses on commerce and business relationships between organizations.
A business may offer products or services intended for use, resale, distribution, manufacturing, procurement, or other commercial purposes.
Businesses participating in B2B commerce can use B2BCMarket to present their marketplace offerings within a structured business context.
The B2C model focuses on products or services offered directly to consumers.
Businesses can use this model when their marketplace offerings are intended for individual consumers or household use.
Consumers can discover products while also accessing the connected business context behind the offering.
B2BC combines business-oriented and consumer-oriented marketplace relationships.
This model can be useful when a business participates in a supply or distribution relationship while its offerings ultimately reach consumers.
B2BCMarket can represent this type of marketplace participation alongside traditional B2B and B2C models.
| Model | Relationship | Typical Market |
|---|---|---|
| B2B | Business → Business | Commercial / Business |
| B2C | Business → Consumer | Consumer |
| B2BC | Business → Business → Consumer | Combined Business and Consumer |
In the B2BCMarket catalog architecture, marketplace model information can be associated with a Product.
Product marketplace information can identify whether an offering is intended for B2B, B2C, or B2BC participation.
Product
Marketplace Model
Marketplace model information does not exist separately from the business structure.
A product can be connected to a Branch, Company, and Business while also having a marketplace model.
This allows marketplace model information to remain connected to the business context of the offering.
Sellers can participate in B2BCMarket according to the markets they serve.
A seller may focus primarily on business customers, consumers, or a combination of both.
Marketplace models can help buyers understand the intended market relationship of an offering.
Business buyers may be interested in B2B offerings, while consumers may be interested in B2C offerings. Some offerings may support a broader B2BC relationship.
The model therefore provides additional context during marketplace discovery.
Merchants can participate in marketplace activity across different business and customer relationships.
Understanding the marketplace model can help merchants identify the type of businesses, products, and customers associated with a marketplace opportunity.
B2B, B2C, and B2BC should not be viewed as completely separate marketplaces within B2BCMarket.
They describe different relationships that can exist within the connected marketplace ecosystem.
Marketplace models work together with the B2BCMarket Connected Entity Architecture (BCEA).
The entity structure provides the business context, while the marketplace model describes the commercial relationship of the offering.
Marketplace model and marketplace strategy describe different concepts.
| Concept | What It Describes |
|---|---|
| Marketplace Model | The relationship between businesses and their customers or commercial partners. |
| Marketplace Strategy | The geographic or market-reach strategy used by a business. |
A business may therefore use a particular marketplace model while also participating in a particular geographic marketplace strategy.
B2BCMarket provides a connected marketplace environment in which businesses can participate according to their commercial relationships.
B2B supports business-to-business participation.
B2C supports business-to-consumer participation.
B2BC supports connected business and consumer marketplace relationships.
These models can exist within the same connected B2BCMarket ecosystem while maintaining the business, company, branch, and product context of each offering.