The term business-to-consumer (B2C) refers to the process of selling products and services directly between a business and consumers who are the end-users of its products or services. Most companies that sell directly to consumers can be referred to as B2C companies.
B2C became immensely popular during the dotcom boom of the late 1990s when it was mainly used to refer to online retailers who sold products and services to consumers through the internet.
As a business model, business-to-consumer differs significantly from the business-to-business (B2B) model, which refers to commerce between two or more businesses.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Business-to-consumer refers to the process of businesses selling products and services directly to consumers, with no middle person.
- B2C typically refers to online retailers who sell products and services to consumers through the internet.
- Online B2C became a threat to traditional retailers, who profited from adding a markup to the price.
