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Business-to-Consumer (B2C) |
Business-to-Business (B2B) |
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Topology |
Traditional Internet: End-user (buyer) connected through ISP. Seller behind firewall, either directly connected or through ISP. |
Traditional Internet or private network with trusted trading partners. Private network might be a virtual private network (VPN) using the Internet infrastructure. |
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Order characteristics |
Unique (not standing or repeat): usually smaller quantity and total value |
Scheduled orders (contract with multiple shipments); repeat orders (the same supplies or parts on each order); can be very large quantities or values. |
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Payment type |
Credit card |
Varied: credit card, purchase order, open contract |
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Pricing |
Standard retail: list with discounts, sales, coupons, etc. |
Often negotiated prices for each buyer. Volume discounts. Special bid prices for custom products |
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Terms and conditions |
Standard |
Often negotiated for individual customers; EDI sometimes required |
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Products available |
Standard products found in an e-catalog |
Standard products found in an e-catalog; complex custom-ordered products; industry-unique processes for some raw materials (e.g. paper, chemicals); special-bid products |
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e-Catalog |
Usually required |
Not always required. Orders might be by part number or from a configurator |
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Supply chain participation |
Not usually |
Demand forecast; automatic purchase order generation; supply chain visibility |
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