---
title: "The Real Clash Between B2B E-commerce and Traditional Marketing"
description: "B2B e-commerce projects are booming across China, with thousands of platforms emerging, yet most remain immature. This article explores the key differences between B2B and B2C e-commerce, the challenges of integrating online and offline channels, and the implications for traditional distributors."
author: "张驰"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-05-12"
language: "en"
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# The Real Clash Between B2B E-commerce and Traditional Marketing

> B2B e-commerce projects are booming across China, with thousands of platforms emerging, yet most remain immature. This article explores the key differences between B2B and B2C e-commerce, the challenges of integrating online and offline channels, and the implications for traditional distributors.

Recently, B2B e-commerce projects have become extremely popular, quickly becoming a hot topic nationwide. In April, Teacher Zhao Bo organized a visit to outstanding B2B enterprises, and it is said that many distributors participated. The enthusiasm of distributors and the flourishing state of outstanding B2B enterprises seem to confirm what Teacher Liu Chunxiong said: "This year will become the first year of B2B e-commerce."

However, not all news is good. Halfway through the year, JD's New通路 project has encountered obstacles. There are thousands of B2B e-commerce platforms nationwide, but most are just testing the waters, far from mature, with no fundamental breakthroughs. The new era of e-commerce led by B2B has arrived. Before a definitive model matures, several issues are worth discussing, which are also the biggest points of divergence between B2B e-commerce and traditional marketing.

**What roles do B2B and B2C play in corporate marketing?**

As everyone knows, since Taobao, Tmall, JD, and Yihaodian, B2C e-commerce has become very mature nationwide. It is a direct-to-consumer promotion method that many enterprises have mastered and executed well. However, the problem is that while a considerable number of enterprises have succeeded in the B2C transformation, most still fear B2C e-commerce.

**Where does the fear lie?**

Traditional enterprises' fear of B2C e-commerce comes from two aspects.

**First, the product is suitable for e-commerce, but the enterprise's operational capabilities cannot keep up, thus generating fear.**

**Second, my product is not suitable for e-commerce, but I don't know what to do with the internet. Everyone else is doing it, so I feel fear again.**

This should be the opportunity and space that B2B e-commerce brings us. So-called B2B e-commerce refers to selling products to B2B customers through internet tools, meaning this work does not need to connect or contact with B2C. Indeed, connecting and contacting with B2C is often the hardest thing for enterprises, and this difficulty has been a major challenge from traditional marketing to e-commerce.

A reasonable explanation of B2B might solve many enterprises' problems with merchant recruitment or product sales, but to fundamentally solve brand awareness issues, there may still be a long way to go.

**Summary:**

B2C e-commerce can solve product sales problems, especially for startups, as it is a low-cost sales channel. For large enterprises, although sales proportion is small, it can solve brand influence issues. In other words, for enterprises capable of handling all the weapons needed for brand promotion, B2C is a good choice.

**B2B e-commerce can solve the problem from enterprise to terminal, but issues after the terminal are considered but beyond reach. Unless there is very good communication and cooperation with the B2B platform, it is hard for the platform to share this cake with enterprises. The advantage of B2B is that enterprises can sell products on a large scale, but it is only selling products; brand premium is not reflected, and price disadvantage is obvious.**

**The unification of B2B e-commerce**

After the concept of B2B e-commerce was proposed, many e-commerce giants and logistics giants are preparing to move closer to B2B e-commerce, all ready to gain a place in the competition. Some e-commerce giants even directly shouted that they would kill all traditional distributors and achieve unification with their own e-commerce platforms.

**Who can you kill? What ability do you have to kill anyone?**

In the B2B e-commerce field, the more internet companies go down to the grassroots, the less grounded they become.

Why do I say this? We can look at the current competitive advantages of internet companies: mature internet platforms, astonishing numbers of B2C consumers, and fast and stable express delivery systems. These are the core competitiveness that internet giants rely on.

What is the B2B model? Currently, B2B business only reaches retail terminal stores. The core elements needed are best-selling products suitable for local sales, the number of terminal stores participating (B2B customers), and fast and stable logistics and distribution systems. Most importantly, B2B e-commerce also needs a strong ground force, combined with ground promotion, to achieve sales from B2B to B2C.

Therefore, the matching of core resources is not coordinated. Can unification occur? We analyze from two aspects.

**First, competition for offline terminal resources:** We all know that traditional FMCG competes for terminals. Whoever occupies the terminal occupies the final consumer and the market. The sharpest conflicts in traditional FMCG are at the terminals. From this perspective, the final display of products in B2B is the main resource that all enterprises participating in B2B platforms covet and focus on.

However, resources are always limited. How can enterprises participating in B2B platforms get good positions? They can only rely on negotiation, games, and communication to reach a final solution acceptable to all. This determines that the number of enterprises participating is limited, especially those producing the same type of product cannot be too many; otherwise, coordination is impossible, and unification cannot be achieved.

**Second, ground promotion:** Many e-commerce giants have realized this and have equipped project teams with B2C promotion teams, starting to prepare for this work. But anyone who has done FMCG knows this is a quite professional job. The same product placed in different teams yields vastly different results.

Even traditional FMCG professionals cannot do it well. I ask the e-commerce giants, where does your confidence come from? Again, in the B2B e-commerce field, the more internet companies go down to the grassroots, the less grounded they become. This is because it is a shortcoming of enterprises newly entering e-commerce, and it is an absolute shortcoming.

**What is B2B innovation really innovating?**

The current popularity of B2B e-commerce is no less than B2C a few years ago, only because B2B e-commerce does not need to burn money in front of consumers to influence like B2C. The current hot state is just a flourishing of various flowers in the industry. It is reported that there are already over a thousand B2B e-commerce platforms operating nationwide, vaguely reminiscent of the fierce competition among Taobao, JD, Amazon, Dangdang, Yihaodian, Suning, 2688, and other websites back then.

Up to now, at least one thing is certain: as long as an enterprise has advantages in production, whether cost advantage or quality advantage, it will benefit from B2B e-commerce platforms. Although this benefit does not reflect brand added value and will not obtain high brand premium, at least the enterprise can sell products on B2B platforms after saving many costs.

From the perspective of innovation, almost all guns are pointed at traditional distributors. The core of this change is in the product circulation link. Many B2B e-commerce practitioners say that B2B e-commerce is actually enterprises wearing the cloak of the internet doing the work of traditional distributors.

**So, it is dangerous!!!**

Although there is no mature B2B e-commerce platform to demonstrate yet, it is already clear that B2B e-commerce has the ability to quickly absorb and integrate retail small stores, which is the lifeline of traditional distributors! Terminals, vehicles, personnel, capital—the traditional business model is too traditional, and traditional distributor bosses are too grounded. Now is the time to truly face themselves and think about future development.

Take some time to find a path for yourself in the wave of B2B e-commerce.

**Do you want sales volume or market?**

Recently, we often see JD and Taobao's B2B platforms signing major manufacturer brands to boost their platforms. Regardless of what effect this cooperation truly brings, at least the momentum is aggressive, as if the national market can be distributed with one click.

Think carefully: for big brands and star products, does their marketing need to be so complicated? For mature brands and enterprises, there are many options: self-operated e-commerce, all-people marketing, or even building their own B2B platforms. They have many ways and methods. Moreover, for FMCG giants, their current online sales are far from comparable to offline sales. Therefore, this cooperation is more symbolic than practical. Unless forced, no one wants to break the existing balance for unclear future development.

Big platforms are courting first-line brands, while small platforms are fooling baseline brands. Currently, the enterprises participating in B2B platforms are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those with poor e-commerce development. Since they cannot do it well themselves, they might as well let the platform help. Although they earn less, at least it saves worry.

**This brings us back to the problem we face every day in traditional marketing: do you want sales volume or brand?**

If you want sales volume, it's easy. Previously, you ran naked prices; now you participate in B2B e-commerce platforms. Isn't it the same? There is no essential difference. But if you want brand, the problem may be complicated.

How is the market built? Distribution, promotion, advertising, promotion, turnover rate. This is the answer we get in traditional marketing, but how to achieve it on B2B platforms? This work may require enterprises to deeply discuss with B2B platforms. The platform gives enterprises a good opportunity to enter stores, but what level these products can achieve depends on the enterprise itself.

**In the end, it's all about self-improvement. If you are not strong yourself, no platform will help.**

**The downward integration of B2B e-commerce**

Currently, the economy is downward, and traditional enterprises and manufacturers are having a hard time. B2B platforms can relatively easily obtain good conditions from production enterprises, but the work with downstream small stores will become the core work of B2B platforms.

**How can small stores shine?**

Currently, there are three types of entrepreneurs doing B2B platforms: logistics enterprises, distributors, and consultants. Whoever can make small stores shine as they should will be the ultimate winner.

The franchise chain of small stores or self-built terminals can become the final manifestation of B2B e-commerce. No matter how well the upstream integration is, the operation of downstream small stores is the core key to project success. In the future, the ability of B2B e-commerce to integrate and operate downstream will become the key to evaluating the B2B platform.

But returning to this issue, there may be many ways to consider and many ideas to try to solve the B-to-C problem. Whether you are internet-based or not, isn't it ultimately the same as physical marketing?

- END -

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