Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer Web Sites - Term Paper Example

Web sites Analysis Executive Summary Technological systems such as the internet have provided organizations with sufficient tools to enhance productivity of their workers enhance capacity of production and ensure efficiency of established systems and processes. Among business concepts that have evolved due to internet use include B2B, B2E, C2C and B2C. This report seeks to compare and contrast between a B2B and a B2C site and generate recommendations for improvements for each. To overcome the present limitations, the report has recommended that B2B site tones down on site appearance and cut down on the vast information contained in the homepage. For B2C site, it needs to inject some sense of excitement to attract and retain the attention of customers. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Literature Review 4 Definitions 4 The main goals of B2B and B2C 4 Principal elements of a successful website 5 Overview of the two sites 7 B2B Site -www.radian6.com 7 B2C Site -http://www.aflac.com/ 8 Analysis 9 Recommendations 9 For B2B Site 9 For B2C Site 10 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 12 Introduction Present day business and market environments are characterized by enhanced globalization, advancement in technology, increased exchange of information and knowledge which has resulted in sophisticated customers and rising consumer demands and changing needs and stiff competition as supported by Senn (2000, p.3). In search an environment, it becomes important for organizations to identify and implement varied strategies and techniques to not only produce quality commodities and services, but also, to ensure efficient and effective delivery of the produced groups and improve the efficiency of operational systems and processes. Among such strategies is technology. Technology has provided a reliable and cost effective platform for making products and services available to customer at wherever and whenever time hence, ensuring the needs, expectations, demands and preferences of the customer are adequately met. Among technological tools that organizations are using include developing websites. Although trade and commerce between one business and another and trade between an enterprise with its customers has long been established, the internet has given the transactions a whole new meaning generating new terms for the transactions such as B2B, B2E, C2C and B2C. This report seeks to analyze B2B and B2C web site and compare and contrast them. The report will do this by highlighting a literature review on the nature of B2B, B2C, C2C and B2E web sites and provide an overview of the 2 sites, that is B2B and B2C websites selected. In addition, analyze how well developed the two sites are and generate some recommendations for improvements to the two sites. Literature Review Definitions B2B entails Business-to-business commerce transactions where products, services, technology and information are exchanged among enterprises as indicated by Lucking-Reiley & Spulber (2001, p.55). It is also referred to e-business. Good illustrations are transactions between the producer and the wholesaler and a manufacturer and a distributor. B2B transactions deal mainly with supply chain management and allow businesses to use online platforms to transact directly with their suppliers or distributors (Senn 1). B2C entails Business-to-consumer transactions where the consumer is linked directly with the suppliers or manufacturers such as ebay and the Amazon among others. It is also referred to as e-retailing (Ranganathan & Ganapathy, 2002, p. 458). The C2C entails Consumer-to-consumer transactions where consumers transact with other consumers and B2E entails Business-to- Employees transactions where businesses use the internet such as the social media like Facebook and My Space to connect with its employees. The main goals of B2B and B2C A B2B website aims to transact with other businesses while a B2C site transacts directly with the consumer, with the former dealing with a range of issues other than selling commodities. The scale of investments in B2B transactions is higher than those of the B2C (Lucking-Reiley & Spulber, 2001, p.55). B2B site provides an avenue for businesses to trade with each other and helping the same businesses find new business partners via the internet. According to Raymond (2001, 412), the choice on whether to utilize a B2B site or a B2C site depend on the nature of business an organization is involved in. The main goal of B2C is to ensure consumers are able to access products and services at their own convenience especially for those consumers who do not have the time to visit retail stores (Ranganathan & Ganapathy 458). Consumers are easily able to search for what they want, purchase and receive their purchases at the comfort of their own home or office. According to Patterson & Richard (1997, p.414), ‘the nature of industrial services suggests that social and emotional value components may not be as relevant in an industrial or business-to-business context as they might be in a consumer purchase.’ Principal elements of a successful website According to Senn (2000, p.2), For a website to be deemed successful it must be able to achieve the intended goal and at the same time, inform as clearly and as efficiently what the website is all about, what it has to offer and problems it offers solutions to. For example, if it is intended to attract attention, it should not only appeal to the website visitors, it should be able to maintain the focus and attention of the visitor of the long enough to generate the intended reaction and allow them to understand the mission and purpose of the site. In addition, it should be based and centered on what the customer needs and expects (Ranganathan & Ganapathy 459). As much as it might be tempting to make the website all about the organization or brand, it is essential that the targeted market feels engaged and catered for. This includes designing a space to connect with the customer such as a page on frequently asked questions, links to blogs and allocation of search engines to related topics and issues among others. Another essential element is continued contact with the customer (Evans & King, 1999, p.345). In order to keep the customer interested and engaged, a website should not only have a single means of contact but it should have multiple ways in which the customer can keep in touch such as social media accounts, toll free numbers, email addresses and customer care contact details. One can easily keep in touch by sending the visitor updated newsletters. A successful website should be able to generate a sense of freshness and excellence. According to Evans & King (1999, p. 348), to keep the visitors interested and coming back for more if not referring the site to others, it is crucial that the website is routinely improved by implementing what appeals to customers. The site can be continuously improved by using effective strategies and discarding non-performing ones, to match customer expectations and needs which can be learnt through simple and precise site surveys (Lucking-Reiley & Spulber, 2001, p.59). The site needs to offer excellence in all aspects, from the appearance and the writings to the presentation. This is achievable by creating design balance in the page layout where visual balance in terms of color contrast, shapes, content, wordings, textures and sizes are maintained. The website should contain the element of communication. Since the organization will not have the opportunity to meet with the site visitor, it is crucial the homepage which is the first contact, makes the intended impression and achieve what the organization wants the target market to see, understand and learn. This means having a homepage that integrates uniqueness, freshness, versatility and web presence. Overview of the two sites B2B Site -www.radian6.com This B2B site is for Radian 6 Company. The site seeks to help businesses to become socially engaged with their markets by understanding and gaining insights about social media. It primarily aims to reinforce its brand and demonstrate delivery capabilities in terms of offering counsel on how to use social media, how to apply best social media practices and training employees about enterprise social networking. The site carries out varied functions such analyzing social media dashboards, establishing console, brand analysis and professional social media monitoring services among others. Its main target market includes any business ranging from profit and non-profit, large and small either in the public or private sector that wishes to capitalizes on the large customer base that exists in the social media. The site seeks to enlighten organizations on how best to use social media to enhance the market share and turn the prospective social media community into loyal customers. In addition, training organizations on the dos and don’ts of social media marketing. Screen Shots figure 1, figure 2 figure 3 B2C Site -http://www.aflac.com/ The site is developed by Alfac Company. The site offers insurance products and services such as policies and insurance benefits for individuals and businesses. Its target market is individuals and businesses that require varied insurance products and services. The website has three aims which are to enhance brand awareness, build stronger and reliable relationships with its customers and improve its volume of sales. The site is able to generate a sense of safety by linking its contents with the graphics used. The personalized features such as call an agent and get a quote and use of personalized video testimonials among others makes the customer feel engaged and persuaded without feeling pressured to do so. Screen shots figure 1 figure 2 figure 3 The two sites are predominantly effective in reaching its target market since from the homepage, a site visitor is able to see, learn and understand the goals and aims of the site. The two sites compare in various things which includes having their focus on their target market. They both enlighten the visitor on who they are using the ‘About Us’ page. The two sites contains all the major and relevant information the target market may require from product and service range, contact details, customer support services to linking them to related services. Use of color contrast and theme is consistently maintained throughout the site pages. The two sites understand the power of social media and have been keen to offer their respective social media accounts in Tweeter and Facebook. However, unlike the BSC site which uses video testimonials to highlight their customer reviews, the B2B sites opts to specifically name company brands especially international ones who fill their client data base such as Dell. This is crucial for a B2B site as other enterprises are more likely to generate trust for the site when they read a brand they know, which the organization has served or is transacting with. Unlike the B2B site which is not so keen on graphic presentation, the B2C is precise in the use of color and the strategically placed Aflac duck which does not distract the visitor but instead generate a concrete brand impression. Analysis Although both the B2B and B2C sites are well developed, they have some limitations. The B2B site although it offers varied information on how they can help and what they have to offer, the site is jammed up which distracts the customer and makes the customer easily lose focus. As discussed by Patterson & Richard (1997, p.414), it need not be as emotionally attaching as B2C. The type of graphic screen shots used are not as captivating and site lacks the website, presence which is required of a B2B site. The B2C site has been able to structure its contents in such a way it is not overwhelming for the customer even though the information offered is much and one is able to navigate easily. Recommendations For B2B Site The B2B site needs to structure its information content in such a way it does not cloud the entire homepage, making it hard for the customer to keep track of information. Sometimes too much information is too much. It needs to tone down on the bulky information and use of too much color that distracts and may put someone off. It needs to create a close link between its graphic and contents to ensure the intended message is effectively and efficiently received. For B2C Site The site is too formal for a business-to customer site. It needs to incorporate some sense of excitement by adding more color and display varied insurance products and services. As much the focus should be on the customer, the site should ensure it passes vital information to help increase sales while keeping the customer captivated as discussed by Ranganathan & Ganapathy (2002, p. 460). Conclusion The internet has altered the way businesses relate with other businesses and the end market. Through the internet business concepts such as B2B, B2C, B2E and C2C have gained prominence. As discussed in the report, all are meant to enhance the market share, minimize costs, enhance an enterprise’ sustainable competition and improve profitability. Works Cited Senn, J.A. Business to Business E-commerce. Information Systems Management, 17.2, (2000) 1-10 DOI:10.1201/1078/43191.17.2.20000301/31224.3 Lucking-Reiley, D., & Spulber, D.F. Business to Business Electronic commerce. Journal of Economic perspectives, 15.1 (2001) 55-68 Evans, J.R., & King, V.E. Business to business marketing and the world wide web: planning, managing and assessing web sites. Industrial Marketing Management, 28.4 (1999) 343-358. Patterson, P.G. & Richard A. S. Modelling the relationship between perceived value, satisfaction and repurchase intentions in a business-to-business, services context: an empirical examination. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 8.5 (1997) 414 – 434. Raymond, L. Determinants of Web site implementation in small businesses. Internet Research, 11.5 (2001) 411 – 424. Ranganathan, C. & Ganapathy, S. Key dimensions of business to consumer web sites. Information & Management, 39.6 (2002) 457-465. Read More