WEEK 4 EOC:B2B VS CONSUMER MARKETING

How does business to business marketing compare to consumer marketing? Buyer’s decisions are more complex then the decisions of consumers. It is much more complex for a business buyer to buy a large amount of jet engines then it is for a consumer to buy a refrigerator. A consumer spends much less time than a business buyer when it comes to purchasing things. When it comes to buying that engine there is a much longer process involved then just looking at ads and comparing prices. The same goes for GE when it sells its locomotives. Buyers look for more than just the price. They take into account factors such as cost, fuel efficiency and reliability. When it comes to business buying it goes even deeper than that. There are international economics and political factors that come in to play as well. “We love the challenge of a customer’s problem,” says the company on its GE Transportation Web site. “Why? It’s an opportunity for a true collaborative partnership. We enjoy the exchange of ideas, whether we’re developing a brand new technology or applying existing technologies in innovative new ways. [We] go to great lengths to help our customers succeed.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition) GE does anything it can to help its partners succeed. The evidence here proves that there is a lot more that goes into business buying. Think now about a consumer purchase. Do we wonder about politics or the international economics involved? Of course not! I can’t remember the last time I was looking to buy something and I said hmmm, I wonder the politics that were involved with the production of this product. In this argument business definitely has the edge when it comes to making a mor complex decision in buying a product.