Business Buying Behavior
Read this chapter, which provides an overview of business-to-business buying behavior. This chapter discusses how B2B markets differ from B2C markets, types of B2B buyers, buying centers, and stages of the B2B buying process. The chapter wraps up with a discussion of international B2B markets, e-commerce, and ethics in the B2B market. From this reading, you will learn what a buying center is and will be able to name the members of buying centers and describe their roles. Pay special attention to the concepts of the decision-making unit (DMU) and the purchase process.
International B2B Markets and E-commerce
Key Takeaway
Firms
in the same industry tend to cluster in the same geographic areas
because the resources these firms need - both human and natural - are
located in some areas and not others. Sellers also want to be close to
their buyers. E-commerce, or commerce conducted electronically such as
over the Internet, has made locating near buyers less important for
business-to-business sellers and opened up opportunities for them to
sell their products around the world. However, e-commerce has also led
to more competition and made it difficult for sellers to raise their
prices. B2B e-commerce was slower to take hold than B2C e-commerce.
Companies have since developed sophisticated e-commerce systems,
including sell-side and buy-side Web sites, exchanges, and B2B auctions.