B2B vs. B2C Customer Journey: Key Differences, Mapping, and Examples

In every purchase, whether it be a company acquiring software or a parent getting a toy for their child, there is a sequence of steps that culminates in a decision. This is termed the customer journey.

Have you ever considered that the journey varies with the different buyers?

• B2B (Business-to-Business): Refers to the case when one company is dealing with another company.
  Example: A school purchasing Office 365 from Microsoft.
• B2C (Business-to-Consumer): Sells directly to individual users.

This complete guide will teach you:

• How to define a customer journey
• The primary distinctions between the B2B and B2C journeys
• Step-by-step processes for mapping customer journeys
• B2B and B2C examples

By the end of this, you will understand how optimizing these journeys enables businesses to increase sales and customer loyalty.

What is a Customer Journey?

A customer journey comprises all the stages that a customer goes through from first knowing about a product to using it as well. It covers all interactions your customers have with your brand, whether online or in person.

Why Is It Important?

• Uncovers the obstacles (where customers become stuck or baffled) 
• Identifies the shortcomings of the customer's journey.
• Enhances satisfaction with services provided.
• Ultimately improves revenue, conversions, and customer retention.

Important Distinctions of B2B and B2C Related to Customer Journey

Both journeys feature the stages of awareness, consideration, and purchase, but they differ in many aspects. The differences include the complexities involved in the journey, the speed with which it occurs, and the decision-making.

1. The Approach Towards Making Decisions

• B2B:
  Has participation from multiple people (CEO, IT, Finance)
  Is done in weeks or months
  Concentrates on ROI and long-term value
• B2C:
  Decided single-handedly by one person
  It can happen in the blink of an eye
  Based on emotions, brand loyalty, and discounts

2. Purchase Motivation

• B2B:
  Deals with business issues (cost-saving, productivity)
  Requires detailed demos and proposals
• B2C:
  Deals with personal needs (convenience, desire)
  Influenced by advertisements, influencers, and sales

3. Length of the Sales Cycle

• B2B: Generally, 6–12 months
• B2C: A few minutes to a couple of days

4. Relationship with Customers

• B2B: These are long-term and contract-based
• B2C: One-off purchases unless there’s brand loyalty

How to Create a Customer Journey Map (Complete with Steps)

In straightforward terms, customer journey mapping is how a customer interacts with a brand and its products and services. Let us walk you through it.

Step 1: Identify Your Customer Persona

Who is likely to purchase from you? (Age, occupation, challenges)

• B2B: IT Manager seeking cloud computing services.
• B2C: A College student purchasing a laptop.

Step 2: List All Brand Interactions

At which points does the client interact with your brand?

• Company website, advertisements, email communications, customer service, and social media.

Step 3: Identify Pain Points

What could be improved?

• B2B: Slow responses during the sales process.
• B2C: Lengthy and difficult checkout procedures.

Step 4: Enhance Every Level

Make optimizations at every level

• Awareness: advanced targeting and advertising.
• Consideration: Easily navigable product comparison pages.
• Purchase: Expedited checkout or contract finalization.

Step 5: Test and Improve

Continue to enhance the journey with real customer insights.

B2B Customer Journey Example (SaaS business)

Company: A company is purchasing project management tools.

B2C Customer Journey Case Study (Online Retail Shop)

Customer: A parent buying sneakers for their child.

This case study, in particular, appears in a B2C customer visit, in which a parent purchases children's footwear online. The journey begins when parents acknowledge that their child has outgrown his existing shoes and needs a new pair. Parents come across the term "sustainable kids sneakers" on the Internet, which brings them to an online retail business that appears in one of the first search results.

Importance of Customer Journey Mapping

1. Improves Customer Experience

Attempting to resolve issues like slow communication or unhurried checkouts will result in better customer retention.

2. Increase Conversation

Elimination of drop itch after the purchase funnel and simplification of the purchase process will increase sales.

Example: Single-click purchase systems and responsive calls to action (CTAs) significantly boost sales.

3. Increases customer retention

The probability of returning customers who also recommend the brand to others increases significantly when they achieve everything that they set out to do without any hurdles.

Real-Life Examples:

• An automated contract B2B system approval increased 20% of sales in a certain period.
• An eCommerce store retrieved 15% of lost shopping carts with the incentive of free shipping during the holiday season

Best Tools to Map a Customer Journey

Below, we present the tools that map and optimize both B2B and B2C journeys:

1. Google Analytics: Monitors user activity on your webpage.

• Track conversion through Goal Tracking
• Use Behavior Flow to see how users move through your site

2. Hotjar: Shows users' activities in real-time via heatmaps and session recordings.

• Investigate where users click, scroll, or drop off from the page

3. HubSpot CRM: Tracks customer journey interactions.

• Log emails, calls, and deals to the calendar and automate follow-up

4. Miro: Visualize collaborative whiteboards to journey maps.

• Ideal for team strategy sessions as it enables real-time updates

Combining Google Analytics and Hotjar gives maximum insights, use HubSpot for CRM tracking, and Miro for collaboration.

DecodeUp enhances your B2B and B2C customer journeys by improving conversions and client relationships.

We help map, evaluate, and optimize each growth milestone for your business.

• Custom journey mapping for B2B & B2C
• Data-driven in real time via powerful tools
• Design and content focus shift to that which drives conversion
• Engagement & loyalty flow post purchase
• Continual testing and enhancements

Connect with DecodeUp to take your eCommerce journey to the next level.

The final line

Whether dealing with a B2B, individually, or in a B2C environment, knowing how to strategize using the customer journey is fundamental.

• B2B journeys are long, have different stakeholders, and heavily revolve around ROI.
• B2C journeys are quick, easy, and emotionally driven.

These journeys empower businesses to:

• Remove obstacles
• Enhance customer experience
• Improve income from current customers

Need help enhancing the customer journey? Start mapping now.