The differences between B-side products and C-side products

I participated in an interview with a product manager some time ago. What I never expected was that the HR staff actually took out an A4 piece of paper and asked me to do the written test questions, so I just reluctantly did it. One of the questions is "Explain what are the differences between B-segment products and C-end products?" This question examines our understanding of B-end and C-end products, so what are the differences? I have compiled the following point.

1. Product providers are different

B-side products can be developed internally by the company or purchased from the market, such as the Sass model.

C-side providers come from software and Internet companies in the market, and users can directly obtain products and services through the application market.

2. Products embody different values

Users of B-end products are various enterprises. The purpose of enterprises applying B-end products is to improve efficiency and effectiveness in enterprise management, marketing, etc. benefits and reduce costs.

The users of C-end products are consumers. C-end products embody a variety of values, such as improving efficiency and improving quality of life.

3. The people who decide whether to use the product are different.

The person who decides whether to use the C-end product is the C-end user himself.

The people who decide whether to use B-end products are quite special. The users who decide whether to use B-end products are different from the users who ultimately use B-end products. The decision-makers and users of B-end products are separated.

4. Products have different income methods

The purpose of most B-side and C-side products is to make money.

The profit models of software are universal, mainly including: advertising, in-app purchase functions or services, subscription services, transaction fees, purchase of licenses, pay-per-use, and additional service fees.

It does not mean that which payment method must be the B-side or C-side payment method, it depends on the product features.

The B-side is aimed at customers within a specific range of enterprises or commercial fields, and is smaller in size than the C-side. Some B-side revenue comes from direct payment by customers, or payment based on the usage of services and resources. Companies that provide B-end products can also provide consulting, maintenance, etc. in related fields to charge additional service fees.

The C-side is for mass users, with a huge number of users. Common methods include advertising, purchasing internal functions or services, and purchasing subscription services. In addition, another common way of income is to charge transaction fees, such as Didi and Meituan.

5. Product marketing methods are different

The marketing decisions of B-end products are rational decisions, while the marketing decisions of C-end products are emotional decisions.

B-end products require professional sales teams to follow up and focus on establishing long-term connections with customers. The sales team usually uses training, demonstrations and trials to allow customers to think about and weigh the benefits of using B-end products to the company from different perspectives. The B-side sales process is more complicated, takes longer, and costs more. At the same time, the benefits after successful sales are also huge. B-end products can also carry out personalized marketing according to the different needs of each customer.

C-end products target a large number of customers. Sales staff use data analysis to find groups that match C-end products, and then push marketing information on a large scale. For example, advertising information such as special promotions and function upgrades are sent to potential users through SMS, WeChat, email, website and other channels.

6. Product iteration and release methods are different

C-side products can be quickly iteratively released on a weekly and monthly basis, while B-side products are used by enterprise users, and releasing new versions is Customers need to be trained and educated again. Therefore, when using B-end products, users hope to use a long-term and stable version.

7. Product demand research methods are different

B-end products are connected with the sales team. When conducting demand research, they will visit customers or collect data on customers’ use of the product. to gather clear requirements.

There are a large number of customers for C-end products, and their needs are sometimes unclear. Therefore, product managers need to explore and integrate needs through various methods. Such as user interviews, questionnaire surveys, and product reviews.