What is B2C?
B2C (business to consumer) covers any business that sells to individuals for their own use: soap, phones, clothes, food delivery, insurance for families. It says nothing about the route. A B2C brand can sell through shops, marketplaces, its own website or all three.
What is D2C?
D2C (direct to consumer) is one route a B2C brand can take: selling straight to buyers through its own website, app, social media or WhatsApp. The brand handles marketing, payment, delivery and customer care, and keeps the customer relationship. Our guide What is D2C? explains how it works and the numbers behind one order.
Is D2C a part of B2C?
Yes. D2C is a way of doing B2C. Think of B2C as the customer and D2C as the road. Some B2C brands use only the retail road, some only the direct road, and most use both.
Where do B2B and marketplaces fit?
B2B (business to business) means selling to other businesses. Buyers compare carefully, several people approve the purchase, and the seller usually follows up through a sales team or dealers.
A marketplace connects many sellers with many buyers on one platform. Take Desi Machines, a PromotEdge group company that we built end to end. It helps people who buy and own construction equipment in India compare machines and reach equipment brands, dealers and financiers. That is a B2B marketplace: the platform sits between brands and buyers, which is the opposite of D2C.
What other business models are there?
- C2C (consumer to consumer): people selling to each other, such as used phones or furniture on a classifieds app. The platform earns from listings or fees.
- B2B2C (business to business to consumer): a company sells through another business that serves the end buyer. For example, an insurer that sells policies through a bank's app.
- D2C: a brand selling straight to consumers, as above.
- Marketplace: a platform that hosts many sellers. It can be B2C, B2B or C2C.
Can one business be B2B and B2C at the same time?
Yes, and many are. A paint company sells to homeowners (B2C) and to builders and contractors (B2B). A tile maker might sell online to families (D2C) and through dealers to construction firms (B2B). Each side needs its own marketing, prices and sales process, but they can share one brand.
The mistake to avoid is marketing to both in the same way. A homeowner wants to see the finished room and the price. A builder wants specifications, bulk rates, credit terms and delivery schedules.
Examples of each model in India
| Model | Typical example | How they usually sell |
|---|---|---|
| B2C through retail | Packaged food, soaps, paints for homes | Distributors, kirana and modern retail, plus marketplaces |
| D2C | Skincare, apparel, mattresses, snacks started online | Own website and app, social media, marketplaces, later shops |
| B2B | Steel, cement, industrial machinery, software for companies | Sales teams, dealers, tenders, trade shows, search and LinkedIn |
| B2B marketplace | Construction equipment (for example, Desi Machines) | Buyers compare and enquire; brands and dealers follow up |
D2C vs B2C: which should you choose?
If you sell to consumers, the real question is which routes to use, and in what order.
| Your situation | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New brand, product people buy online, good margin | D2C plus one marketplace | Fast to launch, and you learn from every buyer |
| Everyday product bought at the corner shop | Retail and distribution, then add D2C | Most buyers still pick it up in a shop |
| Low-price product, heavy to ship | Retail and quick commerce | Delivery cost can eat the margin on direct orders |
| Product that needs explaining or trust | D2C with content and creators | You control the story and answer questions directly |
| Selling to companies or dealers | B2B: search, LinkedIn, trade shows, sales follow-up | Decisions are slow and involve several people |
These are starting points. Many brands begin with D2C to learn fast and add shops later, or the other way round.
How is marketing different in D2C and B2B?
- D2C is judged order by order: what it cost to win a customer and how often they buy again. It leans on social and search ads, creators, and email or WhatsApp. This is where performance marketing, meaning ads judged on orders and enquiries, does most of the work.
- B2C through retail leans on mass media, shop displays, discounts and schemes for retailers and keeping the product in stock where people buy.
- B2B is judged lead by lead: whether enquiries come from real buyers and turn into orders. It leans on search, LinkedIn and trade shows. See LinkedIn and B2B lead generation.
If you sell on your own store and on marketplaces, both need to work together. That is ecommerce marketing, and our D2C and ecommerce marketing page explains how we plan it.
