Types of Business-to-Business (B2B) Offerings
This section describes the various types of offerings marketed to businesses and the differences in how they are marketed.
B2B offerings are categorized based on how they are used by the purchaser:
- Capital equipment offerings
- Raw materials offerings
- OEM offerings
- MRO offerings
- Facilitating offerings
Capital Equipment Offerings
A capital equipment offering is any equipment purchased and used for more than one year and depreciated over its useful life. Marketing is usually done directly with companies since the purchasing decision can be complex and involve many different departments.
Raw Materials Offerings
Raw materials offerings are materials firms offer other firms so they can make a product or provide a service. Examples include lumber, metals, and manufactured materials such as steel. Raw materials are viewed as commodities so the main competing factor among suppliers is price.
OEM Offerings or Components
Original equipment manufacturer is a manufacturer or assembler of a final product. An OEM purchases raw materials, manufactured materials and component parts and puts them together to make a final product. These products are not modified, but just built into the final product. One example is tires for cars.
MRO Offerings
Maintenance, repair, and operating offerings refer to products and services used to keep a company functioning. Example includes janitorial supplies. Companies often will have regular suppliers for goods they buy to maintain their businesses.
Facilitating Offerings
Facilitating offerings include products and services that support a company's operations but are not part of the final product it sells. Examples include marketing research services, banking and transportation services, copiers and computers.