Muhammad Chbib: Building B2B marketplace in the middle of pandemic (E20)

What is the biggest difference between a B2B and a B2C eCommerce? Customer acquisition. In B2C, reaching customers happen mostly via media and marketing channels while in B2B the whole approach is more omni-channel and includes direct sales. Small shops and restaurants, and even the big businesses can save a lot of time spent on procurement as well as money when they start buying their supplies online. It helps sellers to remove friction points and make it as convenient for buyers to purchase the products they want. Its a win-win situation here. “Bringing a delightful B2C shopping experience to B2B is our core value,” says Muhammad Chbib – CEO of B2B marketplace Tradeling, our guest for today’s episode. He also speaks about challenges they had to overcome as one of the first B2B eCommerce players and also why he’d be very skeptical about launching just another B2C eCommerce brand. This episode includes: 4:50 – How we reacted to our audience’s change of needs 7:38 – B2B eCommerce vs B2C 13:56 – Augmentation of clients’ business rather than disrupting 21:48 – How to start building a network of sellers for the marketplace 25:49 – Importance of (digital) marketing for B2B 31:39 – How to select a vertical for your eCommerce business 34:09 – What to consider when starting an eCommerce business