ABSTRACT
The Business-to-Business (B2B) buyer buys on behalf of an organisation, not for personal use, and the organisation is the purchaser of goods and services. B2B buyers’ organisations include manufacturers, resellers, government and institutional organisations. Distributing organisations also engage in B2B transactions by selling manufactured products. The reseller organisations negotiate with suppliers; carry out promotional activities such as advertising and sales promotion; perform warehousing functions such as storage and product handling; undertake shipments; undertake inventory control functions; and perform marketing research such as the collection of price, competitor and market information. Institutions such as charities, universities, hospitals, schools, churches and non-profit organisations engage in institutional buying. Inconsistency characterises B2B buying decision-making, and several groups are involved in B2B buying decisions. Different organisations face different buying situations and thus, must employ varying buying techniques.
