1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
B2B vs. B2C Product Strategy
B2B vs. B2C Product StrategyDear Reader, When I switched from B2C to B2B product management, I had to unlearn many tactical approaches - but the strategic fundamentals remained surprisingly consistent. The truth is that B2B and B2C product strategies share core patterns while differing primarily in execution. Key Similarities1. Blended Audience Considerations Even dedicated B2C companies must consider B2B-like behaviors. Take heycar, which sells used cars to consumers but must work with dealerships as B2B enablers of their B2C experience. Similarly, B2B products like Quantilope must manage the diverse needs of users, champions, and customers - with champions functioning "more like early adopters in B2C-like situations."
2. Pattern Recognition Over Templates Effective product strategy emerges from recognizing patterns rather than filling out rigid templates. As Stephanie Leue (Ex-CPO Doodle), "None of these frameworks really work properly. It's always a combination of 10,000 different things." Strategic thinking requires synthesis that transcends business models. 3. Collaborative Development The best product strategies emerge from both top-down direction and bottom-up input. Lucas Bremer from Quantilope calls this the "Ikea effect" - when teams build strategy together, they're more invested in its success, even if it's not perfect.
Key Differences1. Audience Input Dynamics B2B companies typically have deeper qualitative interactions with users and champions, whose voices "can really scream in your ear." B2C users, meanwhile, are "very, very far away" and harder to hear from directly, requiring more quantitative approaches and deliberate voice aggregation.
2. Risk Calculation Changing course in B2B carries higher stakes due to longer sales cycles and organizational commitments. As Stephanie explains, "In B2C a user is a user, and if their needs change, you probably don't have to shift your entire organization into a different setup." B2B pivots often require organizational restructuring with longer payoff timelines. 3. Expansion Trajectories B2C products can more easily expand into B2B markets by repackaging proven offerings (like Doodle and Blinkist did), whereas B2B companies expanding to B2C often face deadly distractions (which is why Slack deliberately avoided the community software market).
The fundamental patterns of product strategy transcend B2B/B2C distinctions, but the tools and tactics for implementing them vary significantly. Understanding these nuances helps you adapt your approach without reinventing strategic fundamentals and getting lost in self-doubt. Enjoy the newsletter? Please forward it to a colleague. It only takes 4 seconds. That's precisely how long it took me to pick a coffee brewing method before writing this newsletter. Thank you for Practicing Product, Tim As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions. I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery. |
Product Practice Newsletter
1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
Product Practice #364 How to shape Fintech Products inside a European €5.9B+ eCommerce Platform READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED May 23, 2025 READING TIME 4 min & 48 sec Dear Reader, Better product management practices can emerge anywhere. While Silicon Valley companies have long been considered the Standard for product practices, there is immense value in understanding how companies adapt and evolve these practices in different contexts, especially in Europe. This is why I'm starting a...
Product Practice #363 How to IdentifyHigh-Leverage Impacts READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED May 16, 2025 READING TIME 5 min & 13 sec Dear Reader, An Impact is a metric that describes the achievement of a company- or department-level priority. It's a lagging indicator that changes as a result of multiple compounding efforts, but is not linkable to one individual feature or activity. Most Impacts fall into one of five categories: Growth Engagement Monetization Satisfaction Process Quality From Vague...
Product Practice #362 The Progress Wheel: My favorite Structure to Connect the Dots READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED May 9, 2025 READING TIME 4 min & 48 sec Dear Reader, Real Progress happens when you choose methods because they create value for you in your context, and you can use each domain to improve the others. To make Real Progress, teams need to understand and practice two core ideas: Putting the value of a practice before the selection of a method or framework is crucial to avoid getting...