B2B vs. B2C Product Strategy


B2B vs. B2C Product Strategy

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HERBIG.CO

PUBLISHED

Apr 4, 2025

READING TIME

3 min & 30 sec

​Dear 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 Similarities

1. 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 Differences

1. 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.

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Thank you for Practicing Product,

Tim

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The Last Strategy Framework You'll Ever Need

All strategic frameworks are: A collection of tools to determine what questions you need to answer and when you need to answer them (context, sequence, etc.); Tools that help you answer those questions, ranging from simple canvases to complex mapping and sensemaking techniques; A novel way of organizing and visualizing the answers to those questions; In some cases, instructions on how to deploy the strategy and how to understand if the strategy is "working" or needs refinement

Turning Strategy into Action with the Decision Stack

Engage teams with clear priorities. Firstly, this is about alignment, and The Decision Stack is a forcing function for focus. Teams either discover they're working on things that don't matter, or they gain a fuller understanding of 'why' their work matters. In both cases, the work improves. Second, it’s a catalyst for the action that kick-starts a virtuous cycle where customer learning informs strategy. It's not about involving everyone in everything—it's about the right people doing the right things to realise the most important goals. And in case it’s unclear, getting started is the most important thing!

Generating Strategy Possibilities

Instead try generating happy stories. ‘If we shift our focus for older women to women between 25 and 49 fighting the first signs of aging, we can build a giant brand.’ ‘If we keep control of the package from shipper to recipient, people will have confidence it will get there when promised.’ ‘If we give them a little computer of their own, even if it is pathetically weak, it will transform users’ lives.’ These are exciting happy stories that provide the motivation for a team to work on seeing if it can make the story true.

Who is Tim Herbig?

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.

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