B2B vs. B2C Commerce Models

The Propeller platform is designed to handle both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) commerce scenarios. Understanding the differences between these models is crucial for effective API integration and platform utilization.

Overview

Propeller's dual B2B/B2C architecture allows businesses to serve both corporate clients and individual consumers from a single platform. Each model has distinct characteristics that influence how data is structured, managed, and accessed through the API.

Key Differences

Aspect	B2B (Business-to-Business)	B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
Primary Users	Companies and their employees	Individual consumers
Data Structure	Hierarchical (Companies → Contacts)	Flat (Individual customers)
Pricing Model	Negotiated, customer-specific	Standard or customer-specific
User Management	Role-based access control	Individual accounts
Catalog Access	Restricted, customer-specific	Public or customer-specific

B2B Commerce Model

Organizational Structure

B2B commerce in Propeller is built around companies and contacts:

Company (Organization)
├── Contact 1 (Employee/User)
├── Contact 2 (Employee/User)
└── Addresses

Companies represent business entities and contain:

• Company information (name, tax number, contact details)
• Organizational hierarchy (parent-child relationships)
• Inherited settings and permissions
• Budget and ordering restrictions
• Address management

Contacts represent individual users within companies:

• Personal information (name, email, phone)
• Role-based permissions
• Order history and preferences

API Usage for B2B

Company Management

# Create a company
POST /v2/companies
{
  "name": "Acme Corporation",
  "taxNumber": "NL123456789B01",
  "parent": {"sourceId": "PARENT_COMP", "source": "CRM"}
}

# Get company contacts
GET /v2/companies/id/123?expands=contacts

Contact Management

# Create a contact within a company
POST /v2/contacts
{
  "firstName": "John",
  "lastName": "Doe",
  "email": "john.doe@acme.com",
  "parent": {"sourceId": "ACME_CORP", "source": "CRM"}
}

B2C Commerce Model

Individual Customer Structure

B2C commerce focuses on individual customers:

Customer (Individual)
├── Personal Information
└── Addresses

Customers represent individual consumers and contain:

• Personal information (name, email, phone)
• Order history and preferences
• Multiple addresses (billing, shipping)
• Account settings and preferences

API Usage for B2C

Customer Management

# Create a customer
POST /v2/customers
{
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "email": "jane.smith@email.com",
  "phone": "+1234567890"
}

# Get customer orders
GET /v2/customers/id/456

Data Model Differences

Resource Structure

Resource	B2B Usage	B2C Usage
Companies	Primary organizational unit	Not applicable
Contacts	Users within companies	Not applicable
Customers	Not applicable	Primary user unit
Orders	Company/contact-based	Customer-based

Integration Considerations

B2B Integration Patterns

ERP Integration

# Sync company data from ERP
POST /v2/companies/bulk/sourceId
{
  "companies": [
    {
      "sourceId": "ERP_COMP_001",
      "source": "SAP_ERP",
      "name": "Acme Corporation"
    }
  ]
}

CRM Integration

# Sync contact data from CRM
POST /v2/contacts/bulk/sourceId
{
  "contacts": [
    {
      "sourceId": "CRM_CONTACT_001",
      "source": "SALESFORCE",
      "firstName": "John",
      "lastName": "Doe",
      "parent": {"sourceId": "ACME_CORP", "source": "CRM"}
    }
  ]
}

B2C Integration Patterns

E-commerce Integration

# Sync customer data from e-commerce platform
POST /v2/customers/bulk/sourceId
{
  "customers": [
    {
      "sourceId": "SHOP_CUSTOMER_001",
      "source": "SHOPIFY",
      "firstName": "Jane",
      "lastName": "Smith"
    }
  ]
}

Understanding the differences between B2B and B2C models is essential for effective Propeller platform implementation. Choose the appropriate model based on your target market and business requirements.