Glossary

A

• Agentic commerce Buying and selling conducted or assisted by autonomous AI agents that can search, compare, and…
• AI ROI framework A structured way of evaluating whether an AI investment is paying off, beyond simply comparing…

B

• B2B and B2C convergence The trend of B2B and B2C companies increasingly adopting each other's business models, with B2C…
• B2B ecommerce The buying and selling of goods or services between businesses conducted online, distinct from B2C…
• B2B marketplace model A platform, either owned by a manufacturer or distributor, or run by a third party…
• B2B personalization Tailoring product recommendations, content, and pricing to an individual business buyer, based on their account,…
• Best-of-breed vs. best-of-suite The choice between assembling a commerce stack from specialized, individually strong point solutions (best-of-breed) or…
• Bot-to-bot commerce Transactions where an AI agent representing the buyer interacts directly with an AI agent or…
• Bottomless bin A fulfillment approach for high-frequency, low-value items where a supplier keeps a buyer's on-site inventory…
• Buying group An organization that aggregates independent distributors or dealers so they can negotiate purchasing terms, share…

C

• Channel conflict The tension that arises when a manufacturer sells directly to end buyers online while also…
• Channel dependence A manufacturer's reliance on distributors, dealers, or other intermediaries as its primary or only route…
• Composable commerce An architectural approach that assembles an ecommerce platform from independent, best-of-breed components, such as separate…
• Consumerization of B2B The trend of B2B buyers expecting the same ease, speed, and personalization from business purchasing…
• Contract pricing Pricing negotiated between a B2B seller and an individual buyer or account, often reflecting volume…

D

• Data quality problem The widespread issue of B2B product and customer data being incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly structured,…
• Digital maturity assessment The process of scoring a company against a digital maturity model to identify its current…
• Digital maturity model A framework that places a B2B company's ecommerce and digital capabilities into stages, from basic…
• Digital maturity vs. digital transformation Digital maturity describes where a company currently stands, benchmarked against a defined model; digital transformation…
• Digital transformation: project vs. program The distinction between treating digital transformation as a finite initiative with a defined end date…
• Direct-to-buyer (D2B) selling A manufacturer selling its products directly to the end business customer through its own ecommerce…
• Dynamic / advanced pricing Pricing strategies that adjust based on factors like demand, cost inputs, customer segment, or competitive…

E

• E-procurement Software systems that let a business buyer's own organization manage purchasing electronically, often integrating directly…
• Endless aisle A merchandising strategy that lets a buyer discover and order products online that are not…

F

• Friday 15 Master B2B's weekly podcast, hosted primarily by Andy Hoar and Brian Beck, covering current events…

H

• Headless commerce An architecture that separates the front-end presentation layer of a website from the back-end commerce…
• Hybrid distribution strategy An approach that combines direct-to-buyer ecommerce with a traditional distributor or dealer network, rather than…

I

• Inside sales A sales team that manages customer relationships and takes orders remotely, by phone or email,…

M

• Master B2B The research, content, and community organization for B2B ecommerce practitioners that produces the Friday 15…
• MRO distribution The distribution of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies, the parts, tools, and consumables businesses use…

P

• Platform vs. partner The question of which decision to prioritize first when starting an ecommerce initiative: choosing the…
• Pricing transparency The practice of showing product prices openly on a B2B ecommerce site, rather than requiring…
• Product Information Management (PIM) A system for centralizing and managing product data, descriptions, specifications, and images, so that consistent,…

S

• Self-service The ability for a B2B buyer to complete a purchase, from finding a product through…
• Shift vs. lift A distinction in measuring channel or technology performance between revenue that is truly incremental (lift)…
• Site search The search function on a B2B ecommerce site that lets buyers find products by keyword,…
• Social proof in B2B Reviews, testimonials, and other evidence from other buyers or companies that build trust in a…
• Systems integrator (SI) A consulting or implementation partner that configures, customizes, and connects ecommerce platforms and surrounding systems…

T

• Technology buying committee The cross-functional group of stakeholders, typically spanning operations, IT, sales, finance, and ecommerce leadership, who…

U

• Unauthorized distributors / gray market Sellers who offer a manufacturer's products without an authorized distribution agreement, often sourcing inventory through…

Z

• Zero-click search A search result where the person gets their answer directly on the search results page…

#

• 1P vs. 3P The distinction between first-party (1P) selling, where a company sells its own inventory directly, and…