May 22, 2025
The lines between direct-to-consumer (D2C) and business-to-business (B2B) commerce are blurring. Fueled by digital platforms, shifting buyer expectations, and new fulfilment models, many companies that once specialised in one channel are asking a fundamental question: Should we expand into the other?
For D2C brands, opening a B2B channel promises larger order volumes, recurring contracts, and new routes to market. For B2B businesses, launching a D2C channel offers the opportunity to own the customer relationship, increase margins, and diversify revenue streams.
But what sounds promising on paper comes with real strategic, operational, and technological considerations. Let’s unpack the potential, risks, and success factors for businesses considering this cross-channel leap.
Over the past decade, D2C has evolved from a disruptor model into a mainstream approach. Brands like Warby Parker, Casper, and Glossier built loyal followings by selling directly online, skipping traditional retail intermediaries. But in an increasingly crowded digital space, even standout brands are looking for new growth vectors - and B2B is one of them.
Selling to retailers, wholesalers, or corporate buyers can drive larger order quantities than individual consumers. Instead of marketing to thousands of buyers individually, brands can secure contracts for recurring bulk purchases. This shift can dramatically improve economies of scale in manufacturing, logistics, and procurement.
Consumer demand can be seasonal, trend-driven, or easily disrupted. Adding B2B distribution allows brands to hedge against D2C volatility. A brand that sells wellness supplements to individuals, for instance, might find stable revenue by supplying gyms, pharmacies, or subscription box companies.
Retail partnerships allow D2C brands to extend their reach without investing in brick-and-mortar infrastructure. For example, selling through hospitality groups, co-working spaces, or boutique stores lets D2C brands scale awareness and revenue with limited overhead.
On the flip side, many manufacturers, wholesalers, and traditional B2B brands are exploring direct-to-consumer models. The reasons are just as compelling.
B2B companies often operate behind the scenes, with limited visibility into end-user preferences and feedback. By selling directly to consumers, they gain access to valuable data, enabling better product development, segmentation, and personalisation.
Cutting out distributors and retailers allows B2B firms to retain a greater share of the profit margin. While this may require new investment in marketing and customer service, the lifetime value of a loyal consumer can far outweigh the acquisition cost.
COVID-19 revealed the vulnerability of relying solely on channel partners. B2B companies that add D2C capabilities can reduce dependency on third parties and future-proof their revenue against distributor disruptions or retail consolidation.
D2C enables rapid product testing and iteration. B2B firms can introduce limited releases directly to consumers, gather feedback, and iterate quickly before rolling out at scale through traditional B2B channels.
Not every business is ready, or needs, to operate in both B2B and D2C lanes. But there are some compelling situations where a hybrid approach makes strategic sense:
It’s important to avoid treating the second channel as an afterthought. A successful expansion requires dedicated strategy, technology, and execution.
Whether moving from D2C to B2B or vice versa, the technology stack must evolve.
Salesforce consultants help clients design unified architectures using Commerce Cloud, Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and CPQ. This allows businesses to serve both customer types - without duplicating systems or fragmenting data.
For example:
A well-integrated B2B Commerce environment ensures that customer data, product information, and pricing logic flow consistently across all touchpoints.
The decision to enter B2B or D2C shouldn’t be driven by trends alone. It should be grounded in market opportunity, operational readiness, and long-term vision.
Yes, the promise of dual-channel revenue is real. But it comes with new responsibilities, supporting multiple personas, pricing models, workflows, and experiences.
Done right, a dual-channel approach doesn’t dilute your focus. It expands your relevance, future-proofs your business, and makes you more resilient.
The primary advantage is tapping into new revenue streams that offer much larger order volumes and the potential for recurring contracts. This move can stabilise income, as B2B sales are often less volatile than consumer trends, and improve economies of scale in production and logistics.
The greatest challenge is shifting from a product-centric mindset to creating an engaging, consumer-focused brand experience. This requires significant investment in brand storytelling, user-friendly website design, digital marketing, and direct customer support, areas that are often unfamiliar to traditional B2B companies.
Not always, but your technology stack must be able to handle both. Many businesses use platforms like Salesforce Commerce Cloud that can manage different pricing, checkout processes, and customer experiences for both B2B and D2C audiences from a single, unified system, preventing data fragmentation.
A hybrid model makes strategic sense when your product has clear applications for both individual consumers and businesses, like office supplies or food products. It's also ideal if you have the manufacturing capacity to handle both small and bulk orders and have already established strong brand recognition in one channel that you can leverage in the other.
