B-to-B

U.S. antitrust officials examining Staples Inc.’s planned takeover of Office Depot Inc. are zeroing in on the sale of office supplies to large corporate customers, according to three people familiar with the matter. While consumers can pick up paper and pens anywhere, there are fewer suppliers that can serve companies that buy products in large quantities…

etailz, Inc. is a B-to-B startup that's leveraged data to improve supplier and consumer experiences in multiple channels, helping it to grow into a $100 million company. In this latest episode of Total Retail Talks, Keri Rhodes, marketing director at etailz, discusses how the company was able to scale and grow its business from humble…

Office supplies retailer Staples announced last month that it relaunched its two digital properties — Staples.com and StaplesAdvantage.com (B-to-B site). The newly redesigned sites promise that product searches will be streamlined from any computer or mobile device, making it even easier to find the products and services that consumers and businesses are looking for. In…

Speakers discuss why print still works, how it can be integrated into a multichannel marketing mix, and the future of catalogs.

An everything guide on how to be a successful omnichannel retailer in 2014

Sometimes an odd suggestion can really turn a company around. Here are three nontraditional recommendations that have significantly improved sales for B-to-B direct marketers:

As the price of postage continues to rise, it's time for B-to-B marketers to get out there and actively explore new ways to reach their customers who bypass the USPS. It's time to consider digital catalogs as part of your media mix.

Amazon.com is making a clear play into the B2B ecommerce market, particularly within the distribution sector, with the launch of AmazonSupply.com. The new site offers over 500,000 SKUs. What does this mean for your B2B ecommerce business, particularly if you are a distributor in one of the above categories? There are three main take aways from the advent of Amazon in the B2B ecommerce space. 

Read on to find out more.

Grainger CEO Jim Ryan introduced a new mobile website to make online ordering from the company's catalog of 900,000 products even easier and faster. The mobile platform allows consumers to access all of the features of the website via Android, iPhone or BlackBerry mobile device.

Is a Groupon model the next big thing for B-to-B? Apparently not. Or at least not now. Chicago-based consulting firm Ajilitee used Groupon to offer $25,000 worth of consulting services at half price. It was the biggest deal Groupon had ever offered.