Channel Creation · D2C → B2B
Your consumer product may have a much bigger B2B market.
A successful consumer proposition does not have to remain consumer-only. Retailers, hospitality businesses, employers, property companies, distributors and institutions may buy the same product for different reasons and in very different volumes.
Evans helps consumer businesses determine whether a credible B2B opportunity exists, then builds the commercial infrastructure required to pursue it.
Adding “Trade enquiries welcome” to a consumer website is not a B2B strategy. A B2B channel needs its own pricing, terms, proposition, buyers and sales process.
D2C → B2B Programme
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · 6 months
Managed Channel Growth
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · ongoing
Can a D2C brand sell B2B?
A D2C brand can sell B2B when organisations have a genuine reason to buy, margins survive trade pricing, operations can support volume and the business can fund trade terms. Evans tests those first and will conclude B2B expansion does not make sense where the evidence is weak.
Who D2C → B2B may suit
Established businesses with something proven.
Not every consumer proposition has a B2B market. The first stage establishes whether one credibly exists.
- Ecommerce brands
- Consumer product companies
- Food and beverage brands
- Home and interior brands
- Wellness businesses
- Consumer technology products
- Gifting businesses
- Furniture brands
- Clothing and accessory brands
- Specialist consumer manufacturers
- Consumer services that can be adapted for organisations
The commercial case
Why a consumer business might consider B2B
Potential reasons
- Larger, repeatable orders
- Less dependence on paid consumer acquisition
- A second customer base for the same capability
- Use of spare production or service capacity
- Brand exposure through retailers or venues
- More predictable demand from accounts
What B2B also brings
- Lower unit prices
- Trade and credit terms
- Working-capital pressure
- Longer sales cycles
- Procurement requirements
- Minimum order quantities
- Account management
B2B is not consumer ecommerce with bigger baskets. Evans evaluates the commercial channel as a whole.
Where the opportunity might be
Possible B2B channels
Only sectors with a credible reason to buy are pursued — not every sector on this list will fit your product.
Commercial channel economics
Why B2B is different
That is why “Trade enquiries welcome” on a consumer site is not a B2B strategy.
- Different and volume pricing
- Trade terms
- Different decision-makers
- Longer sales cycles
- Procurement
- Credit terms
- Commercial documentation
- Different product bundles
- Samples
- Account management
- Different fulfilment
- CRM
- Sales development and outbound prospecting
- Different website messaging
Hypothetical examples
How it can work.
Illustrative examples only. Not Evans client case studies.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
Residential landscaper → commercial landscaping
Before: An established landscaping company serves mainly homeowners.
Already has
- Landscaping expertise
- Employees and subcontractors
- Equipment
- Supplier relationships
- Project experience
- Operational capability
Possible new channel: A dedicated commercial landscaping proposition for developers, hotels, care groups, schools, commercial property operators, hospitality groups and property managers.
Evans could help create
- Commercial positioning
- B2B proposition
- Commercial website journey
- Sales materials
- Target account strategy
- CRM
- Opportunity Engine configuration
- Outreach and sales process
- Reporting
After: The residential operation remains; the same capability now has a second commercial route to market.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
D2C food brand → wholesale & hospitality
Before: A food brand sells individual products to consumers online.
Possible new channel: Independent retailers, hotel groups, hospitality, corporate gifting, workplaces, wholesalers and distributors.
Evans evaluates
- B2B pricing
- Minimum order values
- Margin
- Packaging
- Volume capability
- Fulfilment
- Trade terms
- Buyer requirements
- Sales process
- Commercial positioning
After: Then creates the infrastructure required to approach the market.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
Consumer product → corporate buyers
Before: A premium homeware product sells one unit at a time to consumers, with gift wrapping and next-day delivery.
Possible new channel: A proposition for employee gifting, hotel rooms and serviced apartments.
What changes for an organisational buyer
- Volume and tiered pricing
- Co-branding or bespoke options
- Samples and specification sheets
- Invoicing and payment terms
- Delivery to multiple sites
- A named account contact
- Procurement-ready documentation
After: Selling one unit to a consumer and supplying an organisation are different propositions, even with the same product.
Feasibility first
Does B2B expansion make commercial sense?
A new channel is not automatically a good channel. Evans tests these questions before significant build work — and will recommend: do not build it, where the economics or evidence are poor.
- 01Who would buy this commercially?
- 02Why would they buy it?
- 03What is the use case?
- 04How large could orders be?
- 05What margins remain after trade pricing?
- 06Can production and fulfilment support volume?
- 07Are there minimum order quantities?
- 08Will working-capital requirements change?
- 09Will credit terms create cash-flow pressure?
- 10Who is the actual decision-maker?
- 11Is outbound selling required?
- 12Which competitors already serve this market?
- 13Does the existing brand translate?
- 14What sales materials are required?
- 15What evidence can be obtained quickly?
What Evans can create
D2C → B2B Channel Creation Programme
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · 6 months · from £11,970 + VAT at the starting price
More complex projects are scoped and priced individually. There are no fixed higher tiers and no website-only package.
Depending on scope, may include
- Commercial validation
- Buyer and sector research
- Competitor research
- B2B proposition
- Trade and volume pricing
- Trade terms
- Commercial pages / trade forms
- CRM
- Lead routing
- Sales materials
- Target account strategy
- Opportunity Engine configuration
- Sales process
- Commercial content
- Analytics
- Launch plan
- Reporting
- Handover
Not every engagement includes every item.
Optional ongoing support
Managed Channel Growth
Particularly relevant for B2B, where Evans may stay involved in finding and progressing commercial buyers. Scope follows the engagement; no revenue is guaranteed.
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · ongoing, subject to agreed terms
Potential managed activity
- Target identification
- Opportunity Engine
- Decision-maker research
- Outreach
- Telephone activity
- Follow-up
- Pipeline development
- Commercial optimisation
- Reporting
D2C → B2B + Opportunity Engine
From a new B2B proposition to real target accounts.
- D2C business
- B2B channel created
- Opportunity Engine
- Target accounts & commercial opportunities
- Human sales activity
Part of Channel Creation
D2C → B2B is one form of Channel Creation.
Channel Creation
D2C → B2B is one of eight routes Evans builds — alongside B2B → D2C, D2C → B2B, product to service, productised services, recurring revenue, distributor or partner channels, new customer segments and spare capacity. Explore Channel Creation.
B2B → D2C
Looking at the opposite route — a trade or manufacturing business selling to consumers? Explore B2B → D2C.
Customer Expansion Engine
A new proposition can also suit existing customers. Customer Expansion Engine analyses current accounts for suitable cross-sell opportunities. Explore Customer Expansion Engine.
Market Entry
Channel creation and geographic expansion are different decisions. A company could create a distributor model specifically for international expansion. Explore Market Entry.
Digital
This channel may need: commercial pages, trade portal or forms, crm, sales infrastructure, lead routing, commercial content. Where that is in the agreed Channel Creation scope, no separate Evans website package is needed. For additional or standalone work, see Digital Infrastructure.
AI & Automation
New channels can be designed efficiently from the start — lead qualification, sales workflows, customer communication, quote follow-up, reporting and order administration. Explore AI & Automation.
D2C → B2B guides
Read before you decide.
Can a D2C Business Sell to Other Businesses Too?
Many D2C brands have already had a business ask to buy in bulk, resell, or supply their staff — and quietly turned it into a one-off invoice instead of a channel.
How to Create a Wholesale Channel for Your E-commerce Business
Transitioning from a purely D2C e-commerce model to a wholesale provider requires more than just a volume discount. It requires a shift in operations, pricing, and mindset.
Transitioning from D2C to Wholesale: A Guide for E-commerce Brands
For a successful D2C brand, wholesale is often the 'next frontier'. It offers the scale and stability that fragmented consumer sales cannot, but it requires a fundamental shift in how the business operates.
How to Create a Professional Trade Proposition
A trade proposition is not just a discount. It is a package of terms, services, and support that makes your business a viable partner for other professionals.
How to Set Trade Pricing Without Destroying Your Margin
The biggest risk in B2B is the 'volume trap': selling more units than ever but making less profit because of aggressive discounting and hidden costs.
How to Sell Your Products to Retailers
Selling to retailers is not just about having a great product; it's about being a great supplier. Retailers buy reliability and margin as much as they buy inventory.
How a Residential Landscaper Moves into Commercial Work
Moving from private gardens to commercial contracts requires more than just bigger mowers; it requires a total shift in risk management and procurement.
Building an Opportunity Engine for Your New B2B Channel
Relying on luck or a few personal contacts to build a new B2B channel is a recipe for stagnation. You need a system that predictably identifies and converts opportunities.
The Cash Flow Risks of Rapid Wholesale Growth
It is a commercial paradox: selling more can actually make your business poorer in the short term. In wholesale, growth requires capital long before it returns profit.
Common questions
No. It depends on whether organisations have a genuine reason to buy, whether margins survive trade pricing, and whether operations and cash flow can support volume and credit terms. Evans tests this first.
Rarely. B2B buyers expect different pricing, terms, documentation and contact. Without a proposition and a sales process, a trade page tends to attract occasional enquiries rather than build a channel.
Once the B2B proposition exists, Opportunity Engine can identify target organisations, commercial triggers and decision-makers so human sales activity starts from relevant accounts.
The D2C → B2B Channel Creation Programme starts from £1,995 + VAT per month for six months — from £11,970 + VAT at the starting price. Managed Channel Growth starts from £1,995 + VAT per month.
Trade and credit terms can change working-capital needs significantly. It is assessed during feasibility, before the channel is launched.
No. They are hypothetical examples used to explain how the channel can work. They are not Evans case studies.
D2C → B2B
Could organisations buy from you?
Tell us about the business and the channel you are considering. You will get an honest view — including if the answer is not yet.
Rather talk it through first?
A new channel is not automatically a good channel.
Evans evaluates demand, economics, capacity and risk first — then builds it properly if it is worth building.
Prefer to speak directly?