www.pwc.

com/value-chain

The new B2B value chain:

Competing on experience,
cost and responsiveness
2 PwC The new B2B value chain

Executive summary

Consider this scenario: an industrial product The priority for B2B organisations will be to identify and
manufacturer has an end-to-end value chain that implement balance: understanding how, when and where
engages its customers similarly to how Amazon along the value chain the customer experience can be
interacts with its shoppers, offering visibility enhanced efficiently. This is critical because even as B2B
into availability, delivery time and progress. The companies recognise the need to embrace experience,
manufacturer delivers supply chain transparency they cannot do so by sacrificing hard-won efficiencies in
and real-time tracking like FedEx and SenseAware. cost and responsiveness.
Its ecosystem works together in a way reminiscent
of how Apple connects and bundles its products, To achieve the right balance, B2B leaders should focus on
services, app developers and customer support. several key areas. To start, they’ll need to rethink the way
And its products are supported by human-centred they define and deliver experience at each stage along the
design on par with what Warby Parker provides to value chain. They’ll need to create a cohesive ecosystem
customers shopping for glasses. that supports all customer interactions. They’ll also need
to foster an understanding of and high-quality engagement
The common thread that links these new ways of thinking with the individuals who represent their customers, for
about the B2B customer is a differentiated and valued example, those working in procurement, maintenance and
experience. Yet for many B2B organisations, experience distribution. To develop this understanding and effectively
has meant a focus on product characteristics and the incorporate experience into the value chain based on
promise of customisation; these companies often lack the needs of each customer, leaders can focus on six
an end-to-end view of their customer interaction along strategic priorities.
the value chain. Instead, the ability to provide best-in-
class delivery (responsiveness) at a competitive cost has
traditionally been the winning combination for industrial
manufacturers and other B2B organisations that have
outflanked their rivals.

Increasingly, however, such optimisation has

become ubiquitous in many markets. At the same
time, COVID-19 has triggered supply chain disruptions,
shifts away from face-to-face relationships towards
always-on digital experiences, and changes in customer
needs and buying patterns. The B2B value chain evolution
started before the pandemic but is now imbued with
an even greater urgency.
3 PwC The new B2B value chain

Defining and delivering

the B2B customer
experience

Experience spans the customer life cycle, permeates the It’s also important for B2B players to fully understand the
end-to-end value chain and ecosystem, and is manifested user perspective—otherwise, providing a great overall
throughout the product’s lifetime and beyond. It can be experience will be difficult. This may require special effort
delivered in different ways by multiple employees and for customers, distributors and employees, because
partners, and a variety of factors should be considered in B2B industrial manufacturers often know their immediate
its design. customer but lack user insights. (For an example of
a company that controls and designs for both, see
B2B and industrial organisations need to ground “Connecting the dots at John Deere,” page 8.)
every decision—including design, sales, planning,
production, delivery, service and support—in an intimate What does this comprehensive approach to experience
understanding of markets and customer segments, look like when mapped to the value chain? From the
and they need the agility to deliver a great experience manufacturer’s perspective, the value chain can be
for each of these segments. For example, companies seen as a continuum. But for the purpose of illustration,
must understand the occasions during which customers we can consider it to begin with the product or offer,
have needs and make decisions, and who makes these then move along a familiar path from presales and
decisions. They must tease apart the specific needs of customer acquisition to sales, to operations planning
each customer and segment, particularly where current and production, to delivery and installation, and then to
offerings leave needs unmet. They also must assess how after-sales and service (see Exhibit 1, page 4). Points
the company will interact with the customer after the initial of interaction occur at these stages, as well as in the
product delivery and measure the impact of each decision experience of repeat customers and through the influence
based on how the customer will realise value. of marketing.
4 PwC The new B2B value chain

Exhibit 1: Experience along the B2B value chain

s 1 Pr
ines odu
t bus ct
a off
pe er
Re
7

2
Pr
es
e
nd li ervic

ale
s
,s

and
nd analyt
ta a
fe
port

ics
Da

cust
6 After-sales sup
and seco

omer acquisition
Customer

s
5D

al e
ds
eli v

an
ery

io n
an

at
d

st
ur

ig
in

al nf
lat o
io n
3C

4 Op
e r a ti o n s a n d p l a n ni n g

Material flow Information flow

Source: PwC

At each of these stages, companies should reflect on For example, during the offer or product development
their customer interactions, ensuring that the tasks stage, B2B organisations need to update their products,
involved reflect the needs of each customer, with the solutions and services on an ongoing basis given changes
intent to serve the customer throughout the integrated in requirements, competitive improvements, digitisation
journey. Not every company will need to rethink every and other factors. They can better understand the market
step of the value chain for every customer. An important by seeking input from current and potential customers
part of this strategy is determining where the pain points through interviews and surveys and by analysing what
or opportunities are for each client and then making competitors are offering. Based on their assessments,
decisions based on these assessments. they should ensure that they have the right digital
collaboration and simulation tools in place, as well as the
right go-to-market and channel options.
5 PwC The new B2B value chain

During the presales stage, B2B organisations need to Customers may find it difficult to articulate what elements
be able to demonstrate how their products meet or of the experience add value. It is therefore critical to be
exceed the customer requirements and to customise objective and to use analytics strategically to identify and
configurations for individual customers, for example, understand the most important elements of experience
based on co-innovation. It is important to recognise for each customer. Tools that have been employed in
that the presales stage is not linear and can be long consumer environments—such as conjoint analysis using
and iterative. For many complex products and purchase discrete choice, customer surveys and journey analysis,
decisions, as in the energy or defence sectors, this stage and customer and employee listening via closed-loop
can take several months or even years. Furthermore, feedback (surveys) and text analytics (call centres,
the digital experience plays a much more significant chatbots)—can offer helpful insights. These insights,
role in B2B buyers informing their own thinking and in turn, are part of the enterprise agility1 and learning
then researching and validating their decisions, so that process, which enables adjustments to various stages of
they are actually engaging with a much smaller number the B2B value chain.
of prospective sellers before they get to a proposal.
(For a more detailed look at how experience can be
integrated and enhanced along the entire value chain,
see the Appendix.)

1 Sujay Saha, Matt Egol and Matthew Siegel, “Enterprise agility and experience management efforts work best when they work together,” strategy+business, 23 Sept 2020:
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Enterprise-agility-and-experience-management-efforts-work-best-when-they-work-together.
6 PwC The new B2B value chain

Creating an integrated
ecosystem

Examining and optimising the physical flow of the Of course, alternative technologies, platforms, solutions
value chain is critical, but experience is also enabled and suppliers exist for almost all its capabilities. But the
and delivered by a company’s ecosystem—its employees significance lies in how Apple has brought its ecosystem
and the suppliers, partners, distributors, experts, together. The company’s distinctive understanding of how
technicians, service providers, trainers, analysts and consumers value each element has enabled it to achieve
others involved in the end-to-end customer journey. outsized performance for more than 20 years.
The goal is an integrated and optimised ecosystem
of capabilities, processes, apps, and user and expert The same experience excellence is within reach for
communities that creates bundled value propositions industrial manufacturers and those that serve the
beyond the product itself. B2B marketplace. Leading industrial companies have
developed a deep understanding of their customers’
Apple, for example, makes careful choices about the experiences and are tailoring their offerings to similarly
design and features of the iPhone and has achieved deliver exceptional value. John Deere has made notable
industry-leading retail performance. But the company also progress in this area, and companies such as Bosch, Dow,
provides an ecosystem that serves consumers’ needs IKEA, Siemens, Bayer, Trumpf and others have recently
with apps, media content, photo storage and connectivity embarked on similar journeys, recognising the importance
to their business email, as well as a platform that enables of experience across their ecosystems.
connection to social media—all enhanced by one of the
most advanced user experiences in the world. Apple’s We have found that looking at the ecosystem with a
supply chain and distribution model reflect a similar focus broader lens that considers a combination of value chain,
on quality, flexibility and visibility, with their focus on stakeholder needs and industry structure can be useful.
Apple stores, digital distribution, app ratings, chip design Such a lens can be used in multiple ways, including to
and approach to contract manufacturing. design-in experience. Exhibit 2 (page 7) illustrates
how the ecosystem aligns with the stages along the B2B
value chain.
7 PwC The new B2B value chain

Exhibit 2: The B2B value chain ecosystem

Analysts Social media

ss 1 Pr
sine odu
at bu ct
off
pe er
Re
7

2
Pr
es
e
nd li ervic

Service ale Distributors

s
,s

technicians nd analyt and and service

ta a
fe
port

ics
and service Da technicians
cust
6 After-sales sup

providers
and seco

omer acquisition

Customer
s
5D

al e
ds
eli v

an
ery

io n
an

at
d

st
ur

ig
in

al nf
lat o
io n
3C
Distributors 4 Op Financing
e r a ti o n s a n d p l a n ni n g
and service and leasing,
technicians trainers

Suppliers
and facilities

Material flow Information flow

Source: PwC
8 PwC The new B2B value chain

Connecting the dots at John Deere

Over the past two-plus decades, John Deere has been transforming from a pure equipment manufacturer to a
data-driven technology company2 in order to deliver more value to farmers, helping them to collect data and harness
it for improved farm management. It has taken the following actions as part of this evolution:

Customer and technology Ecosystem

• Emphasises deep customer knowledge and insights • Streamlines the role of its dealers and distributors to
enabled by technology be value- and customer-focused
• Updated its digital tools to enable additional value, • Designed an account management approach that
such as links to weather data treats every corporate customer as a ‘consumer,’
• Maps customer journeys for multiple segments with a focus on being personable and accessible
• Enhances its products and platforms in terms of • Provides services such as electronic billing and
modularity and customisation payments to help its dealers and customers with
efficiency
• Uses its online presence and e-commerce
capabilities to supplement its dealers and its own • Trains dealers, maintenance technicians and users,
customer service and support and sponsors vocational training programmes at
colleges in the US and Canada

Supply chain Brand and culture

• Reconfigured its manufacturing and distribution • Emphasises a culture of customer- and human-
network centricity
• Creates supply chain visibility internally and for its • Positions its brand to represent all the preceding
customers and dealers themes

2 Sebastiaan Nijhuis and Iris Herrmann, “The fourth industrial revolution in agriculture,” strategy+business, 10 Oct 2019: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/
The-fourth-industrial-revolution-in-agriculture.
9 PwC The new B2B value chain

Embracing a
human-centred
experience

A human-centred experience3 respects the often unseen In addition, interactions in the ecosystem outside the
employees of your B2B customer as the ‘consumers’ pump manufacturer’s direct supply chain—including
of your company, and emphasises a shift from a with distributors, service shops and suppliers—shape
transactional exchange to a meaningful interaction the experience of the paper manufacturer. Each of
and relationship. Consider, for example, a supplier of these touchpoints can convey elements of value and
industrial pumps, selling to a paper manufacturing experience, a ‘moment of truth.’ Your customer listening
company (the B2B customer in this scenario). Individuals efforts should pinpoint where there are both issues and
in various functions of the paper manufacturer—including opportunities across your customer touchpoints, creating
procurement, finance, operations, maintenance and a strong insights-to-action loop. These experiences can
logistics—are involved in a series of exchanges with the and should be anticipated, and designed, based on a
pump supplier, such as sales, service, engineering and cost–benefit analysis.
accounts receivable.
The ‘customer’ is not a single person or entity but
These interactions involve the product, as well as represents the various functions and stakeholders at
associated elements such as service and life-cycle the customer, and the relevant people involved in these
support. But they also involve ongoing exchanges with the functions. And behind every business customer are
customer’s procurement and supply chain team regarding the people who choose or influence the products and
delivery information and performance; the health, safety services chosen for their organisation. They make or
and environment team regarding safety and risks; and shape these choices based on their assessment and
the finance team regarding billing and payments, among perception of value.
others. Each of these interactions creates value for the
customer and has an element of experience tied to both As in the consumer context, these decisions are often
financial and non-financial metrics. driven by many dynamic factors, including how customers
believe the product or service will deliver value and how

3 Tom Adams and Ryan Hart, “Redefining B2B customer experience: COVID-19 catalyzes big changes,” strategy+business, 4 June 2020: https://www.strategy-business.
com/blog/Redefining-B2B-experience-COVID-19-catalyzes-big-changes.
10 PwC The new B2B value chain

it compares to competitors’ offerings; how the product or marketing, dealer interactions, website exchanges and
service is supported by dealers, after-parts and service customer service. Many of these interactions will need
providers, and experts and training institutes; and how investments in systems and operating model elements
various functions and individuals in their organisations and, most important, in training and culture change.
will experience the product or service. It is a deep
understanding of how these decision-makers and The foundation of all this is empathy—the ability of an
influencers balance options that defines what companies organisation and its people to consistently be aware of
should prioritise. the customer’s frame of reference and context, and to
anticipate and respond accordingly. Among the more
The human-centred experience needs to be designed into well-known and high-impact examples of empathy in
not only the product or service, but also the interactions action is GE Healthcare’s redesign of the MRI experience
and touchpoints between the company’s organisation for children after an engineer observed their terror and
and its supporting ecosystem. Most of the interactions connected it with the high rate of sedation required. When
and customer journeys can be anticipated and designed, the overwhelming experience became an adventure,
with particular attention paid to the moments of truth. that rate dropped drastically, and customer satisfaction
Doing so will require the use of data and insights, as increased by 90%.4
well as a method to communicate about interactions
and transactions, such as traditional or social media

4 Jason Ogle, “The Life-Changing Impact of Empathy in Design,” Medium, 31 Jan 2018: https://medium.com/user-defenders/the-impact-of-empathy-in-design-
b55c3157d070.
11 PwC The new B2B value chain

Conclusion: Six priorities

for B2B company leaders
Once companies define and map their customer  Consider, for example, what Trumpf has pursued
experiences, create the right ecosystem to support for the past ten-plus years. In 2009, the company
customer interactions and embrace a human-centric began allowing customers to initiate the ordering,
approach, they’ll need to develop a strategy to bring configuration and production process digitally. In 2015,
the new B2B value chain to life. Here are six priorities it started using its laser-marking machines to inscribe
to help company leaders get started. a unique data matrix product code on every part—
similar to a three-dimensional QR code—to simplify re-
1. Think about the value chain, not just your physical ordering and identification. And since 2017, customers
supply chain. The B2B customer relationship begins have been able to photograph and upload an image of
before the sale is made and continues through the the code with Trumpf’s service app to place an order.
customer’s use of the product and return to buy again. The codes have also enabled end-to-end traceability
To balance cost, responsiveness and experience, B2B and improvements to after-service performance,
organisations need to look at the end-to-end customer including the ability to remotely monitor a tool’s usage.
journey, making individualised choices for products
and services, various elements of purchase, the supply When an order is received, it triggers the company’s
and distribution chain, and so on. This also means semi-autonomous production system, which
being able to measure the end-to-end value chain, on determines the order priority and assigns each order
both traditional operational data and experience data. to the right machine with open capacity—under the
watch of plant employees. As a result, compared with
2. Know your customers’ priorities. Although most its performance in 2009, the company has reduced its
companies understand product and customer throughput time from four days to four hours, doubling
segmentation well, they do not adequately embed it capacity while increasing the service level from 40%
in their value chains. Segmentation must be based to 97%.
on customer needs, in terms of product, sales model
and supply chain. B2B manufacturers should consider 3. Establish clear experience leadership. It is widely
this process to be dynamic, rather than fixed, to recognised that the right leadership is needed to
enable them to respond to different customers in embed experience into products and marketing. As a
different ways. result, in recent years, the role of customer experience
has been highlighted—particularly in B2C—as a key
Dynamic supply chain segmentation is the design convergence of the marketing and product dimensions.
and operation of distinct end-to-end value chains The next challenges are to consider the rest of the
from suppliers to customers. The configuration of end-to-end value chain and to not only consider the
the supply chain is determined by attributes such customer’s journey across these functions but also to
as customer value, product, and manufacturing establish the organisational leadership and culture to
and supply capabilities.5 Because the company can enable such an end-to-end experience.
react flexibly to customer preferences and business
requirements, this segmentation shapes the notion of
tradeoffs among cost, responsiveness and experience.

5 PwC, Connected and autonomous supply chain ecosystems 2025, 2020: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/industrial-manufacturing/digital-supply-chain.html.
12 PwC The new B2B value chain

Increasingly, that’s the role of the chief experience experience have set themselves apart. They’ll need
officer—a role that is responsible for what PwC has sharper and more focused visibility into the customers’
defined as ‘return on experience’ leadership (ROX3),6 end-to-end experience and a minimised lag in
a system of metrics that captures a company’s information—all to enable better delivery, decision-
return on its investments in customer and employee making and responsiveness. What’s critical here is
experience. The emergence of this role in B2B separating the signal from the noise and focusing
companies elevates the issue of experience and on the handful of elements that are differentiating.
increases how sales and operations collaborate and Companies should always be asking how data informs
supplement the product to truly delight customers.7 their understanding of the market, including current
and potential customers.
4. Enhance your digital capabilities. A digital sensing
and analytic capability is one of the fundamental Bayer Crop Science is using digital technologies in its
building blocks for creating an experience advantage. value chain as a key enabler of its customers’ business
Leading industrial manufacturing companies have transformation. For example, Bayer enables new
been investing in big data, machine learning and AI for business models by making data on climate and field
many years to increase the pace of innovation, lower conditions available to customers. It uses machine
costs and remain competitive, by enabling them to learning and AI to predict demand—a necessity in a
rapidly derive insights from data and translate those volatile business with long production lead times. And
insights into opportunities to better serve customers. it uses connected ordering and e-commerce tools to
improve planning and demand sensing and to provide
However, companies that have been able to apply their a 360-degree view of the end-to-end supply chain.
digital and analytic capabilities to include improved

6 Matt Egol and Sujay Saha, “ROX3: Boosting returns on leadership, customer, and employee experience,” strategy+business, 27 Jan 2020: https://www.strategy-business.
com/article/ROX3-Boosting-returns-on-leadership-customer-and-employee-experience.
7 Denise Lee Yohn, “Why Every Company Needs a Chief Experience Officer,” Harvard Business Review, 13 June 2019: https://hbr.org/2019/06/why-every-company-needs-
a-chief-experience-officer.
13 PwC The new B2B value chain

5. Focus on physical capabilities and skills. B2B 6. Make an emotional connection. How does your
companies need to take into account not only their customer feel when interacting with your company?
physical assets and capabilities—including product, The emotional side of creating an experience
manufacturing and warehouses—but also the firmware advantage is possibly the most important attribute,
that determines how they interact with customers, the but it is also the hardest to achieve. Doing so requires
variety they can offer and the speed at which they can a fundamental shift from a transactional exchange
deliver. As the importance of each competitive priority to a meaningful, customer-oriented, human-centred
is determined by its customer or product segments, experience. And it requires intimacy and empathy
the ways a company chooses to balance these will to fully understand the customer and its various users
shape the operating model. This process includes to create a connection between the physical and
choices around such things as vertical integration, emotional. Trust is the ultimate goal—which in turn
capital allocation, network footprint, IT systems, drives brand loyalty, value creation and return
processes, decision-making, organisation structure, on investment.
performance management and alliances.
For example, as highlighted in the sidebar above,
Each of these operating model components must Deere has been successful in its efforts to inspire its
be informed by the direction in which the business account teams to understand the emotions involved in
is trying to move, and the impact to the balance of working with their corporate customers as consumers.
the three critical priorities. How does each part of the The company has adopted customer-centricity as part
company’s infrastructure—including manufacturing, of its culture and brings the customer’s perspective
distribution and footprint—operating model and into all business and technical decisions.
platforms support the customer experience, and how
do they do so collectively? Does it create an agile  ompanies that achieve the right balance of cost,
C
experience that can react quickly to the customer’s responsiveness and experience in their end-to-end value
changing needs? As part of this effort, companies chains will be able to create platforms for value creation.
should establish a continually improving organisation Those that do not include experience in this equation risk
by attracting digital talent and upskilling the supply being commoditised and marginalised. The imperative
chain workforce, and optimise collaboration models is clear: now is the time for industrials to rethink the B2B
with an extended partner ecosystem to drive value chain to meet their customers’ evolving needs.
innovation in the supply chain.

IKEA is driving innovation and sustainability across

the chain by working in ‘development networks,’ in
which teams of experts collaborate across functional
areas and geographies. These networks define
innovation priorities and create a development plan
that summarises the status quo and articulates a clear
vision. The company has developed a road map that
details priority initiatives and helps it to avoid repetition
and to take advantage of synergies across the
development networks. It also has established clear
leadership, including two heads for each development
network and their executive-management sponsors.
14 PwC The new B2B value chain

Appendix

A detailed look at experience along the value chain. Agree on final pricing, financing and delivery needs:
negotiate overall and module pricing; confirm financing
Product/offer requirements and terms; make delivery schedule and
other commitments.
Voice of the customer and needs analysis: seek input
from current and potential customers through customer Finalise terms and contract: confirm payment and
and other interviews and surveys; analyse competitive delivery terms; finalise contract.
products; explore opportunity for services and digital
accompaniments. Operations and planning
Design and engineering: co-development with Operations planning: demand planning, which involves
customers’ engineers; use of collaboration tools; ease of engaging with customers; managing vendor inventory for
customisation; use of virtual reality and augmented reality customers.
for product experience; simulation models.
Purchasing: confirming customer standards;
Offer and go-to-market design: explore alternatives to engaging customer-specified suppliers as appropriate;
deliver the product and accompanying services, including use of sustainable suppliers, such as fair-trade coffee
digital options, based on the understanding of needs; bean suppliers.
assess go-to-market and channel options.
Production: confirmation of production location and other
details; batch tracing; customisation.
Presales and customer acquisition
Quality and inspection: quality and inspection results;
Demand/lead generation: targeting existing or new batch control; required regulatory approvals.
customers or responding to customer requests, directly or
through channel partners, to identify upcoming marketing
Delivery and installation
demand; digitising of trade shows and innovation centres,
creating an always-on experience for the customer. Warehousing and transportation planning: planning of
warehouse location; order batching; transportation.
Configuration and channels: co-innovation of the
product or service; a digital-enabled channel approach; Fulfilment and logistics: providing order status; delivery
and customisation of configurations. tracking; and milestone-based automated billing and payment.

Demonstrations and technical support: support Installation: on-time installation, accompanied by

discussions of how the product and configurations fit the demonstrations or pilots and supported by experts.
customer needs; conduct demonstrations; help validate
configuration options. After-sales support, service and second life
After-sales delivery model and adjustments: assign
Configuration and sales appropriate internal or external service team and location;
Confirm final product configuration, installation seek ongoing feedback; monitor service level agreements.
needs and after-service: finalise configuration to fit the After-sales and service: Remote monitoring; spare
customer needs; obtain installation requirements; agree on parts availability; predictive maintenance; user training;
after-service needs and scope. individualised customer service.
Second life: Reverse logistics; refurbishment; resale;
seeking customer feedback.
15 PwC The new B2B value chain

Key contacts

Anil Khurana Supporting contributors

Global Industrial Manufacturing and
Automotive Leader, Principal, PwC US Scott Kittrell
[email protected] Director, PwC US
+1-734-773-8902 [email protected]
+1-585-721-6287
Steve Pillsbury
Principal, PwC US Sean Centilli
[email protected] Director, PwC US
+1-773-383-1263 [email protected]
+1-616-890-9475
Brett Cayot
Principal, PwC US Jens Henning Krause
[email protected] Senior Manager, PwC Germany
+1-312-371-5559 [email protected]
+49-1514-1879996
Reinhard Geissbauer
Partner, PwC Germany Also contributing to this report was former
[email protected] PwC US principal Eric Dustman.
+49-170-939-1263

Matthew Egol
Principal, PwC US
[email protected]
+1-732-208-5828

Stefan Schrauf
Partner, PwC Germany
[email protected]
+49-151-461-23326
www.pwc.com/value-chain

© 2021 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of
its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure
for further details.
This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute
for consultation with professional advisers.