MktPraxis
Interactive Textbook Module Syllabus

B2B Market Research

Master the unique challenges of business-to-business research: DMU mapping, expert interviews, win/loss analysis, small-universe survey design, B2B segmentation, value-in-use pricing, digital B2B data sources, and GenAI applications.

⏱️ ~57 min reading & interactives 📑 10 sections 🎓 Level: Advanced undergraduate 📐 Math: No math 📚 Courses: B2B Marketing, Marketing Research Methods 🏷️ Topics: Research design, Qualitative methods
Full Interactive Chapter (Account Required) The complete chapter reading, embedded live mini-widgets, inline Check-Your-Understanding questions, and progress tracking are available to enrolled students and verified instructors.
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Chapter Section Outline (10 Sections)

Topics and managerial frameworks covered in B2B Market Research:

  1. 1. Why B2B Research Is a Different Animal
  2. 2. The Decision-Making Unit: Researching the Buying Center
  3. 3. B2B Qualitative Research: Interviews, Win/Loss, and Advisory Boards
  4. 4. B2B Survey Design: Small Populations, Gatekeeper Access, and Respondent Expertise
  5. 5. B2B Segmentation: Firmographic, Needs-Based, and Behavioral
  6. 6. B2B Pricing Research: Value-in-Use, TCO, and Competitive Bidding
  7. 7. Digital B2B Research: Intent Data, Technographics, and Professional Panels
  8. 8. GenAI in B2B Market Research
  9. 9. Case Application — IronBridge Industrial
  10. 10. Practice & Assessment

Interactive Concept Mini-Widgets Embedded in This Chapter (3)

Students manipulate these interactive visual simulations directly inside the chapter reading before answering gated check-in questions:

Derived-Demand Chain

A 4-tier chain: Consumers -> Carmaker -> Parts supplier -> Aluminum supplier. The student moves an end-consumer demand slider (from -20% to +20%) and watches the order-volume swing GROW at each upstream tier (the bullwhip effect; the multipliers are illustr...

Teaches: B2B demand is DERIVED from downstream consumer demand and gets MORE volatile upstream — study your customer's customer and track downstream leading indicators.

DMU Role Mapper

Present a B2B purchase scenario. Student assigns the six Decision-Making Unit roles to stakeholders, then compares against a model answer with expert reasoning.

Teaches: a role is what someone does in this decision, not what their job title says; read the behaviour before you choose.

Buying-Center War Room

A B2B deal with six DMU "doors" (initiator, user, influencer, decider, buyer (procurement), gatekeeper). The student has only 3 interviews to spend.

Teaches: in B2B, one respondent is never the answer — miss a role and your research quietly misreads the deal.

Paired Browser-Based Analytics Calculators (2)

This chapter connects directly to these full MktPraxis analytical apps (with pre-loaded business case scenarios, CSV upload, and reproducible Python export):

👥 K-Means Clustering

Segment customers into distinct groups based on behavior.

Pre-loaded Business Scenarios: Customer RFM Segmentation · Email Campaign Performance · Product Portfolio Positioning · Snackbar Attitudes & Preferences · Marlowe Riptide — Who Are Our Fans, Really?

🎯 Latent Class Segmentation

Probabilistic customer segmentation using LCA/LPA. Discover hidden segments with soft class membership.

Pre-loaded Business Scenarios: Customer Preference Survey · Media Consumption Patterns · Purchase Behavior Profiles