One Practice, Two Kinds of Customer Relationship

B2B and B2C are not mutually exclusive categories. Instead, they represent different types of customer relationships that can coexist within the same firm. This can be seen in the case of Heronden Vets, which is a useful example of a business that operates mainly as a B2C organisation because its services are directed primarily at pet owners and their animals. Heronden Vets presents itself as an independent veterinary practice focused on personal care for pets and their owners, which shows a strong consumer-facing identity (Heronden Vets, n.d.).

However, Heronden Vets could explore a B2B strategy without losing its B2C focus. The practice might become a referral, facilities or clinical support partner for other veterinary practices, where its qualifications, capacity and facilities support that role. Smaller practices may have gaps in access to diagnostics, monitoring, specialist services or overnight care. The strategic opportunity is to identify which needs a practice can genuinely meet, rather than assume it should offer everything. This could create a hybrid model in which pet owners remain the final consumers while other practices become business partners and referral sources.

This approach links closely to B2B relationship marketing. B2B marketing is often based on long-term trust, collaboration and value creation rather than one-off transactions (Das et al., 2025; Eng, 2015). Rusthollkarhu et al. (2020) argue that value in B2B markets is increasingly created through wider sales ecosystems, where firms work together to deliver better outcomes. For Heronden, this means the practice should not position itself simply as a supplier. Instead, it could position itself as a trusted clinical partner that supports other veterinary practices while helping them retain client confidence.

Segmentation, targeting and positioning could also support Heronden’s B2B development. Heronden could segment nearby veterinary practices by location, size, case type and service gaps. It could then target practices that lack particular clinical facilities or specialist capacity. Its positioning could focus on independence, trusted care, fast communication, clinical expertise and respect for the referring practice’s client relationship. This would help Heronden differentiate itself from larger corporate veterinary groups.

Account-based marketing could also be useful. Instead of marketing to all practices in a general way, Heronden could identify a small number of priority practices and build tailored relationships with each one. This could include referral packs, named clinical contacts, CPD sessions, wet-lab training, rapid case updates, discharge reports and co-branded client information. Account-based marketing is useful in B2B because key accounts are treated as individual markets, allowing communication and relationship-building to be more specific and strategic (Burgess & Munn, 2017).

Therefore, the line between B2B and B2C is useful but flexible. Heronden Vets can remain B2C because pet owners are still the final users of the service, while potentially developing B2B relationships by serving other veterinary practices as referral partners and business customers. This shows that B2B and B2C are not separate worlds but overlapping relationship models. The distinction can evolve over time as a firm develops new services, partnerships and routes to market.