Design Thinking in B2B: A Way Out of the Price War
From Traditional Brainstorming to Real Customer Insights
I’ve been in the marketing business for over a decade. For years, we used the classic approach: sit down, come up with an idea, launch. Some things worked, others had to be redone at the final stage. Eventually, we realized that working behind closed doors just doesn’t cut it. We started spending more time talking to real people—listening, watching, learning about their pain points and needs.
Discovering Design Thinking and Value Proposition Design
When I came across the Design Thinking approach and Value Proposition Design framework, it felt like common sense finally had a structure. We didn’t want to be marketers who hide in offices, disconnected from the real people they’re supposed to serve.
Empathy: Where the Real Magic Happens
The empathy phase of design thinking has always fascinated me most. It’s human nature to see the world differently—but when you truly accept people as they are, without judgment, you can create products and services that are genuinely helpful.
From B2C to B2B: A Mindset Shift
At first, we applied design thinking to communications, then to products, services, and brands—mainly in B2C. Eventually, we brought this mindset into B2B projects.
In the electronics B2B world, success is often reduced to having the product and offering the lowest price. But empathy helped us see that B2B isn’t just company-to-company—it’s human-to-human. And those humans? They have their own challenges and motivations too.
Case Study: Rethinking the B2B Ordering Experience
While designing a new order management system for a tech importer, we conducted interviews with store managers. The insights went far beyond price and delivery times—some people just wanted to finish their workday on time and get home.
We weren’t just looking for insights; we were uncovering behavioral patterns. Without that, you risk building something for a single user, not a broader group.
Don’t Reinvent—Refine What Already Works
Although online order systems already existed, many managers still used good old Skype or email. Why? It was easier. So instead of complicating things with unnecessary features, we optimized what they were already familiar with. Now, they can paste product lists into a field (like in Skype) or drag in an Excel file (like in an email).
Introducing a “Mini-Kickstarter” for New Product Preorders
Together with our client, we created a pre-order system for upcoming product launches. This helps partners plan ahead and boost profits—and helps our client grow order volume predictably.
Solving the “Invisible Marketing” Problem
Our client (Smart Group) regularly brings new, lesser-known global brands into Ukraine and invests heavily in marketing. But during supplier interviews, it became clear: no one knew about those efforts. And yet, partners said they’d love more local marketing support.
So we added key marketing messages directly into the interface—right where partners interact with the product catalog.
Helping Partners Earn More by Improving Experience
Everything we built had one goal: help our client’s partners make more money. Not through discounts or exclusives—but by building stronger relationships and a smoother working experience.
You Think You Know Your Client—But Do You Really?
In B2B, there’s a dangerous illusion that you know your client just because you’ve worked together for years. But our initial client interview gave us one narrative—partner interviews gave us another.
It turned out that the choice of supplier often came down not to price (which was mostly equal) but to ease of working together. Our hypothesis: in B2B, you win in two ways—by giving a bigger discount or by offering a better experience.
Final Thought: Clients Pay for the Value, Not Just the Product
If your product or service genuinely resonates with clients, they’ll pay for it. Because people don’t pay for features—they pay for the value you deliver.
