B2B vs. B2C: an empirical attempt to bridge the gap

If B2B and B2C should be considered distinct domains, is an ongoing debate in marketing research and practice. Recent contributions in the IMP group tried to solve this century old dichotomy. With this paper the authors contribute to this cultural debate showing the importance that product attachment plays in the B2B context. Through an exploratory survey on a sample of 514 Italian truck drivers the authors give evidences of the existence of a diffused feeling of product attachment. In a second study, an experiential phenomenological analysis suggests that the extended self is a suitable framework to describe truck possession and usage. This intimate relationship between user and product in a B2B context, has interesting implication for inter and intra- organizational processes and networks, as discussed in the final part of the paper.