The importance of e-commerce increased in Talens AG’s market in recent years. The company is focusing on B2B and its products are present on horizontal marketplaces, such as Digitec Galaxus AG, and on vertical marketplaces specialised on the art supply industry. The online sales of their products to end consumers by their B2B customers are not controlled by Talens AG and they seek a better understanding of the significant Swiss online shops for their industry.

The paper is based on the literature review and qualitative information gathered during interviews conducted with (1) online shop representatives and (2) the client. The data collected during said interviews was evaluated based on a cost-benefit analysis and various market analysis frameworks, such as customer tiering and Porter’s five forces. In addition, the authors leveraged the data to generate personas for a better understanding of the end customers’ needs and to create a framework for future evaluations of online shops as a sustainable solution for manufacturers.

First, Brack and Meinstift belong to Talens AG’s key e-business customers and should be prioritized through personalized services to optimize business performance. Talens AG’s market is highly competitive. The direct competitors, which share the USP of offering a one-stop shopping experience, are listed on similar online shops as Talens AG. Second, a collaboration as a supplier with Digitec Galaxus AG, Microspot and Papeterie Zumstein AG is beneficial to the company in that order. As a merchant operating on Digitec Galaxus AG and eBay in that order should be considered. The role of a merchant on Microspot should be avoided. Third, most online shops have similar data requirements, which are included in a checklist in the paper. The technical requirements for the data transmission differ for every online shop. Fourth, the end consumers can be divided into three subgroups based on their experience with art and crafts. Each subgroup shares a different price sensitivity and has different quality expectations. In the paper, Talens AG brands adequate for each persona or subgroup were identified.