Question : Customer segmentation for eCommerce site

I am setting up an eCommerce site for a brick and mortar customer whose existing client base gets different levels of product discount and shipping / handling fee structures. The eCommerce site must support both this existing B2B market and anticipate a burgeoning B2C. My question: how to segment the customers in the online store environment so that when they check out, the discounts kick in?

Other factors:

The client uses Navision for customer profiles / inventory management
The Navision database does not distinguish between existing B2B and B2C customers
While there won't be a direct communication between the eCommerce engine and Navision, the data fields of the former will mirror the latter
B2B customers are all over the map in terms of technical savvy

Answer : Customer segmentation for eCommerce site

One method I have used is to create a discount rate feild in the customer table.  The default would be 0 for new customers on the site.

For the B2B customers, have an admin system that your customer can set the rate for them

For example if the wholesaler gets 50% of the rate would be 50.

Then no matter who checks out on the web site, always look to see if there is a dicount rate, if so apply the discount and process the transaction with the reduced rate.

HTH