Salesforce Inc., a pioneer in merging ecommerce and CRM software, is leaping further into unified commerce with its AI-powered, next-generation version of Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
Salesforce’s move to unify the experience of commerce … is in step with the expectations of end user B2B buyers and consumers.
Justin Racine, principal, unified commerce
Perficient
The corporate says Commerce Cloud now “natively connects all elements of commerce — B2C, direct-to-consumer and B2B commerce; order management; and payments; with sales, service, and marketing — on a single platform.”
“This permits a whole view of the client journey with a shared catalog and user profile,” the corporate adds. “By unifying catalogs, pricing, orders, marketing segments, and engagement intent, firms can deliver personalized interactions, increase loyalty, and grow revenue across every customer touchpoint.”
Salesforce cites unified commerce as a $1.5 trillion opportunity
Salesforce sites data from research from Adyen, which notes that adopting unified commerce strategies presents a $1.5 trillion opportunity for retailers globally.
In North America, 76 of the highest 2000 online retailers use Salesforce as their ecommerce platform, in accordance with Digital Commerce 360 data. In 2023, those 76 online retailers combined for greater than $136.077 billion in web sales. Salesforce’s B2B clients include such firms as Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE Renewable Energy and Chambers Gasket.
Salesforce asserts that AI powers core elements of its new-gen technology to autonomously manage a variety of tasks, including product recommendations and order lookup, by accessing and using multiple data sources, including digital and in-store interactions with customers, orders, inventory levels, customer reviews, unified customer profiles and CRM data.
“By tapping into this unified data, these [‘Agentforce’] agents augment employees to offer tailored interactions, strengthen customer relationships, and contribute to improved margins,” Salesforce says.
Justin Racine, principal, unified commerce at digital agency Perficient, says “Salesforce’s move to unify the experience of commerce under their vast umbrella of products is in step with the expectations of end user B2B buyers and consumers. In today’s world, buyers expect their favorite brands to attach and communicate with them based upon their previous behavior, preferences and purchases.”
Salesforce says AI-backed Agentforce agents will unlock revenue
Michael Affronti, senior vice chairman and general manager of Commerce Cloud, says the new edition “embodies unified commerce — giving businesses a single, integrated platform that brings every a part of the commerce journey along with ‘Agentforce’ agents to unlock recent revenue opportunities and AI-powered efficiency, delivering consistent, personalized experiences across every channel.”
Furniture designer and manufacturer MillerKnoll says the unified platform will help his company provide a more unified customer experience.
“We’re focused on offering personalized experiences to each customer to fulfill their unique needs,” Frank DeMaria, vice chairman of Digital Engineering & Platforms at furnkiture designer and manufacturer MillerKnoll, says in a Salesforce press release. He adds that the connection “to sales, service, marketing, and more, helps us create a unified experience across our portfolio of brands. We’re already seeing the rise in online sales and customer satisfaction.” MillerKnoll is widely known for its HermanMiller and other brands.
Salesforce laid out the next features in today’s new-gen Commerce Cloud announcement:
- AI-backed ‘Agentforce Buyer’ delivers an autonomous shopping experience for B2B buyers, helping them find products and place or reorder purchases with pre-negotiated pricing through chat or messaging channels.
- In-store Inventory Planning provides real-time inventory data, insights, and precise predictions to administer stock levels, anticipate demand, and enables customer support reps to access product recommendations and add items on to a customer’s cart during support interactions. Shoppers can even view accurate in-stock information by store location on the business’s website.
- Each B2C and B2B commerce businesses can construct direct-to-consumer sites which can be intuitive for users. “For instance, a medical device company that typically sells knee braces through distributors like doctor’s offices can arrange a direct-to-patient site with the look, feel, and speed that customers are used to of their day-to-day digital shopping experiences.”
- Amazon “Buy with Prime” for Salesforce Commerce Cloud integration, online firms can use Amazon’s success network.
Racine adds, “Salesforce Commerce Cloud and all the Salesforce product suite now can grow to be unified under their latest release, which ultimately will give marketers and business users a full 360-degree view of the client and permit brands to construct experiences and ordering workflows that lean predictive as a substitute of reactive. The cherry on top of all of that is the introduction and integration of Agentforce, which is able to bridge the world of AI and types to unlock potential gains around merchandisers and buyers. It should be exciting to see these recent features and technologies implemented and the uplift they’ll provide to revenue and customer loyalty.”
Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. [email protected].
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