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.

The company says Commerce Cloud now “natively connects all aspects of commerce — B2C, direct-to-consumer and B2B commerce; order management; and payments; with sales, service, and marketing — on a single platform.”

“This enables a complete view of the customer journey with a shared catalog and user profile,” the company adds. “By unifying catalogs, pricing, orders, marketing segments, and engagement intent, companies 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 top 2000 online retailers use Salesforce as their ecommerce platform, according to Digital Commerce 360 data. In 2023, those 76 online retailers combined for more than $136.077 billion in web sales. Salesforce’s B2B clients include such companies 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 range 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 provide 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 line with the expectations of end user B2B buyers and consumers. In today’s world, buyers expect their favorite brands to connect 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 president and general manager of Commerce Cloud, says the new version “embodies unified commerce — giving businesses a single, integrated platform that brings every part of the commerce journey together with ‘Agentforce’ agents to unlock new 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 are focused on offering personalized experiences to each and every customer to meet their unique needs,” Frank DeMaria, vice president 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 increase in online sales and customer satisfaction.” MillerKnoll is widely known for its HermanMiller and other brands.

Salesforce laid out the following 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 manage stock levels, anticipate demand, and enables customer service reps to access product recommendations and add items directly to a customer’s cart during support interactions. Shoppers can also view accurate in-stock information by store location on the business’s website.
• Both B2C and B2B commerce businesses can build direct-to-consumer sites that are intuitive for users. “For example, a medical device company that typically sells knee braces through distributors like doctor’s offices can set up a direct-to-patient site with the look, feel, and speed that consumers are used to in their day-to-day digital shopping experiences.”
• Amazon “Buy with Prime” for Salesforce Commerce Cloud integration, online companies can use Amazon’s fulfillment network.

Racine adds, “Salesforce Commerce Cloud and the entire Salesforce product suite now can become unified under their latest release, which ultimately will give marketers and business users a full 360-degree view of the customer and allow brands to build experiences and ordering workflows that lean predictive instead of reactive. The cherry on top of all of this is the introduction and integration of Agentforce, which will bridge the world of AI and brands to unlock potential gains around merchandisers and buyers. It will be exciting to see these new features and technologies implemented and the uplift they can 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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