How Salesforce Commerce Cloud is Redefining Retail

The evolution of retail has been nothing short of revolutionary, with technology playing a pivotal role in reshaping the industry. Salesforce Commerce Cloud stands at the forefront of this transformation, offering retailers a powerful tool to enhance their online presence and customer experience.

What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud?

Salesforce Commerce Cloud, formerly known as Demandware, is a comprehensive platform designed to power growth in the e-commerce sector. Its vision is to automate sales across the entire customer lifecycle, embedding AI-driven commerce from digital storefronts to integrated apps for sales, service, and marketing.

The Evolution of Salesforce Commerce Cloud

As experts in the field, we at GetOnCRM Solutions have observed that Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC) is a leading SaaS solution tailored for companies aiming to establish a strong online presence. Renowned brands such as Adidas, Puma, and Lacoste leverage SFCC for its robust capabilities. The platform’s origin traces back to the acquisition of two products by Salesforce: Demandware in 2016 and CloudCraze in 2018. SFCC is designed to seamlessly integrate all communication channels, ensuring a consistent experience for customers, whether they’re shopping on a desktop or mobile device.

Diverse Offerings for Varied Needs

SFCC provides two distinct products catering to different retail needs:

• Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud: Ideal for businesses looking to launch online storefronts for bulk purchasing, either from suppliers or wholesale. Features such as transparent pricing, AI-driven ordering, smart search, and direct business customer interactions can potentially boost operating profits up to $3.6M in three years.
• Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud: Tailored for businesses interacting with individual online shoppers. The platform boasts an AI engine named Einstein, complemented by social media extensions, a comprehensive marketing suite, multiple store templates, and more. Its forte lies in personalization, ensuring customers receive relevant shopping recommendations, and enhancing sales and conversions.

Key Features of Salesforce Commerce Cloud

• Predictive AI: SFCC’s Einstein AI enhances shopping experiences by analyzing store visitor behaviour to optimize search results, product sorting, and recommendations.
• Omnichannel Suite: SFCC ensures a seamless customer journey across all touchpoints, both digital and physical.
• Optimized Localization: SFCC simplifies localization, allowing businesses to easily adhere to country-specific legal and market requirements.
• Advanced Marketing and Merchandising Tools: SFCC offers tools for consistent product display and pricing across different regions, along with sophisticated marketing features for campaign management.
• Mobile Optimization: With the rise in mobile traffic, SFCC adopts a mobile-first approach, ensuring websites are fully responsive and offer a range of payment options, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Top Benefits of Salesforce Commerce Cloud

• Smart Data Analysis: Gain a holistic view of customer behaviour and leverage this knowledge to offer relevant products and services.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Offer smart product recommendations, predictive sorting, and advanced search suggestions. Integrate online and offline shopping experiences for greater customer satisfaction.
• Increased Marketing Efficiency: SFCC bridges the gap between marketing and sales, offering tools for content, catalogue, product, and pricing management across multiple sites and currencies. Built-in targeting and A/B testing tools further refine marketing campaigns.
• Customization: With the “Page Designer” feature, even those without technical expertise can design user-friendly e-commerce websites.
• Consistent Experience Across Devices: SFCC ensures websites are responsive, providing a consistent look and feel across various devices.
• Exceptional Customer Support: SFCC enhances customer support efficiency, reducing call times and case volumes.
• Reduced Maintenance Costs: As a SaaS solution, SFCC handles upgrades, security checks, and other technical aspects, reducing the burden on retailers.

The Role of CRM in Retail Execution

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have traditionally been used to manage customer interactions, track sales, and provide post-sales support. However, in the context of modern retail, CRM’s role has evolved significantly.

Salesforce’s CRM, when integrated with the Commerce Cloud, offers a holistic view of the customer. Retailers can track a customer’s journey from the moment they land on the digital storefront through their browsing patterns to the final purchase and post-purchase interactions. Such detailed tracking allows retailers to offer personalized discounts, loyalty rewards, and even post-purchase support, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Furthermore, a unified CRM and e-commerce platform means that all customer data is centralized. It is invaluable for large retailers managing multiple touchpoints. Whether a customer interacts with a brand through its mobile app, website, or even in-store, the experience is consistent and personalized, thanks to the integrated data from the CRM.

Integration with Salesforce Digital 360

SFCC is part of the Salesforce Digital 360 suite, which integrates commerce, marketing, and CRM systems. This ecosystem amplifies the benefits of SFCC, allowing businesses to boost customer engagement, gain insightful analytics, achieve maximum personalization, and streamline payments. At GetOnCRM Solutions, we’ve seen firsthand how this integration can transform a business’s digital strategy. Several global brands, some of whom we’ve had the privilege to work with, have successfully implemented SFCC to enhance their e-commerce operations.

Successful Implementations

Several global brands have successfully implemented SFCC to enhance their e-commerce operations. Brands like L’Oréal, Guess, ECCO, Unilever, and Puma have leveraged SFCC’s capabilities to boost their online presence, improve customer experiences, and drive sales.

The Power of AI in Salesforce for E-commerce

In today’s digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in shaping customer experiences. Salesforce Commerce Cloud is at the forefront of this AI revolution in e-commerce. By leveraging the power of AI, Salesforce offers personalized shopping experiences to users, predicting their preferences and suggesting products that align with their interests. That not only enhances the user experience but also drives higher conversion rates.

For instance, consider a user searching for winter wear on an e-commerce platform. With AI-driven insights, the platform can suggest related products like winter boots, scarves, or even holiday packages to snowy destinations. Such targeted recommendations make shopping intuitive and enjoyable, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Moreover, Salesforce’s AI tools provide valuable insights to retailers about market trends, customer preferences, and inventory management. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI can predict upcoming fashion trends, suggest inventory stocking strategies, and even assist in pricing products competitively.

Also Read: Enhancing Retail Personalization With Salesforce Customer 360 Platform

The Changing Landscape of Retail

The retail industry has undergone a paradigm shift in the past decade. From being predominantly brick-and-mortar, the industry has embraced the digital world, and today’s consumers expect a seamless omnichannel experience.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud is designed to cater to this new-age consumer. With features that offer a unified experience across web, mobile, social media, and even in-store, Salesforce ensures that brands can meet and exceed customer expectations.

Consider the concept of “BOPIS” – Buy Online, Pick up In-Store. Modern consumers might browse products online, compare prices, read reviews, and then choose to pick up the product from a nearby store. Salesforce Commerce Cloud supports such shopping behaviours, ensuring that inventory data is updated in real-time and customers have a smooth shopping experience.

B2C Commerce Cloud: A Deep Dive

B2C Commerce Cloud is Salesforce’s answer to the unique challenges faced by businesses catering to individual consumers. Unlike B2B, where transactions are often bulk and recurring, B2C interactions are more dynamic, requiring a platform that’s both flexible and robust.

• Personalized Shopping Experiences: One of the standout features of B2C Commerce Cloud is its ability to offer tailored shopping experiences. Using AI-driven insights, the platform can recommend products based on a user’s browsing history, ensuring that each visitor to a site feels like the experience was crafted just for them.
• Mobile-First Approach: With the majority of online shopping now happening on mobile devices, B2C Commerce Cloud is designed with a mobile-first approach. It ensures that online stores are not only responsive but also offer features tailored to mobile users, such as one-click checkouts and integrated mobile payment options.
• Global Scalability: For businesses looking to expand internationally, B2C Commerce Cloud offers tools that simplify localization. From currency conversions to regional tax calculations, the platform ensures that going global doesn’t mean starting from scratch.
• Integration with Other Salesforce Products: B2C Commerce Cloud isn’t a standalone product. It’s part of the larger Salesforce ecosystem, meaning it can seamlessly integrate with other Salesforce offerings. That is where expert consultants like us at GetOnCRM Solutions come into play. We specialize in ensuring that businesses can make the most of these integrations, optimizing their operations across the board.

Salesforce in the UK Market

The UK’s retail landscape is rapidly evolving, with e-commerce now playing a pivotal role in how businesses operate. Salesforce has been at the forefront of this transformation, offering solutions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the UK market.

• Growing Adoption: Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable uptick in the number of UK businesses adopting Salesforce solutions. It isn’t just limited to large enterprises. SMEs are also recognizing the value Salesforce brings to the table, especially in terms of scalability and flexibility.
• Local Support and Expertise: While Salesforce is a global brand, its success in the UK can be attributed to its local approach. By partnering with local consultants and experts, Salesforce ensures that businesses have access to on-ground support and expertise. As Salesforce CRM consultants in the UK, GetOnCRM Solutions is proud to be part of this ecosystem. We offer businesses the insights and expertise needed to navigate the complexities of the UK market, ensuring they can make the most of their Salesforce investment.
• Tailored Solutions for the UK Market: Salesforce’s offerings in the UK aren’t just repackaged global solutions. They’re tailored to the unique needs and challenges of the UK market. From GDPR compliance tools to integrations with local payment gateways, Salesforce ensures that its solutions are a perfect fit for UK businesses.

Also Read: Maximizing ROI With Salesforce Commerce Cloud: A Guide For UK Business Leaders

Conclusion

Salesforce Commerce Cloud stands as a transformative force in the evolving retail landscape, offering a blend of advanced features and adaptability. Its commitment to delivering seamless and personalized shopping experiences sets it apart. In the dynamic UK market, the platform, complemented by local expertise from salesforce CRM consultants in the UK like GetOnCRM Solutions, ensures businesses stay ahead of the curve. As retail continues its digital shift, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is poised to lead the way, setting new benchmarks for e-commerce excellence.