Modern ecommerce is no longer just about being online. It’s about creating experiences that feel effortless for the customer yet work intelligently behind the scenes. As expectations rise, brands face more pressure to move faster, personalize more deeply, and unify everything from storefronts to fulfillment. Many find that their existing platforms can’t keep up.
That’s why more businesses are turning to commerce solutions that offer more than just transactional features. They need something that adapts, learns, and integrates seamlessly across marketing, sales, and service. Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC), when supported by the right Salesforce implementation and Salesforce consulting services, gives companies a strong foundation to scale intelligently and stay ahead of customer demands.
This comprehensive article delves into the fundamental aspects of SFCC, exploring its core capabilities, the significant business benefits it offers, pricing models, and its position within the competitive ecommerce landscape.
What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a powerful platform designed to help businesses seamlessly manage, market, and sell their products online. With features like AI-powered product recommendations, personalized shopping experiences, and a secure, cloud-based infrastructure, it has become a go-to solution for modern ecommerce enterprises.
By using SFCC, businesses gain access to:
- Unified commerce: Centralized management for multiple storefronts and global regions.
- AI integration: Enhanced customer interactions powered by Salesforce Einstein.
- Scalability: A flexible system that grows alongside your business.
- Security: Enterprise-grade cloud security that safeguards customer and transactional data.
The evolution of Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce entered the ecommerce space with the acquisition of Demandware in July 2016, leading to the launch of Salesforce B2C commerce. In 2018, it further expanded its capabilities by acquiring CloudCraze, a B2B ecommerce provider, which evolved into Salesforce B2B Commerce.
Today, the commerce cloud serves B2C, B2B, and D2C organizations by offering a comprehensive suite of ecommerce solutions. It integrates effortlessly with other Salesforce products and third-party apps, enabling brands to deliver unified, connected experiences that enhance customer loyalty and lifetime value.
As part of the larger Salesforce customer success platform, the commerce cloud also supports headless commerce architecture. This allows design teams to update user interfaces without disrupting business logic, offering greater flexibility and innovation.
Core capabilities of Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers three main capabilities that support customized ecommerce strategies aligned with a company’s specific goals and customer base.
1. B2B commerce
B2B commerce empowers companies to build and personalize ecommerce sites specifically for their business clients and customers who typically place large, recurring, and frequent orders.
It is built natively on the Salesforce Lightning Platform, and B2B commerce taps into Salesforce CRM data, offering a complete view of customer and distributor relationships. Salesforce integration enables businesses to engage intelligently with clients and efficiently manage orders, shopping carts, and service cases.
Features of B2B commerce include:
- Shopping carts are capable of handling hundreds or thousands of items.
- Two-click reordering for rapid, repeat purchases.
- Custom themes for individual storefront branding.
- Product catalogs tailored to specific customer segments.
- Support for multiple delivery locations and flexible shipping schedules.
- Acceptance of various business payment methods such as credit cards, purchase orders, and ACH transfers.
- Custom landing pages with personalized recommendations, branding, and pricing.
Using real-time data and custom configurations, B2B Commerce allows companies to deliver highly personalized purchasing journeys, enhancing engagement and increasing the chances of repeat business.
2. B2C commerce
B2C Commerce is designed for brands that primarily serve individual consumers. This capability enables merchants to build rich, customizable ecommerce websites that feature dynamic storefronts, intuitive shopping carts, and smooth checkout experiences, all aimed at maximizing customer satisfaction.
With deep integration into Salesforce’s marketing and service ecosystems, B2C commerce enables:
- Personalized marketing through social media and email.
- Multiple brand management across geographies.
- Customized customer journeys tailored to regional and demographic needs.
- Omnichannel commerce, including online and in-store purchase options.
- Centralized order and payment processing systems.
Einstein AI further enhances the B2C experience by streamlining the purchasing path, delivering product suggestions, and personalizing every step of the buyer’s journey.
3. D2C commerce
Often referred to as B2B2C, this capability allows businesses to maintain separate storefronts for business buyers and consumers while operating from a single internal ordering system. It also helps sellers to launch new storefronts rapidly using guided setups, streamlined data imports, and shared workflows across Salesforce clouds. D2C commerce supports:
- Drag-and-drop functionality for quick site creation.
- A unified data model that provides a single source of truth.
- Einstein’s recommendations for dynamic personalization.
- Integration with Salesforce AppExchange for extensible growth and revenue generation.
As businesses evolve, D2C strategies are increasingly supported by smart development practices that align digital transformation with scalable architecture. Salesforce development plays a quiet yet foundational role in shaping these adaptive, customer-first experiences.
Top 8 benefits of Salesforce commerce cloud
SCFF offers numerous business benefits that allow companies to optimize their ecommerce operations, enhance customer engagement, and drive substantial revenue growth. Here are some significant benefits:
1. Enhanced customer experience and personalization
SFCC empowers businesses to deliver highly personalized shopping experiences. The platform analyzes customer data to provide tailored product recommendations, customized promotions, and relevant content through the integration of Einstein AI. This level of personalization fosters deeper customer engagement, increases conversion rates, and builds long-term customer loyalty.
2. Scalability and performance
As a cloud-native platform, Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers exceptional scalability, capable of handling high traffic volumes, large transaction loads, and extensive product catalogs. This ensures that businesses can seamlessly manage peak shopping seasons, sudden traffic spikes, and rapid growth without compromising site performance or stability. The multi-tenant cloud architecture provides automatic updates and infrastructure management, reducing the operational burden on businesses.
3. Operational efficiency and automation
SFCC streamlines various ecommerce operations through automation and centralized management. Features like robust order management, inventory tracking, and automated fulfillment processes reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and improve overall efficiency. The platform’s intuitive merchant tools and drag-and-drop interfaces simplify site management, content updates, and campaign launches.
4. Increased revenue and conversion rates
Salesforce Commerce Cloud helps boost sales by making the shopping experience smoother, more personal, and faster. Its innovative tools use AI to suggest related products and better deals, while targeted promotions and efficient checkout processes encourage customers to make purchases.
5. Global reach and multi-site management
The platform facilitates global expansion by allowing businesses to manage multiple online stores across different geographies, languages, and currencies from a single interface. This capability is crucial for brands looking to expand into international markets while maintaining localized experiences.
6. Mobile-first commerce
SFCC is built with mobile-first capabilities, ensuring responsive design, fast loading times, and optimized user experiences across all devices. This focus on mobile commerce is critical for reaching and engaging today’s mobile-savvy consumers.
7. Data-driven decision making
Salesforce Commerce Cloud works closely with Salesforce CRM and Einstein Analytics to help businesses understand how their customers behave, sales trends, and marketing campaign performance. This allows teams to make smarter decisions, improve their strategies, and keep making their online store better over time.
8. Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
As a SaaS solution, SFCC eliminates the need for businesses to invest in and maintain their own hardware and software infrastructure. This reduces upfront capital expenditures and ongoing operational costs, which allows businesses to allocate resources more strategically.
Common use cases:
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is utilized across a wide range of industries and for various ecommerce scenarios:
- Retail and consumer goods: Brands in fashion, electronics, home goods, and other retail sectors use SFCC to create engaging online storefronts, manage product catalogs, and deliver personalized shopping experiences.
- Beauty and personal care: Companies in this sector utilize Salesforce Commerce Cloud for its robust visual merchandising capabilities, personalized product recommendations, and subscription management features, which cater to repeat purchases and customer loyalty programs.
- B2B ecommerce: Manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers use SFCC’s B2B commerce capabilities to streamline complex purchasing processes for their business clients. This includes managing large orders, contract pricing, and integrating procurement systems. A B2B supplier of industrial parts, for instance, could provide a customized portal for its corporate clients to place recurring orders on negotiated terms.
- Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands: Emerging and established D2C brands utilize SFCC to build direct relationships with their customers, control their brand narrative, and offer unique online experiences. A D2C food brand might use Salesforce Commerce Cloud to manage its subscription service and provide exclusive product bundles directly to consumers.
- Omnichannel retail: Businesses with both physical stores and online presence use SFCC to unify their sales channels, providing a consistent customer experience across touchpoints. This includes functionalities such as buying online, picking up in-store, and shipping from the store.
- Subscription-based businesses: SFCC supports recurring revenue models, enabling enterprises to manage subscriptions, process recurring payments, and offer customers self-service options for modifying subscriptions.
Pricing models, competitors and market position
Pricing models
Salesforce Commerce Cloud’s pricing is multifaceted. It’s important to note that specific pricing details often require direct consultation with Salesforce, as they can vary based on Salesforce customization, volume, and contract terms.
| Edition | Pricing Model | Key Features |
| Starter suite | $25/user/month (billed monthly or annually) | Basic CRM suite with marketing, sales, service, and simplified commerce features |
| Pro suite | $100/user/month (annual, contract required) | Enhanced automation, chat, quoting, forecasting, and AppExchange access |
| Commerce cloud pay‑as‑you‑go | 1 % of GMV/month (billed monthly) | No upfront commitment, includes 6 D2C storefronts, Order Management Lite, and payments |
| Commerce cloud growth | 1 % of GMV/year (billed annually) | 6 storefronts, Order Management Lite, analytics, automation, segmentation |
| Commerce cloud advanced | 2 % of GMV/year (billed annually) | 10 storefronts, complete order management, advanced analytics, segmentation, and personalization |
| Commerce cloud B2C premium | Custom pricing (annual) | Unlimited storefronts, complete order management, advanced data, and AI capabilities |
Competitors
The ecommerce platform market is diverse, with numerous players catering to different segments. Salesforce Commerce Cloud primarily competes with other enterprise-grade platforms, though it also faces competition from scalable SaaS solutions. Its main competitors include:
- Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Commerce): Known for its extensive customization options and open-source flexibility, Adobe Commerce is a strong contender for businesses requiring highly tailored ecommerce experiences. It appeals to both B2C and B2B enterprises.
- Shopify Plus: A leading SaaS platform, Shopify Plus is popular among fast-growing brands and large enterprises due to its ease of use, rapid deployment capabilities, and vast app ecosystem. It excels in providing a streamlined, cloud-hosted solution.
- BigCommerce: Another robust SaaS ecommerce platform, BigCommerce offers strong out-of-the-box features, scalability, and support for headless commerce, making it a viable alternative for businesses seeking a comprehensive hosted solution.
- SAP Commerce Cloud: Part of the broader SAP ecosystem, this platform is often chosen by large organizations with existing SAP investments, offering deep integration with other SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
- Oracle Commerce Cloud: Oracle’s cloud-based offering provides a comprehensive suite of ecommerce tools for both B2C and B2B, often appealing to businesses already utilizing Oracle’s enterprise software.
- WooCommerce: Primarily serving small to medium-sized businesses due to its WordPress integration. WooCommerce holds a significant market share overall due to its accessibility and flexibility for those operating within the WordPress ecosystem.
- VTEX Commerce Platform: A composable commerce platform that offers flexibility and agility, allowing businesses to build highly customized ecommerce solutions by combining various services and APIs.
Market position
Salesforce Commerce Cloud holds a unique and strong position in the ecommerce market, particularly within the enterprise segment. SFCC is not designed for small businesses; its target audience is large, established brands and enterprises with complex ecommerce needs.
Among enterprise-level ecommerce platforms, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is consistently recognized as a leader by independent research firms like Gartner and Forrester. It’s strength lies in several key areas:
- Unified customer view: Its seamless Salesforce integration, marketing, and service clouds provides businesses with an unparalleled 360-degree view of their customers. This holistic approach enables highly personalized experiences and streamlined operations across all customer touchpoints.
- AI-driven innovation: The continuous integration of Salesforce Einstein’s AI capabilities, including predictive analytics and generative AI, keeps commerce cloud at the forefront of ecommerce innovation, allowing businesses to automate, personalize, and optimize their operations more effectively.
- Scalability and reliability: The platform’s robust cloud infrastructure ensures high availability and performance, critical for large-scale retail operations, especially during peak seasons.
- Flexibility and extensibility: Support for headless and composable commerce architectures provides businesses with the flexibility to create unique storefront experiences and integrate with a wide array of third-party applications and services via the Salesforce AppExchange.
- Global capabilities: Its multi-site and multi-currency support make it an ideal choice for global brands looking to expand their international footprint.
In essence, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is positioned as a comprehensive, enterprise-grade solution that uses the power of the Salesforce ecosystem to deliver intelligent, unified, and scalable digital commerce experiences. Its market position is defined by its ability to serve the complex needs of large businesses seeking a robust, integrated, and future-proof ecommerce platform.
Conclusion
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is more than just an ecommerce platform; it is a strategic asset that empowers businesses to build lasting customer relationships, optimize their sales channels, and achieve sustainable growth in the digital economy.
SFCC helps businesses sell smarter by bringing everything into one place. It supports different types of online selling, including B2B, B2C, and D2C. With features like built-in AI, mobile-friendly design, and tools to manage multiple stores, it makes it easier for companies to offer a better shopping experience and grow without extra complexity.
As customer expectations continue to rise, having a flexible and reliable platform becomes more important. Salesforce Commerce Cloud gives companies the tools to stay competitive, understand their customers better, and improve how they manage and scale their online business.
If you are exploring custom Salesforce solutions or need help implementing Commerce Cloud for your business, Xavor’s team is here to support you with expert guidance and tailored services. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] to get started.
