Positioning B2B Commerce against standalone ecommerce platforms
Key Takeaway
Position B2B Commerce on the Salesforce Platform it runs on. Store data shares one unified data model with CRM. Admins and merchandisers build stores declaratively, so developers can focus on integrations.
B2B Commerce is an app for building online stores where business buyers, such as distributors, dealers, and wholesalers, order and reorder on their own. Because B2B Commerce is built on the Salesforce Platform, each store shares CRM data, a unified data model, security, and tools with the rest of Salesforce. When you position it against standalone ecommerce platforms, lead with that foundation. Much of its value comes from the foundation, not only from its storefront features.
Who B2B Commerce is for
B2B businesses sell bulk goods to buyers from other businesses. They earn revenue from orders, reorders, and subscription services. B2B businesses operate in four primary markets: producers, resellers, governments, and institutions.
B2B Commerce sites are designed for a smaller set of known customers who place extremely large, frequent, or recurring orders. Buyers serve themselves anytime and anywhere, so orders, reorders, and subscriptions keep flowing.
A chain of 30 hardware stores buys screws and anchors from one manufacturer. Each Monday, the chain's buyer logs in to the manufacturer's B2B Commerce store and reorders the same large shipment for every location. Nobody at the manufacturer has to take the order by phone. The buyer can place the order from anywhere, at any hour.