Salesforce Inc. is focusing strongly on AI in a multi-pronged B2B commerce software upgrade that promises to improve ecommerce activity among buyers and sellers.

This week, the cloud-based CRM, ecommerce and analytics technology provider introduced five commerce offerings in the Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform. It has designed them to help B2B enterprise commerce companies “drive efficiency and revenue with AI and data.”

In announcing the upgrade and explaining “why it matters,” Salesforce cited the 17% year-over-year growth in 2023 B2B ecommerce sales noted in a recent Digital Commerce 360 report on B2B ecommerce.

Salesforce cited the company’s emphasis on the development of AI technology applications in February. It had reported an 11% year-over-year increase to $34.86 billion in revenue for the fiscal 2024 year, which ended Jan. 31.

Salesforce’s five new AI applications to help B2B companies

1. Einstein Copilot for B2B buyers. A customizable, conversational generative AI assistant that lets B2B buyers use plain-language prompts and photos. With it, buyers can identify desired products, receive personalized recommendations, and engage in “nuanced conversations with a business on any digital channel.”
2. AI-driven goal-setting and recommendations. This lets B2B sellers set in Commerce Cloud growth targets and such goals as higher profit margins and average order values. Sellers then receive AI-powered recommendations for achieving the goals through Salesforce Data Cloud.
3. Generative SEO metadata optimization. This feature uses Salesforce’s Einstein AI platform to “develop search engine optimization recommendations that sellers can use to modify the titles and descriptions of their products as displayed in search results.”
4. Enterprise-scale carts and split shipments. The feature supports up to 2,000 line items in a single online shopping cart for large-volume transactions. “This gives B2B customers the flexibility to split a single order into multiple delivery addresses or shipping speeds based on their distribution needs.”
5. Native merchant services. Integrates shipping, tax and checkout processes in Commerce Cloud, “eliminating the complexity of setting up critical integrations with outside applications.”

Technology market research firm IDC, in a recent global report on enterprise B2B digital commerce technology applications, says Salesforce “has pivoted hard in the direction of integrating generative AI in very interesting, intelligent and secure ways.”

Michael Affronti, senior vice president and general manager of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, says the AI-driven goal-setting and recommendations, enterprise-scale carts and split shipments, and native merchant services are all “out-of-the-box” features that come with Commerce Cloud for no extra charge. He adds that users need to connect with a sales rep to access the new GenAI and Copilot features.

Affronti says that “more than half of Commerce Cloud customers have accepted recommendations made for them with the new AI-driven goal-setting and recommendations, and the feedback has been positive thus far.”

He adds that the recommendations include suggestions for pricing products more accurately based on customer demand, editing storefront design for an easier shopping experience, and bundling items for larger average order value (AOV).”

Paul Demery is a Digital Commerce 360 contributing editor covering B2B digital commerce technology and strategy. [email protected].

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