Salesforce Digital Commerce for B2B: Unlocking Complex Value Chains and Customer Experiences

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, B2B organizations face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Complex buying processes, large order volumes, intricate product portfolios, and the need to support multiple business models—such as B2B, B2B2C, and marketplaces—demand more than just a transactional platform. They require a holistic, future-ready approach that integrates technology, data, and user-centricity across the entire value chain. Publicis Sapient, as a leading digital business transformation partner, leverages Salesforce Commerce Cloud to help B2B enterprises unlock measurable business value, drive innovation, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Navigating the Complex World of B2B Commerce

B2B commerce is multifaceted, encompassing everything from sales and marketing to supply chain, platform management, and channel operations. Unlike B2C, B2B organizations must manage complex product catalogs, support bulk and negotiated pricing, and accommodate diverse buyer personas and approval workflows. The stakes are high: buyers expect seamless, personalized experiences akin to B2C, while organizations must ensure operational efficiency and scalability.

Publicis Sapient addresses these challenges by connecting both frontstage (customer-facing) and backstage (operational) capabilities in an end-to-end ecosystem. On the frontstage, we focus on delivering intuitive digital experiences—personalization, advanced search, flexible ordering, and real-time pricing. Backstage, we optimize the operating model, processes, technology, and data to ensure agility, compliance, and efficiency.

Integrating Frontstage and Backstage Operations

A successful B2B digital commerce strategy requires seamless integration between customer touchpoints and internal operations. Publicis Sapient’s approach includes:

• Composable and Headless Architectures: Leveraging Salesforce Commerce Cloud’s composable storefront and headless capabilities, we enable businesses to decouple front-end experiences from back-end systems. This allows for rapid innovation, easier integration with third-party solutions, and the flexibility to support multiple brands, regions, and business models.
• API-First Integration: Our solutions are built on microservices and APIs, making it easy to connect new capabilities—such as intelligent search, experience management, and order management—into existing technology landscapes or third-party marketplaces.
• Data Governance: We establish robust data governance frameworks early in the transformation journey, ensuring data quality, trust, and compliance. This empowers organizations to act on data, personalize experiences, and drive better business decisions.

Managing Complex Product Portfolios and Business Models

B2B organizations often manage vast and complex product portfolios, with varying configurations, pricing models, and fulfillment requirements. Publicis Sapient helps clients:

• Support Multiple Business Models: Whether you operate in B2B, B2B2C, or marketplace environments, our solutions are designed to be flexible and scalable. We enable seamless onboarding of new channels, partners, and customer segments.
• Personalize Experiences for Diverse Buyer Personas: By leveraging Salesforce’s data and AI capabilities, we help businesses understand and serve the unique needs of different buyer groups—delivering tailored content, pricing, and workflows.
• Automate and Optimize Operations: Automation frees account managers to focus on high-value activities, while personalized recommendations drive cross-sell and upsell opportunities. Our clients have seen up to 35% revenue increases and 20% cost reductions through these enhancements.

Embedding User-Centricity in Traditionally Product-Centric Organizations

Digital transformation in B2B is not just about technology—it’s about people. Many organizations are shifting from a product-centric to a customer-centric mindset. Publicis Sapient embeds user-centricity by:

• Mapping End-to-End User Journeys: We connect the entire purchasing cycle, ensuring visibility and optimization at every step.
• Understanding Buyer Personas: Our approach leverages data to identify key customer groups and tailor experiences to their needs.
• Change Management: Successful transformation requires buy-in from employees. We take a human-centered approach, resetting mindsets and behaviors to ensure adoption and reduce the risk of failure.

Driving Measurable Business Value: Real-World Impact

Our work with leading B2B organizations demonstrates the tangible value of this approach:

• Sonepar: To unify over 170 operating companies and capitalize on scale, we launched a centralized digital platform with a modular architecture. The result: 100% frictionless omnichannel experiences, rapid MVP delivery in nine months, and a digital factory of 200+ employees working in agile sprints.
• Equipment Rental Leader: By reimagining B2B commerce and opening new D2C channels, we delivered a dynamic, component-driven architecture that increased user search activity, reduced funnel leakage, and boosted average order value. The business saw a strong channel shift from offline to online, freeing sales teams to focus on growth.
• Chemicals and Lab Equipment Provider: A redesigned channel value proposition and enhanced Salesforce integration led to 300% e-commerce sales growth in two years and a 200% increase in new customers transacting online.

The Power of Composable Commerce and MACH Principles

At the heart of our approach is MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless)—the foundation for composable commerce. This architecture allows every component of a B2B commerce solution to be pluggable, scalable, and continuously improved. Benefits include:

• Faster time to market for new features and enhancements
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Support for multiple business models, brands, and regions
• True omnichannel experiences across web, mobile, and in-person channels
• Hyper-personalized customer experiences

Why Publicis Sapient?

With over 30 years of digital business transformation experience and deep expertise in Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Publicis Sapient is uniquely positioned to help B2B organizations thrive. Our end-to-end capabilities—spanning strategy, design, engineering, data, and change management—ensure that every transformation delivers measurable business outcomes. We are trusted by industry leaders across manufacturing, distribution, life sciences, automotive, and more.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your B2B digital commerce? Connect with Publicis Sapient to discover how Salesforce Commerce Cloud can help you integrate complex value chains, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and drive sustainable growth.