B2C Commerce Solution for Automotive
Digitization of the purchasing experience has permeated the automotive industry from vehicles to aftermarket parts and service, causing customer expectations to accelerate tremendously. Customers now expect to be able to interact with digital retail channels as part of their car-buying journey. And dealers are becoming focused on purchasing aftermarket parts and accessories for resale. With the rapid transformation of the automotive industry, meeting customers where they are and embracing the new way of shopping is a must. Also important is connecting data between OEM and dealers on top of a flexible, trusted, integrated, and proven Commerce Platform as the foundation of a digital commerce experience.
As part of the ever-evolving automotive customer buying journey:
- 80% of customers now do the majority of their shopping for a new vehicle digitally. Source
- By the year 2025, it's estimated that over 25% of global auto sales are going to be conducted online. Source
Today’s ecommerce buying experience is personalized, targeted, intuitive, and puts all interactions in the hands of the consumer. And for dealers who provide a friendly face and facilitate customer transactions in the dealership, the car buying experience must integrate the in-store and ecommerce experience. By automating the paper cycle for dealers, businesses can facilitate a digital-centric experience. Sales reps encounter an all-in-one guided approach using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, while also obtaining input and insight from the customer’s interactions with the brand’s digital assets. This capability allows the customer to shop and gives them the option to complete the sale from a representative.
Using a complete business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) commerce journey can facilitate easy transactions to help dealers drive more revenue or build a better experience. For example, you can use:
- Multi-site commerce storefronts
- Guided selling and lead management
- OEM operated sites for dealers with local flavors
- Scheduled test drives
- Posted sales, accessories, and parts sales
- Dealer B2B sites
For more information, see Salesforce Industry Solutions for Automotive.
As IT leaders in the auto industry know, there are hazards of building out monolithic single-purpose systems. Think platform, not product. A platform should enable scalability, continuous innovation, and flexibility for growth. This includes automation, intelligence, and personalization at scale, along with an ecosystem of technology partners.
- B2C Commerce Storefront Reference Architecture (Mobile First)
- Multiple and Localized Site Management
- SEO Optimization and URL Management
- Onsite Search
- Product Management (Price Books, Catalogs, Navigation)
- Marketing, Campaigns, & Promotions Engine
- Customer Profile and Account Management
- Customer Segmentation
- AB Testing
- Page Designer and Content
- Dynamic Imaging Service
- Inventory
- Analytics
- Privacy Tools
- Embedded CDN
- Integrated Payments
- Guided Selling
- Curbside Pickup
- Headless API Experience
- AI-Driven Capabilities Powered by Einstein
- Einstein Predictive Sort
- Einstein Product Recommendations
- Einstein Commerce Insights
- Einstein Search Dictionaries
- Einstein Search Recommendations
- Salesforce Order Management
- Ecosystem
- Salesforce Marketing and Service Cloud Integration
Build automotive commerce solutions on top of the Commerce Platform leveraging developer tooling, sample apps, headless APIs, and best practices.
- Commerce Cloud Developer Center
- Open Commerce API (OCAPI)
- Salesforce Commerce API
- Software Development Kits (SDK)
- Mulesoft Connector for Data API
- Build Your Ecommerce Site with Salesforce B2C Commerce
- Develop for Salesforce B2C Commerce
- Headless Commerce: Basics, Implementation Strategies, PWA Kit & Managed Runtime
- Configure On-Demand Sandboxes
- Documentation Hub: B2C & OMS
Salesforce Professional Services teams help you every step of the way. With deep industry and commerce expertise, customer success experts can help plan, scope, and build your next Automotive project.