Let’s face it: the best time to launch a digital storefront for your B2B business was before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 digital transformation accelerated rapidly, and B2B buyers were incentivized to adopt digital purchasing as their go-to. And now, digital laggards are feeling the pressure to deliver superior commerce experiences: according to our 2021 B2B Buyer Report, 90% of B2B buyers would switch if a supplier’s digital channel couldn’t keep up with expectations.

For both commerce newcomers and incumbents looking to upgrade, Salesforce B2B Commerce for Lightning offers customizable experiences and seamless integration to your Sales, Service, Marketing and Experience Clouds. Not sure if it’s the right solution for you? As Digital 360 Partners, our experts at Avionos are here to help. 

What Is B2B Commerce on Lightning?

B2B Commerce for Lightning Experience is the new standard for all B2B commerce implementations. It empowers commerce administrators to define customer buying experiences through the Lightning Experience Builder, which features a user-friendly drag and drop interface. Administrators can now segment experiences using Audience Builder, creating opportunities for personalization that weren’t available before. 

Lightning Experience includes:

• New features that help your sales and service teams focus on the right deals, customers, and activities every time they log in.
• Flexible, interactive tools that help your team visualize data more effectively 
• A user-friendly interface, similar to Sales Cloud, Experience Cloud and Service Cloud.

Why Choose B2B Commerce Lightning Experience? 

• Build Better Experiences. With simple drag and drop functionality, it’s easier than ever to build unified experiences across channels.
• Fast-Growing Features. Lightning’s foundational feature set is growing quickly, incorporating new updates that outpace B2B Commerce Classic. 
• Innovation Focus. The future of Salesforce lies in multi-cloud innovation – and B2B Commerce Lightning will integrate more seamlessly with other cloud solutions. That means better better opportunities for innovation and better experiences for your buyers.
• Rich Content. Great content on B2B sites can build buyer confidence and decrease the time to purchase. Where B2B Commerce Classic requires customization to integrate with content, Lightning offers native authoring and external content management.
• Data Management. Eliminate duplication and connect data management with Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and CPQ. 
• Faster Maintenance. Automatic upgrades means faster maintenance and less regression, which means you can trust that your commerce experiences stay cutting edge.

Who Benefits from B2B Commerce on Lightning Experience? 

In short: Everyone! Both employees and buyers will benefit from customizable experiences, simplified purchasing, and integrated content. If you’re a storefront manager, expect B2B Commerce on Lightning to get you to market faster and connect easily to Salesforce data and processes. It’s also easy to manage products, categories, pricing, promotions and search.

Business buyers will benefit from a seamless self-service experience. Quick page loads and search powered by Einstein make online purchasing faster and more intuitive. And because vendors have a complete view of a customer’s previous purchases, cases or questions, buyers will benefit from a better digital experience – leading to increased long-term buyer loyalty.

What if I’m on B2B Commerce Classic? 

Don’t worry: B2B Commerce Classic will still be supported and receive critical updates for the foreseeable future. But if you’re looking to make regular commerce enhancements, are multicloud, or want to roll out to new geographies in the future, you might want to explore B2B Commerce on Lightning Experience. 

Where Do We Go From Here? 

If you’re looking to launch a storefront quickly – or you’re on an outdated technology and want to migrate to Salesforce B2B Commerce on Lightning – Avionos is here to help. From our Quick Start for B2B Commerce to our case studies across verticals, we’ve got the experience to help you achieve your commerce goals and drive digital revenue. Ready to get started? Contact us here.