A co-authored blog by TradeCentric and Trifecta
B2B eCommerce has become a core sales channel for many businesses. As a result, organizations are seeking ways to increase the return on their digital B2B investments, while maximizing efficiency and continually improving the buyer experience.
According to a recent McKinsey report, eCommerce will account for over a third of B2B revenue for companies offering it in 2024. The report highlights that “driven by the rapid integration of digital technologies, sellers are continuously investing, innovating, and experimenting with how they present their offerings.”
For organizations already using eCommerce platforms such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud, there is significant opportunity in enhancing flexibility to meet evolving customer needs and developing a smooth end-to-end purchasing process through effective integration with customers’ procurement systems.
This blog explores how the combined strength of TradeCentric and Trifecta provides Salesforce Commerce Cloud users with an innovative, flexible, and scalable solution to maximize the value of PunchOut in a Headless Commerce environment.
What is Headless Commerce on Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
Headless Commerce separates the customer-facing part of an eCommerce site from the back-end processes, using APIs to connect them for a smooth, adaptable experience. It enables customer functionality to be added or changed quickly and flexibly, without impacting core CRM and sales processes.
By extending Salesforce Commerce Cloud with Headless Commerce, your business can build custom front-ends while leveraging Salesforce’s robust back-end infrastructure, using APIs to connect key functions such as product data and shopping cart management.
Benefits of Headless Commerce
- Customizable Front-Ends: Create unique user experiences tailored to devices, markets, or segments, without being limited by platform constraints.
- Faster Innovation: Parallel development allows teams to deploy updates faster and integrate third-party tools easily.
- Unified Customer View: Access a 360-degree customer view within the Salesforce ecosystem for more personalized interactions.
- Scalability: Front-end and back-end components can be scaled independently to optimize performance.
- Future-Proofing: Adapt to new technologies and channels without overhauling or rebuilding the entire system.
PunchOut with Headless Commerce
Leading companies are leveraging Headless Commerce with B2B Connected Commerce solutions such as PunchOut, to offer customers a streamlined and automated purchasing experience.
PunchOut is a connection between a buyer’s eProcurement or ERP solution and a supplier’s eCommerce system. PunchOut helps suppliers provide real-time catalog pricing and availability to their buyers for a seamless purchasing experience.
Headless Commerce offers greater flexibility and customization by separating front-end functions from the back-end and connecting them using APIs. Similarly, PunchOut enables the front-end catalog to be developed and connected flexibly through an integration layer.
Benefits of PunchOut and Headless Commerce
- Front-End Customization: Offer personalized user interfaces, catalogs, and pricing for each buyer without altering back-end functionality.
- API-Driven Integration: The PunchOut process is powered by APIs, making interactions between eProcurement/ERP systems and eCommerce back-ends smoother and more flexible.
- A Seamless Experience Across Channels: PunchOut functionality can be extended across web, mobile, and other touchpoints for a consistent user experience.
- Scalability: Easily scale PunchOut integrations for new eProcurement systems while maintaining a stable back-end.
How TradeCentric and Trifecta Maximize Value for Salesforce Commerce Cloud Users
The combined strengths of TradeCentric and Trifecta provide Salesforce users with an innovative, flexible, and scalable solution that unlocks the full potential of PunchOut in a Headless Commerce setup, driving greater value and efficiency in their eCommerce strategy.
TradeCentric’s market-leading B2B Connected Commerce platform integrates PunchOut with headless storefronts via API-driven user session management, delivering a seamless end-to-end purchasing experience that can be adapted and scaled rapidly to changing business needs.
Trifecta offers extensive Salesforce expertise and accelerator capabilities to help customers quickly set up headless commerce environments, enhancing Salesforce Commerce Cloud beyond its core functionality.
To learn more about how the combined strengths of TradeCentric and Trifecta can transform your B2B eCommerce capabilities, visit us at: tradecentric.com and trifecta.com.
