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Many teams look at Salesforce Commerce Cloud and assume B2B Commerce and B2C Commerce are simply two versions of the same system. Same brand. Same cloud. Surely similar? Not quite.
These platforms may share the Salesforce name, but under the surface, they serve completely different worlds.
B2B Commerce is engineered for business buyers navigating contracts, approvals, and recurring bulk purchases. B2C Commerce is built for consumers who demand seamless, fast, and beautifully designed shopping experiences.
From the architecture to the data model to the implementation roadmap - the two platforms diverge quickly. Understanding these differences before starting an implementation is critical. Choosing the wrong one can lead to costly workarounds and rebuilds later.
Let us break down exactly how they differ and what that means for your business.
Salesforce B2B Commerce is purpose-built for companies that sell to other businesses. It supports complex buying cycles, negotiated pricing, multi-user accounts, and backend integrations that mirror traditional procurement processes.
It is designed for efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability, not visual flair.
Key capabilities include:
In short, it turns Salesforce into a digital procurement engine - helping business buyers transact online without losing the control and compliance their processes demand.
Salesforce B2C Commerce, on the other hand, powers the kind of online experiences consumers love - fast, intuitive, and visually rich.
It is built for scale, storytelling, and conversion, handling high-traffic retail storefronts and large product catalogs while personalizing the experience for every shopper.
Core features include:
It is the platform behind many of the world’s largest retail brands - enabling them to blend brand experience with seamless transaction flow, especially during peak events like Black Friday or product drops.
Both platforms sit under the Salesforce Commerce Cloud umbrella, but they are built for entirely different buyer journeys.
They share Salesforce DNA but behave like different species - one focused on logic, the other on emotion.
Below are the seven areas where Salesforce B2B and B2C Commerce differ most - and what each means for your implementation.
B2B Commerce is account-centric.
Orders are placed by companies, not individuals. Each company may have multiple buyers, each with different permissions, approval limits, and credit arrangements.
Implementation involves setting up account hierarchies, defining buyer roles, and connecting these to approval workflows - often synced with ERP data for accuracy.
B2C Commerce, by contrast, is user-centric.
The individual shopper is the account. There are no hierarchies, approvals, or role-based permissions. The model is intentionally simple - just customers, carts, and orders - allowing for rapid setup and focus on personalization instead of structure.
In B2B Commerce, pricing is highly variable and often negotiated.
It is driven by contracts, customer-specific price books, tiered discounts, and volume-based rules. The implementation challenge lies in connecting Salesforce pricing logic with ERP systems to ensure consistency.
B2C Commerce pricing, on the other hand, is dynamic but straightforward.
It relies on merchandising controls - promotions, bundles, coupon codes, flash sales - managed through business user interfaces rather than backend systems. The complexity lies in creativity, not calculation.
Checkout is where the philosophical difference between B2B and B2C becomes most visible.
B2B Commerce checkouts are long and detailed.
Buyers expect purchase orders, saved carts, requisition lists, partial shipments, and multi-address deliveries - often subject to internal approval workflows. Implementation must mirror enterprise procurement behavior.
B2C Commerce checkouts are fast and frictionless.
The focus is on one-page experiences, guest access, mobile optimization, and multiple payment gateways like PayPal, Apple Pay, or Klarna. Every second added to checkout time risks conversion loss.
B2B Commerce storefronts are functional. Buyers already know what they want - they value precision over presentation. Bulk ordering tools, quick reordering, and SKU search take priority over aesthetics.
B2C Commerce storefronts, by contrast, are part of the brand experience. Visual design, content storytelling, and real-time personalization drive conversions. Implementation requires collaboration across design, marketing, and merchandising teams to create emotion-led journeys that sell.
B2B Commerce implementations are integration-heavy.
They often require deep connections with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft), pricing engines, quoting tools, and inventory systems. Every integration must preserve accuracy - one mismatch can disrupt enterprise trust.
B2C Commerce focuses on marketing and experience integrations - payment gateways, loyalty programs, recommendation engines, and marketing automation platforms. Backend systems are simpler, but front-end integrations are richer and more frequent.
B2B Commerce supports multiple buyers under each account, each with custom permissions, spending limits, and approval chains. Implementation involves building role hierarchies and mapping them to Salesforce user profiles.
B2C Commerce has a much simpler model - a user either has an account or shops as a guest. Personalization replaces role management as the main implementation complexity.
Because of the backend dependencies and data precision required, B2B Commerce projects typically take longer and involve more technical configuration. Integration with ERP systems, contract pricing logic, and approval workflows require detailed planning and testing.
B2C Commerce implementations move faster but demand more investment in design, user experience, and scalability. Peak season performance tuning and personalization engines add a different layer of sophistication.
Your business model determines your platform - not your wishlist.
Choose Salesforce B2B Commerce if you:
Choose Salesforce B2C Commerce if you:
If your buyers behave like procurement managers, go B2B. If they behave like shoppers, go B2C.
Salesforce B2B and B2C Commerce may share a name, but their foundations are worlds apart.
B2B Commerce is about structure, control, and precision. B2C Commerce is about emotion, speed, and scale.
One mirrors enterprise buying logic; the other delivers retail delight.
Choosing correctly is not just a technical decision - it is a business one. Get it right, and your Commerce Cloud implementation becomes a scalable growth engine. Get it wrong, and you end up maintaining two systems to fix one mistake.
Same cloud, two realities. The difference lies in how your customers buy - not in what you sell.
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