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lee carl 2021-08-28

After the acquisition of Demandware for B2C solutions, Salesforce expanded its branch of SaaS Commerce by acquiring CloudCraze, a powerful B2B e-commerce tool.

With CloudCraze, you can quickly launch your e-commerce business and start accepting digital orders – in less than two months.

ROI is quick and your organization can build a business case for projects in the future.

This means you can scale your business quickly on the cloud, and devote greater focus to revenue growth through the digital channel.

Besides ordering, agents can use Salesforce’s partner community to control access for suppliers, customers, and distributors to the platform.

Seamless Product UpdatesWith CloudCraze, you don’t have to look at costly custom-coded enhancements that are crucial for on-premise solutions.

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lee carl 2021-08-12

Automating tasks such as price quotations, user-experience analysis and other data intrusive work will reduce the risk of errors and help businesses divert manpower into something that requires human support.

The Salesforce CPQ software primarily helps businesses quote accurate pricing for orders, but when combined with AI, its power is tenfold.

Artificial intelligence makes everything faster; its integration with Salesforce CPQ will allow businesses to understand user behaviour and offer them items that match their past sales trends.

Problems that Businesses might be facing using the regular CPQAs we are adapting to more user-friendly technology, just using traditional CPQ and billing tools might not be enough to increase customer retention and grow revenue for businesses.

It’s time that businesses must supercharge CPQ with AI and overcome some of the biggest problems mentioned below:Lack of customer interactions, leading to lower closed deals;Absence of personalized offers that the users might be interested in; Higher up-front cost due to unavailability of efficient tools for handling a wider audience;Single-price listing is not feasible for businesses with varied prices across regions or partners;Inability to market content; just focused on selling; Manual coding is required while making any changes;Incompetence to synchronize omnichannel and multi-channel sales; and No user insights to help businesses make the right decisions.

Businesses try to maximize user experience by identifying their weak spots and offering the best product bundles.

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lee carl 2021-07-24

Most successful B2B players realize the importance of learning their customers’ buying patterns at an early stage.To understand buying behavior, marketers need to understand how buyers make decisions.

Buying behaviors that drive the customer’s decision-making journey are extremely complicated and may be impossible at times for mediocre marketers to completely grasp.Getting to Know Your Buyer is one of the keys to running a prolific B2B enterprise as it helps analyze any customer’s needs with precision.

Categorizing buyers is the first step but to get deeper into the psyche of buyers, careful analysis of buying patterns and behaviors, the KPIs and a lot more.

Let’s understand buying patterns and behaviors in detail.Online BuyersAfter its inception, ecommerce has remarkably changed the ways of doing business.

Buyers are more inclined towards an online approach.

However, even after online being the most preferred choice, the actual sale sometimes does not satisfy business-owners.It could be due to the lack of addressing issues such as complex reordering, difficulty in placing orders, laid backorder delivery, or inefficient order tracking.

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lee carl 2021-07-06

salesforce commerce cloud In the initial phase, distributors may put a hold on finding inventory solutions and solely focus on launching their business and creating sustainable business models by choosing product lines and setting up shop through physical and virtual locations.

cpq salesforce While the right inventory management solution may vary for every business, wholesale distributors such as CPG and manufacturing companies may be on the lookout for solutions that are flexible, scalable, adaptable, and most importantly cloud-based for smooth operation in today’s fast-paced, ecommerce-oriented selling environment.

salesforce lightning  Choosing a System That Eases Distributor Pain PointsManaging inventory is not unlike the tale of Goldilocks.

Manufacture or buy too little and you are left to deal with constant stock-outs and unhappy customers, whereas buying or manufacturing extra goods raises carrying costs and obsolete inventory levels.

salesforce lightning Possessing optimal levels of inventory is a delicate balance, but finding that ‘just-right’ level is an absolute must in the CPG industry, where a mismanaged inventory and a dead stock of perishable goods such as food and beverages can drive businesses into the ground.

Inventory management software includes the basics: Product ordering, storage, and control at the right cost.

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lee carl 2021-08-24

Here’s a quote from a Bain & Company report by Fred Reichheld:“… a 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profit.”Not many B2B marketers see customer retention as central to a business’s success.Well, it’s worth knowing that retaining customers costs companies up to five times less than getting new ones.In the B2B space, where the cost of contracts is significantly higher than B2C, the impact of customer retention is even more pronounced.A Harvard Business Review research article by Frederick F. Reichheld and Phil Schefter bears our claim out by stating that customer acquisition costs push businesses into the quagmire of unprofitability.Only by lowering costs per customer can a business turn into a profitable venture.That happens with customer retention, as it turns a stray customer into a returning one.

Trust between parties builds over time, and as their volume of purchases increases so does the ROI.

Don’t let go of customers after they make a purchase.A customer’s relationship with business doesn’t end with a purchase.

Share webinars and tutorials for their edification.Adding value to their purchase is the first step to hook customers for a lifetime.After understanding customer needs, a business can assign a qualified person or direct him/her to self-help resources available in order to cater to customers’ necessities.

Keep in constant touch with your customers.Active communication with customers is practically the best customer retention strategy B2B marketers can employ.Hearing your customers speak about their needs could help a business serve them better.

Their likes and dislikes can prove handy in improving customer experience.A tip on the house: Businesses must conduct surveys to get firsthand knowledge of how customers rate their services and draw from it conclusions as to what else they can do to rectify problems and set issues straight.

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lee carl 2021-08-02

One of the most important factors that any business should ensure when setting up is that it should never put a limit on its growth in any sector.It should never close off any doors that lead to expansion of any kind just because it feels at that moment there is no chance of it happening.With time, a lot of opportunities will appear and if a company is not ready to grab them and scale up, they will never get any further than their current state.It is for this very reason that the B2B business solutions one chooses should have inherent scalability.Salesforce has always been recognized as a premium B2B commerce solution.

In fact, a 2016 study by the International Data Corporation (IDC) in the USA surveying 333 marketers revealed that among others, Salesforce was considered one of the cutting edge options for B2B solutions.While it is primarily known for its CRM products and services, the lines have blurred.

Its products and services are greatly suited for the kind of business that B2B represents.Besides high customer-centrism, analytics-driven processes, and customizability, its capacity for scaling is very useful in providing tailored products to businesses of all sizes.Whether you want a budget-friendly package or enterprise B2B solutions, Salesforce will be able to provide it for you.

Its configuration wizard breaks down the process of choosing the right products for your client into simple steps and guides you through the entire procedure.The Solution Configurator, which helps you predefine pricing rules, and the Pricing Engine, which applies said rules in the required pricing model, makes it easier to generate individual, branded quotes tailored to a client.2.

Risk ManagementMany B2B cashflow solutions slow down from compliance and compatibility issues that give rise to fatal errors and discrepancies during dynamic changes made in contracts.Salesforce largely eliminates the chance of such complications by unifying the different parts of the sales funnel and maintaining real-time alignment to pricing rules, company policies, and product and client-based terms and conditions in contracts.By consolidating related B2B solutions, sales can be undertaken with minimum risk and maximum confidence.4.

Customer Lifecycle RegulationCustomer loyalty is largely based on the ability of a business to fulfill the growing expectations of the client.This implies that with time, a company must scale up its processes that cater to individual clients to prevent their churn in favor of more modern solutions.Salesforce attains this by making the processes of order management and invoicing as straightforward and flexible as possible.Electronic payments are made faster while customer data integration into the system is made quick and accurate to keep all allied operations and analytics running smoothly.For more detailed insights, you can check out this page solely dedicated to Salesforce CPQ.Salesforce EinsteinB2B business solutions, B2B solutions, B2C e-commerce solutions, Salesforce B2B Solutions, salesforce b2b solutions business Salesforce B2B portal solutions are now powered by Einstein, an AI technology that leverages the power of ML, NLP, and advanced data science to let businesses scale more smoothly, no matter the type or size.You can utilize Salesforce Einstein AI for scalability in the following ways:1.

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lee carl 2021-07-19
CloudCraze helps deliver robust B2B cloud commerce native on Salesforce. It allows you to generate online revenue faster and effortlessly scale for growth. Speed to market is critical and innovation is a necessity as digital commerce continues to gain friction. CloudCraze helps increase your agility and ability to adapt in this increasingly competitive marketplace. It enables you to access complete and accurate customer data across sales, service, and commerce, also using real-time data on Salesforce to notify each and every customer interaction. With the excellent capabilities of the CloudCraze data model, businesses can generate online revenue faster, stay connected with customers, and easily scale for growth.
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lee carl 2021-07-05
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Once limited by geography and reach, businesses in the 21st century know no bounds when it comes to growth, thanks to the increasing adoption of technology.

As business buyers increasingly prefer self-service offerings, digital channels become even more integral for B2B players to drive continuous customer engagement.

Some key findings of the study are below: Digital is no longer seen as a primary business channelB2B leaders attribute solid business growth to digital commerce initiativesEvolving customer expectations are further driving digital transformationB2B leaders experience streamlined customer needs with digital commerceDigital is fueling B2B growth B2B organizations today are fast recognizing the value of employing digital channels to offer customers a personalized and responsive experience, which ultimately translates to retention and repeat purchases.

Digital commerce, with its complex ordering features, results in cost savings and offers customers an omnichannel, streamlined buying experience.

Increasingly, businesses are recognizing its benefits in customer acquisition, up-selling, and self-service.

Self-service offerings also free up sales and service executives so they can spend more time building customer relationships, cross-selling and upselling products.

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lee carl 2021-08-20

For a long time, there was a popular misconception that unlike B2C selling, B2B does not need to put the customer at the heart of its strategy.Today, B2B sellers realize the importance of a customer-first approach and that customer relationship greatly affect their businesses in the long run.Customer-first omnichannel commerce is becoming increasingly important for B2B sellers.

This is because many factors; measurable or immeasurable, tangible or intangible; are affected by it.According to several studies, omnichannel investments by B2B players result in greater buyer satisfaction and loyalty.There are innumerable advantages of embracing a customer-first omnichannel strategy if you’re a B2B player in the e-commerce space.

Evolving needs of the B2B buyerB2B players are increasingly taking to e-commerce, which means sticking to a single channel is no longer an option.According to Forrester, over 15% of B2B sales in the US will come from digital channels by 2021, a solid 15% increase in 5 years.The good news is that e-commerce platforms can capitalize on omnichannel strategies better than any other channel.On the other hand, technology adoption has led businesses to make purchase decisions like consumers, which means they want fast online transactions, order fulfillment, and personalized services.Yet, B2B brands fail to offer the kind of omnichannel customer experience they need to.Improving customer experience through an omnichannel strategy results in personalized attention which can boost revenue growth immensely.Converting a single-channel B2B buyer into an omnichannel buyer can increase their spend significantly.And, more corporate buyers use analytics tools to optimize purchasing, which sellers can leverage to predict purchasing trends and offer personalized services.With the power of analytics, brands can gather and synthesize customer data to uncover behavioral patterns – a goldmine for sales opportunities.

Greater buyer satisfactionB2B buyers today expect the same intuitive and personalized experience they receive in the B2C world.An omnichannel strategy gives sellers the opportunity to make sure that their customers are satisfied and get what they really want.It also succeeds in giving a B2C customer experience to B2B buyers, which further increases satisfaction with the purchase experience.By properly responding to their buyers’ problems, sellers have the opportunity to build customer loyalty.This means that building omnichannel capabilities has never been more important for B2B sellers.

Because digital is not the only channel that a buyer touches during their purchase journey, brands must integrate data from all channels to satisfy customers.In fact, buyers will conduct online research even when buying offline, solidifying the need for an omnichannel commerce strategy.Meeting customer expectations is an excellent reason for B2B brands to invest in omnichannel initiatives.Another important reason to do so is to offer a consistent customer experience regardless of the channel since the customer lifetime value depends on a seamless commerce experience across all channels.

Building an omnichannel commerce approachBuilding world-class omnichannel B2B commerce requires the right technology platform, qualified commerce professionals, and a solid customer-first mindset.Therefore, B2B brands must differentiate their offerings in the age of the customer, delivering personalization across all stages of their journey.Using technology to tap into the power of data to delight customers is no longer an option; it’s a requirement.Because buyers expect to be engaged anywhere they are, brands should weave individual touchpoints together to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience.Instead of organizing channels as silos, B2B sellers must adopt an enterprise-wide digital strategy to leverage their omnichannel capabilities.To start doing so, embrace a powerful integrated technology platform that sits between and across enterprise systems and customer touchpoints.Discern customer needs and predict buying behavior with the right tech suite.

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lee carl 2021-07-29

Artificial Intelligence has been influencing humankind for decades.

It has disrupted every area of our lives, from curating ‘Discover Weekly’ playlists on Spotify to predicting our Google searches.In the business arena, there have been alarmist calls surrounding technology replacing human jobs.However, the ultimate role of AI is to assist human efforts and help workers increase productivity, not replace us.Artificial intelligence is transforming every possible field, from marketing to customer support to sales.Although sales and marketing have traditionally been reserved for humans with great communication skills, today, machine intelligence is re-shaping and revolutionizing the field.

How AI is Transforming Ecommerce RetailingIn the realm of business, there are many repetitive and time-consuming tasks like updating the contact list for CRM, fraud detection, product recommendations, and purchase predictions.

These tasks have always been completed by people.Today, with the evolution of technology, Al is able to do these repetitive yet necessary tasks more efficiently while employees focus more on high-priority areas – accounting, operations, teamwork, collaboration, etc.AI works in the background, giving employees the freedom to focus on their unique abilities and areas of expertise.Companies like eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba are using AI to sort through their massive databases of customer purchase behavior to predict their future needs.AI’s automated analysis of individual customers’ needs helps increase efficiency by reducing manual work, therefore providing a competitive advantage.So, just about every brand under the sun is intensively investing their money in Al in order to build brand competitiveness and customer loyalty.

Understand Your Customers Better with AITo develop long-term customer loyalty, marketers can use AI to better understand an individual consumer’s desires.Through predictive analytics, brands recommend the most suitable product offers or send personalized messages through email marketing, messages, etc.This helps to create unique customer experiences and targeted offers that go beyond selling and buying, and strengthen customer relationships with the brand.Artificial intelligence can identify the most suitable customers who are most likely to buy a given company’s products.This gives companies more revenue and sales opportunities as their efforts are directed towards qualified opportunities.Early adopters of Artificial Intelligence have been seeing tangible benefits.For example, Daiwa Securities has been able to increase its customer purchase rate by 2.7 times through the adoption of AI-enabled technology.

AI is the Boost Your Sales Team NeedsToday, consumers’ lives are greatly influenced by a variety of different media.In such an age and day, developing an impactful sales message that is visible to your customers both at the right time and on the right platform translates into the integration of AI with your CRM system.With the help of AI, your CRM system can answer customer queries and resolve their issues.By maintaining a consistent and meaningful relationship with your customers, AI can improve customer engagement and sales.Keeping customers engaged is a primary challenge for e-commerce retailers.AI can easily spark customer engagement by acting as their personal stylist (providing a personalized experience through product recommendations).A common challenge across all industries is to maximize revenue, increase market share, and maintain low costs while minimizing risks.Artificial Intelligence allows companies to take advantage of their internal database to the fullest potential and mine it for new opportunities.

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lee carl 2021-07-16
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Customers wanted to integrate their CPQ and Billing with B2B Lightning while leveraging existing pricing rules and engines to automate the processes.

Once done, the subscription records will be displayed in the storefront.

Managed Self-Service The subscriptions accelerator functionality lets the user stay at the helm of his product purchases and licenses.

From adding seats to the contract and making amendments to the product, its quantity, and installment frequency to renewing, pausing, or canceling existing contracts, the user can do them all without any assistance.

For instance – If a buyer applies for a discount, they can raise a code request and the CSR will be notified, who will look into the details and offer discounts that will then reflect in the cart in real-time and the buyer will be notified of it.

The same validations can help add additional licenses to the existing subscription.

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lee carl 2021-07-03

Is your business missing valuable revenue methods and opportunities to cut down on your bottom-line expenses because you haven’t maximized on B2B e-commerce opportunities?

It’s no longer a novelty for businesses, including B2B businesses, to have an e-commerce presence.

cloudcraze salesforceThose that don’t are missing out on some noteworthy opportunities.

More than half of all Internet users have reported making a purchase online in 2018, including B2B customers.

magento commerce cloudTo grow B2B online sales while competing against Amazon Business and other online leaders, companies need to better understand the customer journey and engage their customers in helpful ways.

salesforce consulting partnersHere are a few tips to help grow B2B e-commerce business:Learn from B2C best practicesB2B companies need to develop strategies and deploy technology that quickly and easily gathers customer information, and incorporate that information into the sales and negotiating process.

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lee carl 2021-08-16

B2B companies, however, have mostly stuck to traditional marketing and customer interaction strategies.While there is nothing wrong with maintaining some conventional aspects of B2B customer interaction, borrowing some customer service strategies from B2C companies can put a B2B company well above its competition.

Competitive PressureOvercoming competitive pressure is pivotal to the success of any B2B organization.

Most traditional B2B companies focus on methods such as developing new products and offering competitive prices to do that.However, competing in dimensions such as price may require you to compromise product quality – something that will drive away regular customers.For this reason, many companies chose to modify customer interaction methods to gain an edge over their competitors.Recent times have seen many small and big B2B businesses altering their IT infrastructure to accommodate better customer service technology.Rather than making adjustments to products and prices, firms have started focusing on customer-centricity.

Modern Consumer and DigitizationIn B2B marketing, customer relationships are believed to be extremely dynamic and often complicated.

However, the old philosophy “the customer is always right” has stayed true even in business-customer interaction.Several B2B companies have had to alter their business portals to suit the habits of their consumers.Such altercations are essential for every brand that wants to stay relevant and successful.In 2016, a Forrester Research study concluded that 40% of consumers “are willing to change spending patterns based on a single experience with a business”.If your brand fails to make that first customer experience engaging, you might end up losing 40% of your valuable consumers.For the past few decades, digitization has dominated every aspect of our lives, making it impossible for B2B companies to escape the realm of digital customer interaction systems.When someone experiences a seamless online transaction fueled by massive digitization from one seller (be it a B2C or B2B seller), they become conscious of its efficiency.These expectations include an attractive user interface, engaging website design, faster load speed, and hassle-free resolution of queries.

When sellers fail to meet these expectations, they risk losing customers to a competitor who does.

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lee carl 2021-07-27

However, if you want to acquaint yourself with it, consider Salesforce CPQ Trailhead.

Salesforce CPQ benefitsMany complexities that hold back B2B businesses from scaling have to do with a lack of technological expertise.In fact, the more sophisticated the operational complexity of the industry, the more it calls for sweeping technological changes.Let’s take the case of the manufacturing industry, where a lot of factors from pricing to shipment factor in and the selling is on a larger scale.Salesforce CPQ streamlines the entire selling process with everything inclined to meet the needs and expectations of individual customers.For someone more interested in counting the benefits of Salesforce CPQ than the technology itself, here are the top benefits of Salesforce CPQ for the manufacturing industry.

2) Squeeze profit for your company even if margins are thinThe dwindling profit margins, because of global competition, create what’s called margin pressure.And for manufacturers, it’s a really bad predicament.But, technology solutions offer a reprieve to those businesses who already find themselves in the midst of margin pressure.Implementing CPQ eliminates non-standardized quotes, promotes intelligent discounting, and facilitates smart upselling.Salesforce CPQ offers sales reps a better understanding of discounts and margins, which helps you squeeze profit for your business out of thin margins.

Its real-time pricing feature has proved fruitful for B2B eCommerce.

Salesforce CPQ Is Intelligent Discounting CPQWhat do we mean when we say that salesforces are intelligent discounting CPQ?

In all its aspects, overt and covert, the discounting process is complicated and hectic.And delicate too, in the sense that as profit margins plummet, bad discounts could ruin the business itself.The reductions in the regular price have to be made in the manner where room for profit isn’t closed, or that customer satisfaction doesn’t come at the cost of business.A balance has to be struck so that both businesses and customers benefit from the discounting process.Since we know that discounts a) increase sales, b) create brand awareness, c) attract new customers, and d) forge lasting customer-business relationships:Salesforce CPQ, as a tool, helps businesses create error-free and accurate sales quotes.Owing to overall Salesforce CPQ Solutions, all inefficiencies are successfully eradicated.Continuing its legacy of solving challenges that B2B ecommerce was replete with a decade ago,Salesforce CPQ provides volume discounts with diligence and intelligence.

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lee carl 2021-07-12

The technological revolution across the globe has entirely changed the dynamics of doing business.This is not going to stop anytime soon, and we’d be lying if we said each business model will flourish if they continue practicing their old, traditional ways.The demand for incredibly fast-paced, always-on buying power shows no signs of slowing down.This makes the maximizing value in digital channels essential for success and it also positions digital to become a primary engagement channel in the B2B universe.To understand where today’s businesses find value in online channels, Salesforce B2B Commerce (CloudCraze) surveyed more than 400 B2B consumer packaged goods (CPG), manufacturing, and software decision-makers across the US and Europe.The findings indicate that B2B organizations that invested early in improved digital channels are beginning to reap the benefits.

B2B businesses across the board view the move to digital as a major opportunity for continued growth.

Major FindingsHere are some highlights from the survey carried by Salesforce B2B Commerce with some statistics to validate the points.1) DIGITAL IS NO LONGER VIEWED AS AN AUXILIARY CHANNEL BY BUSINESS LEADERS:88% of B2B decision-makers anticipate offering products in the next five years that will be primarily sold online.2) BUSINESSES ATTRIBUTE GROWTH TO THEIR DIGITAL PROGRAMS:89% of B2B decision-makers attribute expected business growth to the success of digital commerce.3) CHANGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS DRIVE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION:More than half (52%) of B2B decision-makers believe their customers are eager to adopt new technologies and processes.4) BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF B2B COMMERCE:B2B decision-makers believe customer retention (56%) is the biggest value digital brings to their business, followed by customer acquisition (54%).5) DIGITAL COMMERCE STREAMLINES COMPLEX B2B CUSTOMER NEEDS:B2B decision-makers say the biggest value digital brings to their customers is tailored product offerings (52%), followed by order automation (48%).

They must benefit the business owners in order to make any significant impact on their mindsets.Does digital really stand tall on these claims or is it just another marketing fad?

We have also put some staggering numbers that will emphasize the power of digital.1) Acquiring New Customers59% of B2B decision-makers believe that they were able to acquire customers more easily.2) Upsell/Cross-Sell with Current Customers51% believe they can upsell/cross-sell with current customers more easily.3) Customer Self-Service51% believe their customers can more easily serve themselves.4) Automated Ordering System39% said their automated ordering system gives them more recurring orders.5) Product Offerings26% inferred they can more easily expand/scale product offerings.6) Increase in Sales48% of B2B businesses sell their full line of products online – a number that is only expected to increase.

How the B2C Experience Has Impacted B2BB2C has unknowingly acted as beta for B2B when it comes to shifting business online.

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lee carl 2021-06-30

For centuries, producers of all goods have relied on distributors and marketers to sell those goods and consequently, offer customer service.

Business relationships with B2B partners, affiliates, influencers, and app-to-app premium publishers play a critical role in customer acquisition and engagement.

cpq salesforce Traditionally, retailers managed these partnerships using manual methods such as phone, email, or fax services.

Manual communication methods have lost potency in an age driven by digitization, mainly because of their inability to remain dynamic.

cpq Moreover, the digital age has personalized customer-brand relationships, thereby ushering partnerships that focus on referrals instead of transactions.

For a successful partnership program, retailers use technology to optimize every facet of partnership management.

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lee carl 2021-08-28

After the acquisition of Demandware for B2C solutions, Salesforce expanded its branch of SaaS Commerce by acquiring CloudCraze, a powerful B2B e-commerce tool.

With CloudCraze, you can quickly launch your e-commerce business and start accepting digital orders – in less than two months.

ROI is quick and your organization can build a business case for projects in the future.

This means you can scale your business quickly on the cloud, and devote greater focus to revenue growth through the digital channel.

Besides ordering, agents can use Salesforce’s partner community to control access for suppliers, customers, and distributors to the platform.

Seamless Product UpdatesWith CloudCraze, you don’t have to look at costly custom-coded enhancements that are crucial for on-premise solutions.

lee carl 2021-08-20

For a long time, there was a popular misconception that unlike B2C selling, B2B does not need to put the customer at the heart of its strategy.Today, B2B sellers realize the importance of a customer-first approach and that customer relationship greatly affect their businesses in the long run.Customer-first omnichannel commerce is becoming increasingly important for B2B sellers.

This is because many factors; measurable or immeasurable, tangible or intangible; are affected by it.According to several studies, omnichannel investments by B2B players result in greater buyer satisfaction and loyalty.There are innumerable advantages of embracing a customer-first omnichannel strategy if you’re a B2B player in the e-commerce space.

Evolving needs of the B2B buyerB2B players are increasingly taking to e-commerce, which means sticking to a single channel is no longer an option.According to Forrester, over 15% of B2B sales in the US will come from digital channels by 2021, a solid 15% increase in 5 years.The good news is that e-commerce platforms can capitalize on omnichannel strategies better than any other channel.On the other hand, technology adoption has led businesses to make purchase decisions like consumers, which means they want fast online transactions, order fulfillment, and personalized services.Yet, B2B brands fail to offer the kind of omnichannel customer experience they need to.Improving customer experience through an omnichannel strategy results in personalized attention which can boost revenue growth immensely.Converting a single-channel B2B buyer into an omnichannel buyer can increase their spend significantly.And, more corporate buyers use analytics tools to optimize purchasing, which sellers can leverage to predict purchasing trends and offer personalized services.With the power of analytics, brands can gather and synthesize customer data to uncover behavioral patterns – a goldmine for sales opportunities.

Greater buyer satisfactionB2B buyers today expect the same intuitive and personalized experience they receive in the B2C world.An omnichannel strategy gives sellers the opportunity to make sure that their customers are satisfied and get what they really want.It also succeeds in giving a B2C customer experience to B2B buyers, which further increases satisfaction with the purchase experience.By properly responding to their buyers’ problems, sellers have the opportunity to build customer loyalty.This means that building omnichannel capabilities has never been more important for B2B sellers.

Because digital is not the only channel that a buyer touches during their purchase journey, brands must integrate data from all channels to satisfy customers.In fact, buyers will conduct online research even when buying offline, solidifying the need for an omnichannel commerce strategy.Meeting customer expectations is an excellent reason for B2B brands to invest in omnichannel initiatives.Another important reason to do so is to offer a consistent customer experience regardless of the channel since the customer lifetime value depends on a seamless commerce experience across all channels.

Building an omnichannel commerce approachBuilding world-class omnichannel B2B commerce requires the right technology platform, qualified commerce professionals, and a solid customer-first mindset.Therefore, B2B brands must differentiate their offerings in the age of the customer, delivering personalization across all stages of their journey.Using technology to tap into the power of data to delight customers is no longer an option; it’s a requirement.Because buyers expect to be engaged anywhere they are, brands should weave individual touchpoints together to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience.Instead of organizing channels as silos, B2B sellers must adopt an enterprise-wide digital strategy to leverage their omnichannel capabilities.To start doing so, embrace a powerful integrated technology platform that sits between and across enterprise systems and customer touchpoints.Discern customer needs and predict buying behavior with the right tech suite.

lee carl 2021-08-12

Automating tasks such as price quotations, user-experience analysis and other data intrusive work will reduce the risk of errors and help businesses divert manpower into something that requires human support.

The Salesforce CPQ software primarily helps businesses quote accurate pricing for orders, but when combined with AI, its power is tenfold.

Artificial intelligence makes everything faster; its integration with Salesforce CPQ will allow businesses to understand user behaviour and offer them items that match their past sales trends.

Problems that Businesses might be facing using the regular CPQAs we are adapting to more user-friendly technology, just using traditional CPQ and billing tools might not be enough to increase customer retention and grow revenue for businesses.

It’s time that businesses must supercharge CPQ with AI and overcome some of the biggest problems mentioned below:Lack of customer interactions, leading to lower closed deals;Absence of personalized offers that the users might be interested in; Higher up-front cost due to unavailability of efficient tools for handling a wider audience;Single-price listing is not feasible for businesses with varied prices across regions or partners;Inability to market content; just focused on selling; Manual coding is required while making any changes;Incompetence to synchronize omnichannel and multi-channel sales; and No user insights to help businesses make the right decisions.

Businesses try to maximize user experience by identifying their weak spots and offering the best product bundles.

lee carl 2021-07-29

Artificial Intelligence has been influencing humankind for decades.

It has disrupted every area of our lives, from curating ‘Discover Weekly’ playlists on Spotify to predicting our Google searches.In the business arena, there have been alarmist calls surrounding technology replacing human jobs.However, the ultimate role of AI is to assist human efforts and help workers increase productivity, not replace us.Artificial intelligence is transforming every possible field, from marketing to customer support to sales.Although sales and marketing have traditionally been reserved for humans with great communication skills, today, machine intelligence is re-shaping and revolutionizing the field.

How AI is Transforming Ecommerce RetailingIn the realm of business, there are many repetitive and time-consuming tasks like updating the contact list for CRM, fraud detection, product recommendations, and purchase predictions.

These tasks have always been completed by people.Today, with the evolution of technology, Al is able to do these repetitive yet necessary tasks more efficiently while employees focus more on high-priority areas – accounting, operations, teamwork, collaboration, etc.AI works in the background, giving employees the freedom to focus on their unique abilities and areas of expertise.Companies like eBay, Amazon, and Alibaba are using AI to sort through their massive databases of customer purchase behavior to predict their future needs.AI’s automated analysis of individual customers’ needs helps increase efficiency by reducing manual work, therefore providing a competitive advantage.So, just about every brand under the sun is intensively investing their money in Al in order to build brand competitiveness and customer loyalty.

Understand Your Customers Better with AITo develop long-term customer loyalty, marketers can use AI to better understand an individual consumer’s desires.Through predictive analytics, brands recommend the most suitable product offers or send personalized messages through email marketing, messages, etc.This helps to create unique customer experiences and targeted offers that go beyond selling and buying, and strengthen customer relationships with the brand.Artificial intelligence can identify the most suitable customers who are most likely to buy a given company’s products.This gives companies more revenue and sales opportunities as their efforts are directed towards qualified opportunities.Early adopters of Artificial Intelligence have been seeing tangible benefits.For example, Daiwa Securities has been able to increase its customer purchase rate by 2.7 times through the adoption of AI-enabled technology.

AI is the Boost Your Sales Team NeedsToday, consumers’ lives are greatly influenced by a variety of different media.In such an age and day, developing an impactful sales message that is visible to your customers both at the right time and on the right platform translates into the integration of AI with your CRM system.With the help of AI, your CRM system can answer customer queries and resolve their issues.By maintaining a consistent and meaningful relationship with your customers, AI can improve customer engagement and sales.Keeping customers engaged is a primary challenge for e-commerce retailers.AI can easily spark customer engagement by acting as their personal stylist (providing a personalized experience through product recommendations).A common challenge across all industries is to maximize revenue, increase market share, and maintain low costs while minimizing risks.Artificial Intelligence allows companies to take advantage of their internal database to the fullest potential and mine it for new opportunities.

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Most successful B2B players realize the importance of learning their customers’ buying patterns at an early stage.To understand buying behavior, marketers need to understand how buyers make decisions.

Buying behaviors that drive the customer’s decision-making journey are extremely complicated and may be impossible at times for mediocre marketers to completely grasp.Getting to Know Your Buyer is one of the keys to running a prolific B2B enterprise as it helps analyze any customer’s needs with precision.

Categorizing buyers is the first step but to get deeper into the psyche of buyers, careful analysis of buying patterns and behaviors, the KPIs and a lot more.

Let’s understand buying patterns and behaviors in detail.Online BuyersAfter its inception, ecommerce has remarkably changed the ways of doing business.

Buyers are more inclined towards an online approach.

However, even after online being the most preferred choice, the actual sale sometimes does not satisfy business-owners.It could be due to the lack of addressing issues such as complex reordering, difficulty in placing orders, laid backorder delivery, or inefficient order tracking.

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Customers wanted to integrate their CPQ and Billing with B2B Lightning while leveraging existing pricing rules and engines to automate the processes.

Once done, the subscription records will be displayed in the storefront.

Managed Self-Service The subscriptions accelerator functionality lets the user stay at the helm of his product purchases and licenses.

From adding seats to the contract and making amendments to the product, its quantity, and installment frequency to renewing, pausing, or canceling existing contracts, the user can do them all without any assistance.

For instance – If a buyer applies for a discount, they can raise a code request and the CSR will be notified, who will look into the details and offer discounts that will then reflect in the cart in real-time and the buyer will be notified of it.

The same validations can help add additional licenses to the existing subscription.

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salesforce commerce cloud In the initial phase, distributors may put a hold on finding inventory solutions and solely focus on launching their business and creating sustainable business models by choosing product lines and setting up shop through physical and virtual locations.

cpq salesforce While the right inventory management solution may vary for every business, wholesale distributors such as CPG and manufacturing companies may be on the lookout for solutions that are flexible, scalable, adaptable, and most importantly cloud-based for smooth operation in today’s fast-paced, ecommerce-oriented selling environment.

salesforce lightning  Choosing a System That Eases Distributor Pain PointsManaging inventory is not unlike the tale of Goldilocks.

Manufacture or buy too little and you are left to deal with constant stock-outs and unhappy customers, whereas buying or manufacturing extra goods raises carrying costs and obsolete inventory levels.

salesforce lightning Possessing optimal levels of inventory is a delicate balance, but finding that ‘just-right’ level is an absolute must in the CPG industry, where a mismanaged inventory and a dead stock of perishable goods such as food and beverages can drive businesses into the ground.

Inventory management software includes the basics: Product ordering, storage, and control at the right cost.

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Is your business missing valuable revenue methods and opportunities to cut down on your bottom-line expenses because you haven’t maximized on B2B e-commerce opportunities?

It’s no longer a novelty for businesses, including B2B businesses, to have an e-commerce presence.

cloudcraze salesforceThose that don’t are missing out on some noteworthy opportunities.

More than half of all Internet users have reported making a purchase online in 2018, including B2B customers.

magento commerce cloudTo grow B2B online sales while competing against Amazon Business and other online leaders, companies need to better understand the customer journey and engage their customers in helpful ways.

salesforce consulting partnersHere are a few tips to help grow B2B e-commerce business:Learn from B2C best practicesB2B companies need to develop strategies and deploy technology that quickly and easily gathers customer information, and incorporate that information into the sales and negotiating process.

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Here’s a quote from a Bain & Company report by Fred Reichheld:“… a 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profit.”Not many B2B marketers see customer retention as central to a business’s success.Well, it’s worth knowing that retaining customers costs companies up to five times less than getting new ones.In the B2B space, where the cost of contracts is significantly higher than B2C, the impact of customer retention is even more pronounced.A Harvard Business Review research article by Frederick F. Reichheld and Phil Schefter bears our claim out by stating that customer acquisition costs push businesses into the quagmire of unprofitability.Only by lowering costs per customer can a business turn into a profitable venture.That happens with customer retention, as it turns a stray customer into a returning one.

Trust between parties builds over time, and as their volume of purchases increases so does the ROI.

Don’t let go of customers after they make a purchase.A customer’s relationship with business doesn’t end with a purchase.

Share webinars and tutorials for their edification.Adding value to their purchase is the first step to hook customers for a lifetime.After understanding customer needs, a business can assign a qualified person or direct him/her to self-help resources available in order to cater to customers’ necessities.

Keep in constant touch with your customers.Active communication with customers is practically the best customer retention strategy B2B marketers can employ.Hearing your customers speak about their needs could help a business serve them better.

Their likes and dislikes can prove handy in improving customer experience.A tip on the house: Businesses must conduct surveys to get firsthand knowledge of how customers rate their services and draw from it conclusions as to what else they can do to rectify problems and set issues straight.

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B2B companies, however, have mostly stuck to traditional marketing and customer interaction strategies.While there is nothing wrong with maintaining some conventional aspects of B2B customer interaction, borrowing some customer service strategies from B2C companies can put a B2B company well above its competition.

Competitive PressureOvercoming competitive pressure is pivotal to the success of any B2B organization.

Most traditional B2B companies focus on methods such as developing new products and offering competitive prices to do that.However, competing in dimensions such as price may require you to compromise product quality – something that will drive away regular customers.For this reason, many companies chose to modify customer interaction methods to gain an edge over their competitors.Recent times have seen many small and big B2B businesses altering their IT infrastructure to accommodate better customer service technology.Rather than making adjustments to products and prices, firms have started focusing on customer-centricity.

Modern Consumer and DigitizationIn B2B marketing, customer relationships are believed to be extremely dynamic and often complicated.

However, the old philosophy “the customer is always right” has stayed true even in business-customer interaction.Several B2B companies have had to alter their business portals to suit the habits of their consumers.Such altercations are essential for every brand that wants to stay relevant and successful.In 2016, a Forrester Research study concluded that 40% of consumers “are willing to change spending patterns based on a single experience with a business”.If your brand fails to make that first customer experience engaging, you might end up losing 40% of your valuable consumers.For the past few decades, digitization has dominated every aspect of our lives, making it impossible for B2B companies to escape the realm of digital customer interaction systems.When someone experiences a seamless online transaction fueled by massive digitization from one seller (be it a B2C or B2B seller), they become conscious of its efficiency.These expectations include an attractive user interface, engaging website design, faster load speed, and hassle-free resolution of queries.

When sellers fail to meet these expectations, they risk losing customers to a competitor who does.

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One of the most important factors that any business should ensure when setting up is that it should never put a limit on its growth in any sector.It should never close off any doors that lead to expansion of any kind just because it feels at that moment there is no chance of it happening.With time, a lot of opportunities will appear and if a company is not ready to grab them and scale up, they will never get any further than their current state.It is for this very reason that the B2B business solutions one chooses should have inherent scalability.Salesforce has always been recognized as a premium B2B commerce solution.

In fact, a 2016 study by the International Data Corporation (IDC) in the USA surveying 333 marketers revealed that among others, Salesforce was considered one of the cutting edge options for B2B solutions.While it is primarily known for its CRM products and services, the lines have blurred.

Its products and services are greatly suited for the kind of business that B2B represents.Besides high customer-centrism, analytics-driven processes, and customizability, its capacity for scaling is very useful in providing tailored products to businesses of all sizes.Whether you want a budget-friendly package or enterprise B2B solutions, Salesforce will be able to provide it for you.

Its configuration wizard breaks down the process of choosing the right products for your client into simple steps and guides you through the entire procedure.The Solution Configurator, which helps you predefine pricing rules, and the Pricing Engine, which applies said rules in the required pricing model, makes it easier to generate individual, branded quotes tailored to a client.2.

Risk ManagementMany B2B cashflow solutions slow down from compliance and compatibility issues that give rise to fatal errors and discrepancies during dynamic changes made in contracts.Salesforce largely eliminates the chance of such complications by unifying the different parts of the sales funnel and maintaining real-time alignment to pricing rules, company policies, and product and client-based terms and conditions in contracts.By consolidating related B2B solutions, sales can be undertaken with minimum risk and maximum confidence.4.

Customer Lifecycle RegulationCustomer loyalty is largely based on the ability of a business to fulfill the growing expectations of the client.This implies that with time, a company must scale up its processes that cater to individual clients to prevent their churn in favor of more modern solutions.Salesforce attains this by making the processes of order management and invoicing as straightforward and flexible as possible.Electronic payments are made faster while customer data integration into the system is made quick and accurate to keep all allied operations and analytics running smoothly.For more detailed insights, you can check out this page solely dedicated to Salesforce CPQ.Salesforce EinsteinB2B business solutions, B2B solutions, B2C e-commerce solutions, Salesforce B2B Solutions, salesforce b2b solutions business Salesforce B2B portal solutions are now powered by Einstein, an AI technology that leverages the power of ML, NLP, and advanced data science to let businesses scale more smoothly, no matter the type or size.You can utilize Salesforce Einstein AI for scalability in the following ways:1.

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However, if you want to acquaint yourself with it, consider Salesforce CPQ Trailhead.

Salesforce CPQ benefitsMany complexities that hold back B2B businesses from scaling have to do with a lack of technological expertise.In fact, the more sophisticated the operational complexity of the industry, the more it calls for sweeping technological changes.Let’s take the case of the manufacturing industry, where a lot of factors from pricing to shipment factor in and the selling is on a larger scale.Salesforce CPQ streamlines the entire selling process with everything inclined to meet the needs and expectations of individual customers.For someone more interested in counting the benefits of Salesforce CPQ than the technology itself, here are the top benefits of Salesforce CPQ for the manufacturing industry.

2) Squeeze profit for your company even if margins are thinThe dwindling profit margins, because of global competition, create what’s called margin pressure.And for manufacturers, it’s a really bad predicament.But, technology solutions offer a reprieve to those businesses who already find themselves in the midst of margin pressure.Implementing CPQ eliminates non-standardized quotes, promotes intelligent discounting, and facilitates smart upselling.Salesforce CPQ offers sales reps a better understanding of discounts and margins, which helps you squeeze profit for your business out of thin margins.

Its real-time pricing feature has proved fruitful for B2B eCommerce.

Salesforce CPQ Is Intelligent Discounting CPQWhat do we mean when we say that salesforces are intelligent discounting CPQ?

In all its aspects, overt and covert, the discounting process is complicated and hectic.And delicate too, in the sense that as profit margins plummet, bad discounts could ruin the business itself.The reductions in the regular price have to be made in the manner where room for profit isn’t closed, or that customer satisfaction doesn’t come at the cost of business.A balance has to be struck so that both businesses and customers benefit from the discounting process.Since we know that discounts a) increase sales, b) create brand awareness, c) attract new customers, and d) forge lasting customer-business relationships:Salesforce CPQ, as a tool, helps businesses create error-free and accurate sales quotes.Owing to overall Salesforce CPQ Solutions, all inefficiencies are successfully eradicated.Continuing its legacy of solving challenges that B2B ecommerce was replete with a decade ago,Salesforce CPQ provides volume discounts with diligence and intelligence.

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CloudCraze helps deliver robust B2B cloud commerce native on Salesforce. It allows you to generate online revenue faster and effortlessly scale for growth. Speed to market is critical and innovation is a necessity as digital commerce continues to gain friction. CloudCraze helps increase your agility and ability to adapt in this increasingly competitive marketplace. It enables you to access complete and accurate customer data across sales, service, and commerce, also using real-time data on Salesforce to notify each and every customer interaction. With the excellent capabilities of the CloudCraze data model, businesses can generate online revenue faster, stay connected with customers, and easily scale for growth.
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The technological revolution across the globe has entirely changed the dynamics of doing business.This is not going to stop anytime soon, and we’d be lying if we said each business model will flourish if they continue practicing their old, traditional ways.The demand for incredibly fast-paced, always-on buying power shows no signs of slowing down.This makes the maximizing value in digital channels essential for success and it also positions digital to become a primary engagement channel in the B2B universe.To understand where today’s businesses find value in online channels, Salesforce B2B Commerce (CloudCraze) surveyed more than 400 B2B consumer packaged goods (CPG), manufacturing, and software decision-makers across the US and Europe.The findings indicate that B2B organizations that invested early in improved digital channels are beginning to reap the benefits.

B2B businesses across the board view the move to digital as a major opportunity for continued growth.

Major FindingsHere are some highlights from the survey carried by Salesforce B2B Commerce with some statistics to validate the points.1) DIGITAL IS NO LONGER VIEWED AS AN AUXILIARY CHANNEL BY BUSINESS LEADERS:88% of B2B decision-makers anticipate offering products in the next five years that will be primarily sold online.2) BUSINESSES ATTRIBUTE GROWTH TO THEIR DIGITAL PROGRAMS:89% of B2B decision-makers attribute expected business growth to the success of digital commerce.3) CHANGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS DRIVE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION:More than half (52%) of B2B decision-makers believe their customers are eager to adopt new technologies and processes.4) BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF B2B COMMERCE:B2B decision-makers believe customer retention (56%) is the biggest value digital brings to their business, followed by customer acquisition (54%).5) DIGITAL COMMERCE STREAMLINES COMPLEX B2B CUSTOMER NEEDS:B2B decision-makers say the biggest value digital brings to their customers is tailored product offerings (52%), followed by order automation (48%).

They must benefit the business owners in order to make any significant impact on their mindsets.Does digital really stand tall on these claims or is it just another marketing fad?

We have also put some staggering numbers that will emphasize the power of digital.1) Acquiring New Customers59% of B2B decision-makers believe that they were able to acquire customers more easily.2) Upsell/Cross-Sell with Current Customers51% believe they can upsell/cross-sell with current customers more easily.3) Customer Self-Service51% believe their customers can more easily serve themselves.4) Automated Ordering System39% said their automated ordering system gives them more recurring orders.5) Product Offerings26% inferred they can more easily expand/scale product offerings.6) Increase in Sales48% of B2B businesses sell their full line of products online – a number that is only expected to increase.

How the B2C Experience Has Impacted B2BB2C has unknowingly acted as beta for B2B when it comes to shifting business online.

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Once limited by geography and reach, businesses in the 21st century know no bounds when it comes to growth, thanks to the increasing adoption of technology.

As business buyers increasingly prefer self-service offerings, digital channels become even more integral for B2B players to drive continuous customer engagement.

Some key findings of the study are below: Digital is no longer seen as a primary business channelB2B leaders attribute solid business growth to digital commerce initiativesEvolving customer expectations are further driving digital transformationB2B leaders experience streamlined customer needs with digital commerceDigital is fueling B2B growth B2B organizations today are fast recognizing the value of employing digital channels to offer customers a personalized and responsive experience, which ultimately translates to retention and repeat purchases.

Digital commerce, with its complex ordering features, results in cost savings and offers customers an omnichannel, streamlined buying experience.

Increasingly, businesses are recognizing its benefits in customer acquisition, up-selling, and self-service.

Self-service offerings also free up sales and service executives so they can spend more time building customer relationships, cross-selling and upselling products.

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For centuries, producers of all goods have relied on distributors and marketers to sell those goods and consequently, offer customer service.

Business relationships with B2B partners, affiliates, influencers, and app-to-app premium publishers play a critical role in customer acquisition and engagement.

cpq salesforce Traditionally, retailers managed these partnerships using manual methods such as phone, email, or fax services.

Manual communication methods have lost potency in an age driven by digitization, mainly because of their inability to remain dynamic.

cpq Moreover, the digital age has personalized customer-brand relationships, thereby ushering partnerships that focus on referrals instead of transactions.

For a successful partnership program, retailers use technology to optimize every facet of partnership management.