In this episode, we are joined by Carolyn Goncoe, Senior Director of Solution Engineering for Digital Commerce at Salesforce. Carolyn shares her story, from supporting ERP systems for state and local governments to leading the specialist B2C Commerce Cloud team at Salesforce. We explore the impact of social shopping platforms like TikTok on e-commerce, addressing initial skepticism from IT departments about cloud solutions and their evolving perceptions.

Carolyn also goes into the significance of composable commerce, emphasizing the necessity of an API-first, headless architecture for robust omnichannel experiences. The episode culminates with a discussion on the revolutionary role of predictive and generative AI in enhancing merchant efficiency and the emerging imperative for brands to optimize for GPT. Tune in for forward-thinking strategies that are shaping the future of digital commerce.

Show Highlights:

• Evolution of e-commerce and the impact of cloud solutions on IT department perceptions.
• Role of social media platforms like TikTok in transforming shopping behaviors.
• Benefits and challenges of composable commerce and API-first, headless architecture.
• Salesforce's solutions for composable commerce, including pre-built vendor connections and managed runtime environment.
• Impact of predictive and generative AI on merchant efficiency and the need to optimize for GPT.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

• Join the Commerce Cloud Community: http://sforce.co/commercecrew
• To learn more about Commerce Cloud Innovations, go here: https://www.salesforce.com/commerce/innovations/

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know I sent you.

Vinod Kumar, former Head of Business Insights at Salesforce Commerce Cloud and current CEO of Syntheum AI, brings deep expertise in e-commerce and data analytics. Syntheum AI is the first Merchandising Operations Platform that works natively with Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud to increase merchandising speed, improve merchandiser productivity, and unlock merchandiser capacity.

Learn more about Syntheum AI and how they aim to bring joy back to digital merchandising here - www.syntheum.ai.

Beyond tech, he’s the proud owner of Kushala Sip Coffee House, a community-centric business where he combines digital innovation with local impact. If you are looking for a place to grab coffee and meet people over small bites in metro Boston, try - www.kushalasip.coffee.

To contact Vinod Kumar, DM him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kvinod77/.

Show Highlights:

• Introduction to the concept of "merchandising operations" or "MerchOps" and its significance post-COVID.
• The role of AI and algorithmic intelligence in transforming digital merchandising tasks.
• Best practices and pitfalls in optimizing digital merchandising strategies.
• The importance of integrating digital product managers to support merchandisers.
• Future trends in digital merchandising, including the shift towards more creative and collaborative tasks.
• Balancing automation with the human touch through data interpretation and leveraging customer feedback.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

• Join the Commerce Cloud Community: http://sforce.co/commercecrew

***

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know I sent you.

Headless e-commerce might be the future, and Colin Tracy from Black Rifle Coffee Company is here to tell you why. This episode features Colin Tracy, Director of Engineering at Black Rifle Coffee Company, who shares his pioneering journey from Shopify to a robust serverless and headless-first technology stack with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

Explore the innovative shift to Commerce Cloud and Builderio CMS, which allowed Black Rifle Coffee's marketing and e-commerce teams to gain unprecedented independence. Colin dives into the benefits of a headless CMS setup, explaining how it offers an elegant, maintainable, and scalable solution compared to traditional templatized approaches.

Maximizing the capabilities of a fully headless, composable solution, Colin shares the advantages of adaptable deployments across web and mobile platforms. This episode is packed with insights into the flexibility of headless commerce, the power of Salesforce's ecosystem, and the future of technology in crafting personalized user experiences. Tune in to hear how a strong mission combined with cutting-edge tech can drive unprecedented success in the e-commerce landscape.

Show Highlights:

• Insights into the unique founding of Black Rifle Coffee by a former Green Beret and its mission to serve veterans.
• Exploration of how moving to Commerce Cloud and Builderio CMS has reduced developer dependency, allowing marketing teams more autonomy.
• Discussion on the agility and scalability provided by a headless, composable solution, enhancing web and mobile application management.
• The role of AI in coding, testing, and the future potential of AI-driven development in e-commerce.
• The importance of accessibility and personalized experiences in e-commerce, facilitated by Commerce Cloud's capabilities.

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

• Join the Commerce Cloud Community: http://sforce.co/commercecrew
• To learn more about Commerce Cloud Innovations, go here: https://www.salesforce.com/commerce/innovations/
• Register for the B2C Commerce Roadmap Webinar on August 21 at 1 pm ET: http://sfdc.co/B2Croadmap

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know I sent you.