8 steps to set up your Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud store

Launching a B2B online store requires more than just a standard e-commerce setup. Business-to-business commerce involves account-based relationships, negotiated pricing, complex ordering flows, and often integrations with ERP systems. Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud (formerly CloudCraze) provides a robust platform to meet these requirements. Below is a practical step-by-step guide to setting up your B2B storefront.

1. Preparing the Environment

Before you begin, make sure you have access to a Salesforce Org with the B2B Commerce Cloud package installed. You’ll also need to:

• Install the managed B2B Commerce package.

• Set up user profiles with the right permissions, such as Admin, Buyer, and Seller.This ensures your environment is ready for configuration.

2. Configuring Accounts and Users

In B2B commerce, customers are represented by business accounts. Employees of those companies are set up as contacts with assigned roles. Common buyer roles include:

• Buyer – adds items to the cart and places orders.

• Approver – reviews and approves purchase requests.

• Admin Buyer – manages other users on the account.

For larger organizations, you may also want to set up Single Sign-On (SSO) so employees can use existing corporate credentials.

3. Building the Product Catalog

The product catalog is the backbone of your store. In Salesforce, products are created using the Product2 object and tied to pricing via Price books. Key steps include:

• Adding all your products and categorizing them.

• Setting up multiple price books for wholesale, retail, or VIP customers.

• Configuring product attributes like size, color, or packaging units.

This allows each customer to see tailored pricing and product details.

4. Designing the Storefront

With the catalog ready, you can focus on the customer experience:

• Use Salesforce Experience Cloud to configure the storefront.

• Leverage prebuilt B2B templates for shopping cart, checkout, and product search.

• Customize branding, navigation, and layouts to match your company’s identity.

This ensures your store is not only functional but also professional and user-friendly.

5. Enabling the B2B Buying Process

Unlike B2C, B2B transactions often involve more steps:

• Cart: supports bulk ordering and negotiated pricing.

• Approvals: orders may require review by an approver before processing.

• Contracts: you can define framework agreements with specific terms, ensuring repeat orders follow the same pricing and delivery conditions.

These features align the store with real-world procurement workflows.

6. Integrating Payments and Logistics

Smooth transactions are critical for B2B success. Salesforce Commerce Cloud allows you to:

• Connect to payment gateways such as Adyen or Stripe.

• Integrate with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) or Salesforce Order Management for handling deliveries.

• Issue invoices, whether as pro forma documents or on a recurring basis.

This ensures your store connects seamlessly to back-office operations.

7. Testing and Go-Live

Before launch, thorough testing is essential:

• Functional testing: confirm that the cart, checkout, and registration work as expected.

• Integration testing: verify data synchronization with ERP or CRM systems.Once testing is complete, you can go live and monitor the first transactions closely to ensure smooth operation.

8. Optimizing and Growing Your Store

Launching the store is only the beginning. To maximize its potential:

• Use Salesforce dashboards and reports to track sales performance.

• Apply Einstein AI recommendations to personalize offers and increase conversion.

• Automate processes with Salesforce Flow or Process Builder, such as sending order notifications or updating records.

This continuous improvement ensures your B2B store evolves with customer needs.

This 8 steps are just starting point. You need to rewrite the plan basing on your case. If you are interested in implementation or have questions please feel free to reach out.