Cloud-based customer relationship management vendor Salesforce says its Community Cloud offering will enable enterprises to embed buy buttons in their online communities. This will allow customers to research, discuss and buy products from enterprise communities, a functionality the company says is a first for such communities.
The new Salesforce capabilities will be built on Lightning Components, reusable components from Salesforce partners including CloudCraze, Demandware and Bigcommerce, which allow companies to add new capabilities without programming. The winter 2016 release of Salesforce’s Community Builder will allow companies to drag and drop Lightning Components into their community sites, according to the company.
Among Community Cloud users that are using Salesforce’s embedded e-commerce capability:
* Pono Music, a music discovery and purchase community founded by Canadian rock legend Neil Young;
* Deloitte’s Digital Hub powers a personalized customer and partner community designed to increase engagement and drive sales. One packaged goods clients uses Community Cloud functionality to allow convenience store to make one-click orders from the community site; and
* Avid Technology, vendor of industry-leading audio and video production tools, including the ubiquitous ProTools, is using CloudCraze to connect musicians and video producers to sell sound effects, instrumental snippets, stock footage, video and audio effects, and even complete music or video works.
“Collaboration is vital to media content creation,” said Achim Voermanek, senior director of Avid Marletplace, in a press release. “We’re helping content creators and media organizations create, connect and collaborate in unprecedented ways.The Artist Community enables media professionals to find talent and start new collaborations, while the Avid Content Marketplace gives artists a channel to monetize  their work by sharing it with global network of potential buyers.
Research from eMarketer predicts almost $350 billion in online commerce this year.
Salesforce’s Lightning Components and Community Builder are included in the company’s Community Cloud licenses. An AppExhchange is now live; partner components are available and priced individually on a per-user or per-Salesforce-instance basis.
