• Automotive Cloud brings together complete driver and vehicle profiles to help orchestrate connected experiences at every stage of the customer journey.
• New Commerce Cloud solutions available in spring 2023 and AppExchange integrations available now help streamline the car buying process in an increasingly digital shopping environment.
• With Automotive Cloud, automakers can deliver the next generation of immersive, personalized in-car experiences. 

Today, Salesforce unveiled new Commerce Cloud solutions, available this spring, that will enable automakers and dealers to reimagine online sales. This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Salesforce will also demonstrate how its Automotive Cloud is powering the next generation of car buying, driving, and servicing.

Nearly 75% of all customer interactions during the car-buying process now take place in digital channels, and 88% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. As digitally-fueled car sales increase, vehicles are also becoming more connected. By the end of the decade, it is estimated that connected cars — cars that can communicate and share data with a variety of systems both inside and outside of the vehicle — will make up about 95% of all new vehicles sold around the world, creating an estimated 100 petabytes of data per month that can be harnessed to drive connected experiences.

However, most automotive organizations aren’t equipped with the people, processes, or technology they need to harness this data and deliver connected experiences throughout the car buying and ownership journey.  

“Immersive, connected, and frictionless experiences will be a key differentiator for auto companies in an increasingly competitive market where electric vehicles are standardizing performance,” said Achyut Jajoo, SVP and GM of Manufacturing and Automotive, Salesforce.

With Automotive Cloud, companies can deliver differentiated and personalized experiences at every touchpoint and power the future of connected, software-defined vehicles.

“We are entering a new frontier with limitless possibilities that will completely change how our customers engage with their vehicles,” said Knut Krösche, Head of Digital Business & Mobility Services at CARIAD. “We’re thrilled to be working with companies like Salesforce to offer a powerful ecosystem that will unite the connected car with the connected customer to deliver new experiences.” 

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Deliver the future of connected vehicles with Salesforce

With Automotive Cloud, automakers can deliver immersive, in-car experiences powered by real-time personalization. By bringing together car and driver data to orchestrate experiences across marketing, sales, commerce, and service, at scale, automakers can build truly connected experiences with Salesforce. And, with Salesforce Genie Customer Data Cloud, automotive companies can unify their customer and vehicle data across all channels and interactions, such as customer inquiries, service requests, and vehicle data into a single, real-time profile for every customer.

For example, automakers can bring these next generation in-car experiences to life with Automotive Cloud to do things like help drive adoption of their software subscription services by creating a personalized, automated flow that can offer a customer a trial of their new park assist feature before the customer attempts to park their car – enabling automakers to target the right customer, at the right time.

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Redefine the car buying experience with Automotive Cloud and Commerce Cloud

According to Salesforce’s Trends in Automotive Report, just 26% of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and 23% of retailers believe their companies have adapted well to selling online. And, less than one in five auto companies believe their digital storefronts are engaging, mobile-friendly, and provide accurate inventory data.

With Automotive Cloud and Commerce Cloud — now built on the Salesforce platform — auto companies can reimagine the digital car buying experience by: 

• Digitizing car buying to build engaging and immersive AI-powered experiences for shoppers and dealers, delivered as a tailored, on-brand experience. Commerce Cloud will leverage new merchandising tools to grow site traffic, help customers find dealership locations, configure product sets, enhance parts-search, and extend commerce globally across 80+ languages and currencies. 
• Improving fulfillment and order servicing with accurate inventory routing, delivering omni-channel experiences that are connected across commerce, marketing, and service. With Order Management, customer service agents will also be able to order parts and accessories on behalf of the customer to streamline fulfillment.
• Extending commerce capabilities and supercharging immersive experiences with innovations from Salesforce partners. Through integrations with independent software vendors (ISV) partners like ThreeKit Visual Commerce on AppExchange, auto companies can now enable customers to visually customize their vehicle’s model, color, trim, wheels, parts, and more with interactive 3D, virtual photography, and augmented reality (AR).

Extend the power of Automotive Cloud with the Salesforce ecosystem

Salesforce is also working with major industry players like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive more value from connected car data and power exciting new in-car experiences. For example, as shown in a demonstration with AWS at CES (in LVCC West, booth #4001), consumers can expect maintenance alerts through their car’s infotainment system warning that their tires are wearing down, find and schedule a service appointment at their preferred local dealership, and even order and pay for new tires, all from their car’s infotainment system. 

To achieve a software-defined future for the automotive industry, automakers depend on the ability to harness the growing amount of data these enhanced, connected vehicles will create. Working with companies like Salesforce enables us to help automakers unlock value from their data and the intelligence they need to curate the next generation of personalized experiences in the vehicle or on the road.

Wendy Bauer, general manager, Automotive at AWS

“The future of the automotive industry will be defined by software, whether you are buying, driving, or servicing a vehicle,” said Jajoo. “With Salesforce and the depth of the Salesforce ecosystem, automotive companies can bring together a complete view of the driver and the vehicle to power connected, immersive consumer experiences at every stage of their journey.”

More Information

• To learn more about Automotive Cloud, go here.
• To learn more about Commerce Cloud, go here.
• Read what’s shaping the future of the industry in Salesforce’s Trends in Automotive Report.
• Learn what Salesforce partners specializing in automotive services think about Automotive Cloud.  

Product Disclosure

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” For more information please visit https://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.”