The 10 Key Elements of Unified Commerce: Creating an Awesome Shopping Experience

Mike Brown, Lead Strategic Solution Engineer Nonprofit at Salesforce, wrote a great piece on LinkedIn back in 2017 titled: Museums: Time to Update Your E-commerce Technology

The 10 points Mike outlines in what to look for when choosing an eCommerce platform still hold true today not only for museums of course but nonprofits, education, public sector and also across all commercial verticals. We have come across these 10 points with almost every customer we talk to. The new buzz word is “unified” commerce. We call it Customer Commerce.

But to be honest, at StoreConnect the value around a commerce system being fully unified has been part of our mantra since day one when we developed Storeconnect commerce and built it on top of the Salesforce platform. The result is nothing short of spectacular, or as one of our happy clients recently described it, StoreConnect is a “beast” of a product.

A unified commerce system is about more than just transactions. It’s about delivering a connected experience that integrates every aspect of a business’s sales and operations into one cohesive system.

Integrating all sales channels into a single, cohesive system, ensures customers enjoy a smooth and intuitive journey from browsing to checkout. That is true Customer Commerce.

But what are the core elements of a truly unified system?

Taking inspiration from Mike’s original 10 points and expanding on them, here is our contribution to helping organisations decide which is the best commerce for them to use. We are biased, but our research stacks up.

1. Cloud-Based SaaS Platform

Your commerce solution should be cloud-based, eliminating the need for expensive on-premise infrastructure. A Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform ensures automatic updates, scalability, and accessibility from anywhere.

2. Customizable Vanity URL

A professional and branded online presence is crucial. Instead of complex, generic URLs, opt for a vanity URL such as shop.yourbusiness.com or tickets.yourbusiness.org to improve customer trust and recognition.

3. Open APIs for Extensibility

Your commerce platform should provide well-documented and publicly available APIs. These allow seamless integrations with third-party applications, ensuring flexibility as your business grows. And in our case because StoreConnect is built on Salesforce, if you can integrate it with Salesforce, you are pretty much good to go.

4. Fast and Intuitive Checkout

Customers expect a quick, hassle-free checkout process. Completing a purchase should take four steps or less, removing unnecessary barriers like mandatory account creation or excessive, necessary form fields.

5. Unified Cart for All Transactions

A seamless shopping experience means customers can buy everything in one transaction. Whether it is tickets, memberships, merchandise, or food, they want to do it all at once. If your business offers more than one option you had better make sure it is easy to buy from you. A unified cart streamlines the process, improving conversion rates.

6. Up-Sell Opportunities

A strong eCommerce platform should offer dynamic up-selling and cross-selling features. By recommending relevant products or upgrades at checkout, businesses can increase average order value while enhancing the customer experience.

7. Mobile Responsiveness

With more shoppers browsing and purchasing on mobile devices than ever before your platform must be fully responsive. A mobile-optimized design ensures customers can complete purchases smoothly, regardless of the device they use.

8. Integration with Onsite Inventory

To prevent overselling and ensure accurate stock levels, your eCommerce system should sync with in-store or warehouse inventory. Real-time updates help avoid customer frustration and improve operational efficiency.

9. Address Verification for Checkout Accuracy

A reliable checkout process includes address verification and validation services to reduce shipping errors and fraud. This feature enhances the customer experience while minimizing costly mistakes.

10. Control Over Branding and Content

Businesses should have full control over their storefront’s look and feel without needing extensive technical skills. A flexible content management system (CMS) allows easy updates without relying on developers or third-party vendors.

The Power of Unified Customer Commerce

When all these elements come together, businesses gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior, optimize operations, and drive revenue growth. By eliminating outdated, fragmented systems, you can provide a connected, data-driven shopping experience that meets modern consumer expectations.

It’s time to move beyond traditional eCommerce and embrace the power of unified commerce. Is your business ready?

Download a free trial from the AppExchange or book in for a demo