Salesforce Commerce Cloud is the name for two different ecommerce products. B2C Commerce, the platform Salesforce bought as Demandware, runs in its own environment and is extended with cartridges and APIs. B2B Commerce and D2C Commerce run inside a customer's Salesforce org and are extended with Apex and managed packages. For a SaaS company, the product a customer runs decides what you build, how you list it and which review it goes through.
That matters when an enterprise retailer or manufacturer asks for the native integration with your product. A B2B Commerce customer can get it as a managed package, which Appnigma's marketplace apps offering delivers ("A Salesforce managed package or HubSpot app built around your product and customer workflows."). A B2C Commerce build is scoped project by project, because Appnigma's done-for-you integrations page says "Salesforce and HubSpot are the core specialties. Other business systems and custom APIs can also be scoped." If you are a merchant choosing an ecommerce platform, Salesforce's own Commerce pricing page is the better start.
Updated October 2026. Checked against the B2C Commerce, Salesforce Commerce and ISVforce developer guides, the Commerce pricing page and the Demandware acquisition release. The earlier version treated B2C and B2B as one platform, printed price ranges and edition names Salesforce doesn't publish, and used an older security review timeline. This update separates the two products, adds the OCAPI deprecation and Commerce Apps, and maps each product to a listing type.
Where B2C Commerce and B2B Commerce actually run
B2C Commerce lives in a realm. Salesforce's B2C Commerce architecture page says "The realm contains instances" for the storefront, and each instance is "an application infrastructure" with its own web, application and database servers. Merchants run it from Business Manager, the B2C admin tool, not from Salesforce Setup. Your code never shares a runtime with the customer's CRM.
B2B Commerce and D2C Commerce are built on the core platform. The B2B Commerce developer guide pairs "B2B Commerce APIs alongside Lightning Experience capabilities." The store sits in the same org as Accounts, Orders and Cases, so a managed package can read and extend it like any other Salesforce data.
The deployment model differs as much as the runtime. A B2B package installs once per org and every store in that org can use it. A B2C install is per site. Salesforce's SFRA cartridge path page says "upload the cartridge to the server and register the cartridge with the server," and the Commerce Apps architecture page notes that each site has "its own cartridge path entry" and its own configuration state. A retailer with eight country sites is eight activations to support, and your onboarding plan should count them that way.
| B2C Commerce | B2B Commerce and D2C Commerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Its own realm of B2C Commerce instances | The customer's Salesforce org |
| Admin tool | Business Manager | Salesforce Setup and Commerce app |
| Server-side extension | Cartridges and hooks | Apex extension providers |
| Storefront | Storefront Next, Composable Storefront (PWA Kit) or SFRA | LWR store templates in Experience Builder |
| Main API | B2C Commerce API (SCAPI) | Connect Commerce API |
| What a partner ships | Cartridge, Commerce App or headless integration | Managed package |
The Salesforce Commerce extensions guide draws the same line from the other side. "Extensions don't apply to the B2C Commerce architecture, which uses a different extensibility system called hooks." Code written for one product does not port to the other.
How to tell which Commerce product a prospect runs
Ask where their merchandisers work. If the answer is Business Manager, the customer runs B2C Commerce, and you will need access to one of their sandbox instances to build and test. If the store is managed in Salesforce, with a Commerce app and an Experience Builder site, they run B2B or D2C Commerce in their org.
Some enterprises run both, often B2C Commerce for consumer sites and B2B Commerce for dealers. Price that as two builds from the start. Sharing a data model across them is a design decision you make, not something the platforms give you.
Also ask which storefront the B2C customer uses. Storefront Next "is a full-stack React framework for building B2C Commerce storefronts," per the Storefront Next architecture page. Older sites run the Composable Storefront, which "is based on two key technologies," the PWA Kit and Managed Runtime, according to the Composable Storefront overview. Many others still run SFRA templates. A UI component you ship has to fit the storefront the merchant actually has.
What to build for a B2C Commerce merchant
The classic deliverable is a cartridge. "A cartridge is a mechanism for packaging and deploying program code and data," per the B2C Commerce cartridges page, and partners use it to integrate external systems such as tax, payments or reviews.
The newer deliverable is a Commerce App. The Commerce Apps overview describes it as "the evolution of the Commerce Cloud cartridge model into a marketplace-ready packaging format." One Commerce App Package bundles backend cartridges, Storefront Next components and setup steps, and public apps are published to the Commerce App Registry so merchants can install them from Business Manager. If you are starting a B2C integration now, plan for the Commerce App format rather than a bare cartridge, and check the domain first. The Commerce Apps architecture page notes that "Payment, Gift Cards, and Fraud Commerce Apps is a beta service."
A headless integration skips the storefront and talks to the platform over APIs. Pick SCAPI for anything new. The OCAPI deprecation policy states "OCAPI is deprecated as of April 2026," while bug fixes and security updates continue. It also says Salesforce sets any retirement date "no earlier than two years from the date it formally decides to retire OCAPI." By that rule, an OCAPI integration you ship today is safe until at least late 2028 even if a decision came this quarter. The new features won't come to it, though. SCAPI costs the merchant nothing extra, since "For B2C Commerce customers, the API is available at no extra cost," per Get Started with the B2C Commerce API.
Your own environment is a real budget line. "To access an on-demand sandbox, you must purchase sandbox credits," the on-demand sandboxes page says. Salesforce's partner program has a separate sandbox path for B2C Commerce partners. Sort out which one you qualify for before you commit to a delivery date.
What to build for a B2B or D2C Commerce store
A B2B or D2C Commerce store is reached with a managed package installed in the customer's org, the same deliverable as for any other Salesforce cloud. The commerce logic goes in Apex extension providers, which Salesforce describes as "a mechanism for using Apex to customize the functionality that powers B2B and B2C storefronts" in the extensions guide.
The choice that shapes your product is domain extension versus endpoint extension. The same guide says a domain provider "can extend or replace the default functionality." An endpoint provider "can't replace the default functionality." If your product is the source of truth for price, stock or tax, you need a domain extension, and your API sits in the shopper's cart path. Every cart recalculation then waits on your response, so latency and failure handling become part of the customer's checkout, not just your integration. If you only add data to a response, such as a rating or a delivery estimate, an endpoint extension is enough and a slow call degrades one field instead of the cart.
Older stores may still use the checkout integrations framework for tax, shipping and payment. Salesforce's checkout integrations page says "While the checkout integrations framework is still supported, we recommend extensions over integrations." Build new work as extensions, and keep integration classes only for customers who can't move yet.
The payoff of building native on B2B is the shared org. A cart, an order and a support case can point at the same Account with no sync job, which is the integration enterprise buyers usually ask for when they say they want "it inside Salesforce." The cost is the same as any package. You work within org limits and pass the AppExchange security review. Our guide to what a managed package is covers the packaging side.
How Commerce integrations are listed and reviewed on AppExchange
The listing type follows the product. Salesforce's listing type page says "To list a B2C Commerce cartridge, select Packaged Solution | B2C Commerce Cartridge." A headless B2C integration uses the API listing type, "Headless Integration for B2C Commerce." A B2B Commerce managed package uses Salesforce Platform Package. The same page warns that "You can't change the listing type after it's created," so decide what you are shipping before you open the listing.
B2C solutions carry extra rules in review. "All B2C Commerce Cartridges and Headless Integrations listed on AgentExchange must adhere to these requirements," per Secure Your B2C Commerce Solution. One of them is to "Follow the principle of least privilege for OCAPI and SCAPI permissions." Document the API scopes your app needs and give that list to each merchant, because the reviewer looks for it.
On timing, Salesforce puts an initial review at approximately 4 to 6 weeks from submission, per the Act on Security Review Results page. Free solutions skip the fee, since "If you plan to distribute your solution for free, you don't pay the fee," according to How the Security Review Works. The security review timeline guide explains how to plan a launch around it.
AppExchange now sits inside AgentExchange, which Salesforce announced on March 4, 2025. The AgentExchange explainer covers what the change means for a listing.
Is Salesforce Commerce Cloud the same as Demandware?
B2C Commerce is. Salesforce signed the agreement to buy Demandware on June 1 2016 and closed it that July. The Salesforce investor release valued the deal at "approximately $2.8 billion (net of cash acquired)." The Demandware names still show up in the developer stack, from the dw script packages to the realm model.
B2B Commerce has a different history and was rebuilt on Lightning, which is why the two products extend so differently. Salesforce's newsroom now also uses the name Agentforce Commerce, while the pricing page and the developer docs still say Commerce Cloud, B2C Commerce and B2B Commerce. Expect customers to use all of these names for the same thing.
How much does Salesforce Commerce Cloud cost?
Salesforce doesn't print a price. The headline cards on the Commerce pricing page are "Commerce Cloud B2C Premium" and "Commerce Cloud B2B Growth Edition," each with "Contact for pricing" and a link to detailed pricing. Percentages of sales and dollar tiers quoted elsewhere online have no Salesforce source, so treat them as estimates from whoever printed them.
For a vendor, the costs you can confirm are your own. SCAPI adds nothing to the merchant's bill. Your B2C sandbox needs credits or partner access. The security review fee applies only to paid solutions. Those are the numbers worth putting in a build plan.
Mistakes SaaS teams make with Commerce Cloud integrations
- Quoting one build for "Commerce Cloud". A B2C cartridge and a B2B managed package are separate codebases, so a customer running both needs two scopes.
- Starting new B2C work on OCAPI. It is deprecated as of April 2026, and new capabilities go to SCAPI.
- Building a bare cartridge when the merchant is on Storefront Next. Storefront Next components ship in a Commerce App, so a backend-only cartridge leaves the UI work to the merchant.
- Choosing the listing type late. It can't be changed after the listing is created.
- Asking for broad API permissions. B2C review expects least privilege for OCAPI and SCAPI, documented for the customer.
- Writing B2B checkout logic in the old integrations framework. Salesforce recommends extensions for new work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between B2C Commerce and B2B Commerce?
B2C Commerce runs in its own realm of instances and is extended with cartridges, hooks and SCAPI. B2B Commerce runs in the customer's Salesforce org and is extended with Apex extensions in a managed package.
Can one app serve both B2C Commerce and B2B Commerce customers?
Not as one deliverable. You ship a cartridge, Commerce App or headless integration for B2C and a managed package for B2B, usually backed by the same API on your side.
Is OCAPI being retired?
OCAPI is deprecated as of April 2026 with no end date set. Salesforce says any retirement date will be at least two years after it decides to retire OCAPI.
What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud called now?
Salesforce's newsroom uses Agentforce Commerce, while the pricing page and developer docs still say Commerce Cloud, B2C Commerce and B2B Commerce. Both names point to the same products.
Can Appnigma build a Salesforce Commerce Cloud integration for us?
For B2B and D2C Commerce, yes. Appnigma's marketplace apps offering delivers the managed package with listing preparation and review support. A B2C Commerce integration can be scoped through the done-for-you service, which assigns a named integration engineer.
Related Articles
- Salesforce clouds explained for SaaS companies
- Building a native Salesforce app
- What is a managed package in Salesforce
- How long the Salesforce security review takes
- What is Salesforce AgentExchange
- Salesforce integration tools compared
Sources
- Salesforce Developers, B2C Commerce Architecture
- Salesforce Developers, Get Started with B2B Commerce
- Salesforce Developers, Get Started with Salesforce Commerce Extensions
- Salesforce Developers, Storefront Next Architecture
- Salesforce Developers, Composable Storefront Overview
- Salesforce Developers, B2C Commerce Cartridges
- Salesforce Developers, Commerce Apps Overview
- Salesforce Developers, Commerce Apps Architecture Overview
- Salesforce Developers, OCAPI Versioning and Deprecation Policy
- Salesforce Developers, Get Started with the B2C Commerce API
- Salesforce Developers, B2C Commerce On-Demand Sandboxes
- Salesforce Developers, B2B Commerce Checkout Integrations
- Salesforce Developers, ISVforce Guide, Select an AgentExchange Listing Type
- Salesforce Developers, ISVforce Guide, Secure Your B2C Commerce Solution
- Salesforce Developers, ISVforce Guide, Act on Security Review Results
- Salesforce Developers, ISVforce Guide, How the Security Review Works
- Salesforce, Commerce Cloud Pricing
- Salesforce Investor Relations, Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Demandware
- Salesforce News, AgentExchange announcement
- Salesforce News, Agentforce Commerce announcement
