Smart and Salesforce Unite for AI-Powered E-Commerce
Smart and Salesforce Unite for AI-Powered E-Commerce Revolution
Why Smart Embraces a Unified Commerce Cloud
Smart Communications, the digital chameleon of Philippine telcos, found itself juggling more than 50 million subscribers across prepaid and postpaid. They needed a single pane of glass—to sell plans, renew subscriptions, and port numbers—without fans trekking to stores. Enter Salesforce Commerce Cloud. This isn’t just another e-commerce plug-in. It’s a robust, cloud-native platform that can scale with Smart’s subscriber base, handle sales peaks, and serve up personalized storefronts on web and mobile. By partnering with Salesforce Professional Services, Smart’s IT team aims to deliver a one-stop digital shop that feels effortless.
Unified Digital Storefront: One Login, Endless Possibilities
Imagine logging into one site or app and buying a new phone, picking the perfect data plan, and even scheduling technician visits—all in a single session. That’s the vision Smart and Salesforce are building. With Commerce Cloud as the front end, customers will browse devices like they browse products on an online marketplace. Need to renew your postpaid plan? Done. Switching from prepaid to postpaid? Click through. Porting a number? It’s all within checkout. No store visits. No paper forms. Everything goes through a unified, mobile-first interface designed for screens as small as your palm.
AI-Driven Plan Recommendations: Smarter, Not Harder
Salesforce’s AI CRM suite isn’t an afterthought—it’s baked into Commerce Cloud. Smart will use Einstein Recommendation engines to analyze usage patterns, billing history, and network coverage. The result? Chatbots and page widgets that suggest the right plan or add-on service before you even ask. Low data usage? You might get a “Lite Surf” plan suggestion. Heavy streamer? A “Video Max” bundle could pop up. It’s digital sales meets personal shopper. The goal: cut down decision fatigue and drive higher average order values through hyper-relevant suggestions.
Seamless Integration with MuleSoft
A unified storefront still needs data from billing, CRM, inventory, and payment systems. Smart built those bridges with MuleSoft. APIs connect internal revenue platforms, device inventory feeds, and third-party credit checks into a single customer journey. When you place an order, Commerce Cloud calls MuleSoft APIs behind the scenes to validate your account, check device stock levels, and schedule fulfillment. No more “Oops, we’re out of stock” moments. Every click maps to real-time data, keeping the storefront honest and the customer happy.
Accelerating Online Transactions
Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud already power Smart’s customer support and campaigns. Now, Commerce Cloud turbocharges the sales funnel. Orders flow into Marketing Cloud’s engagement studio—triggering follow-up emails, SMS alerts, and chat reminders. Service Cloud kicks in when troubleshooting is needed—like a failed payment or delivery question. That end-to-end data flow not only accelerates transactions but stitches together digital marketing and customer service into one cohesive experience. It’s the holy grail of telecom e-commerce.
Scalable, Mobile-First Architecture
Sales peaks during promos or network upgrades can overload servers. Smart sidesteps that risk with Commerce Cloud’s elastic scaling and multi-tenant architecture. On a massive promo drop, the platform auto-scales—adding server instances on demand. When traffic cools, it scales back. Coupled with a Progressive Web App approach, the storefront loads instantly on smartphones, even under patchy signal. This means lightning-fast browsing, no matter where you are—Metro Manila or mountain province.
Expanding to the Enterprise Segment
So far, we’ve talked consumer plans. But Smart aims to extend this unified platform to its corporate arm. Think seamless procurement portals for SMEs, digital procurement for large enterprises, and self-service dashboards for business customers to manage multiple accounts. By reusing Commerce Cloud and MuleSoft integrations, Smart can roll out a B2B storefront without reinventing the wheel. This could become a game-changer for businesses that juggle dozens of mobile lines or need bulk device provisioning.
Voices from Smart and Salesforce
“This collaboration is a milestone,” says Gilbert Gaw, FVP and Head of IT and Transformation Office at Smart & PLDT. “Commerce Cloud’s omni-channel features let us unify our sales channels, reduce friction, and innovate continuously.” On the Salesforce side, Abraham Cuevas, Regional VP and Country Manager for the Philippines, adds: “Smart stands for innovation in Philippine telecom. By integrating our AI-ready platform, we’re equipping Smart to engage customers with unprecedented personalization and speed.” Their combined expertise turns talk into action—fueling both customer delight and business growth.
The Road Ahead
Once live, Smart’s unified storefront will be more than a novelty. It will reshape how Filipinos consume telecom services. Future enhancements may include Voice Commerce via chatbots, AR-assisted device demos, and in-app 5G speed tests. Extended reality (XR) tours of new plans. Loyalty rewards delivered directly in the checkout flow. The Commerce Cloud canvas leaves room for endless innovation. As Philippine digital adoption soars, Smart’s partnership with Salesforce places them at the forefront—ready to deliver next-gen digital experiences whenever and wherever subscribers need them.
