It seems like only yesterday that TrailblazerDX happened, and here we are again. But this time in Chicago!
Unlike TrailblazerDX, Connections is focused on creating connections between customers, partners, and Salesforce. Although you will still find some developer-centered presentations, they will be far less common.
The goal is to get inspired by commerce leaders and Trailblazers in Commerce to help brands grow!
What does it have in store for Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud? Let’s have a look!
Get Connected
It wouldn’t be a Salesforce event if you don’t meet up with other people you have been “slacking” with for the past years. And it is called Connections for a reason!
There is already a channel on the Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud Unofficial Slack to connect!
Click here to join if you are new or here if you already have an account.
And I will be there this year! I wasn’t planning on it at first, but I got an offer I could not refuse! I will be taking part in the Main Keynote of the event.
Can't attend?
The keynotes can be viewed through Salesforce+ for free!
Building your agenda
Connections 2022 is no small event, and there are many sessions to choose from! The venue itself is also huge, and I can promise that you will easily get distracted 😀.
And there is nothing wrong with that; you need to find your way in this event and do what you want to do to get the most out of it!
Below I have created my “potential” agenda of the event, but I already know some of these will be missed or swapped out.
You will bump into people and lose track of time, but there is no need to stress about missing a session. As mentioned before, it is called Connections! So meet up and have fun!
Salesforce provides a handy tool to build your agenda on the Connections website.
Wednesday, June 8
- Xintong Zhang
- 09:00 AM - 9:20 AM
- 20 minutes
China is the world’s largest online retail market. Learn about China’s unique ecommerce ecosystem and how Salesforce and Alibaba are working together to drive customer success in the region.
If you look at the possibilities in the Session Catalog, Alibaba has a good presence with their offerings for the Chinese market. This provides an excellent opportunity for partners and customers who are expanding their markets now or in the future.
- Lidiane Jones
- Shannon Duffy
- Jessica Cobarras
- Sarah Franklin
- Adam Michaels
- Thomas Theunen
- 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- 60 minutes
To grow relationships and revenue, brands must wow customers with personalized moments that build trust and loyalty. Learn how Trailblazers are doing this with the latest innovations from Salesforce.
There are not many reasons to miss the Main Keynote of Connections. And I believe this one will contain a lot of exciting news for the Commerce Cloud Community.
As I am part of the speakers (even if it is only for 4 minutes), I urge everyone in the Commerce Cloud community to attend!
- Karly Cyr
- James Semple
- Matt Bradbeer
- 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM
- 20 minutes
Not all headless architectures are created equal. Learn 6 steps every headless implementation should follow to unlock control over the UX layer, operational agility, and improved performance.
As Headless and API First development has become a lot more prominent, this is one not to miss.
- Erin Emery
- Caila Schwartz
- 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
- 20 minutes
What do 4,000 commerce leaders representing 1 billion shoppers think is next for commerce? Be the first to hear the insights from the 2022 State of Commerce Report in this session.
If you get the chance, this session might pique your interest in looking at what the State of Commerce is in 2022.
- 01:00 PM - 01:40 PM
- 40 minutes
Circle of Success: Join this small group discussion on why data strategy is important for cross-cloud success. Explore how to exceed customer expectations and learn cross-cloud best practices.
Oh, noes! Decisions! This one clashes with the next one on the list. A discussion about multi-cloud vs. a presentation about Unified Commerce (multi-channel).
This will always happen when building a plan; you can’t catch them all!
- Jan Beke
- 01:00 PM - 01:20 PM
- 20 minutes
Customers expect consistent brand experiences across all channels. So how can you modernize without adding complexity? Learn how unified commerce helps retailers become faster and more agile.
The shopper journey has diversified quite a lot over the past decade. More and more options have become available for shoppers to connect with brands. But how do you unify that experience?
In my opinion, a good one to do after lunch!
- Derek Lindblom
- 02:00 PM - 02:20 PM
- 20 minutes
Discover how VSP leveraged Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Order Management, and Service Cloud to provide connected customer journeys for their eyewear brand, Eyeconic.
Are you interested in multi-cloud solutions? Want to see what you can do if you combine multiple clouds to create the perfect customer journey/experience? Then this is the session for you!
- Kemberly Gong
- Luke Ball
- Amanda Hatker
- Kelly Thacker
- 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
- 45 minutes
Join the main event for commerce professionals. Learn how we help commerce leaders grow revenue their way with the latest innovations from Salesforce.
This is the Keynote for everything Commerce related, so be there or be square!
- Brecht Morrhey
- Kevin Box
- 04:00 PM - 04:20 PM
- 20 minutes
Dropshipping offers retailers an opportunity to increase its reach with third-party sellers. Learn how VidaXL achieved success with 15,000+ dropshippers, and to get the most of your implementation.
Dropshipping and marketplaces are becoming more prominent within the retail market. Learn how you can use Commerce Cloud to allow others to sell your products on their platform by connecting to B2C Commerce Cloud.
One to certainly join! Doing a shameless plug for my colleagues!
- Paula Griffin
- Lindsey Avchen
- Brady Marchione
- 04:30 PM - 04:50 PM
- 20 minutes
Join us to learn how the Salesforce Fulfillment Network can help you increase profits, optimize delivery, and drive revenue back to your business.
I feel like this is the presentation about the new FedEx partnership for delivery, built straight into the platform. So a very interesting one to end the day with.
Thursday, June 9
On to day two! Even though there is not much room between the sessions to explore, keep in mind that this is just a guideline. Wander! Connect!
- Alison Williams
- 09:00 AM - 09:20 AM
- 20 minutes
Want to create engaging campaigns without relying on a developer? We’ll provide a quick overview of SFCC’s new headless solution, PWA Kit, and do a live demo where you choose the content we create.
An interesting presentation where Amplience provides all the content through their Headless APIs to the PWA Kit.
It is also the only session that explicitly mentions the PWA Kit, which is a bit of a shame.
I was hoping to see a lot more about API First and Headless!
- Lauren Hallanan
- 09:30 AM - 09:50 AM
- 20 minutes
From live streaming and social commerce, to gamified loyalty and immersive retail, join us to discover some of the innovative commerce experiences that have taken off in China.
Another session on how to approach the Chinese market! A good opportunity to see how social commerce and streaming are used to approach Chinese shoppers!
- Adam Snyder
- 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM
- 20 minutes
Learn how Trailblazer Leatherman drives faster growth with effective AI-personalization tools, flexible omni-channel and optimized onsite branded experiences, and fine-tuned commerce fundamentals.
I love seeing customer cases, especially when they use multiple offerings from Salesforce.
It is also apparent that customer journeys are becoming more complex over the years, and hearing about other approaches and experiences will help us grow together.
- Mark Bartlett
- Suzanne Dominick
- 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM
- 20 minutes
Learn how Salesforce and Fenom Digital helped David Yurman put the customer at the center of their digital transformation with Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and Order Management.
Another multi-cloud customer case!
- Francesca Liu
- Bhagath Ganga
- 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
- 20 minutes
Shopping at the edge is expected to grow exponentially over the next five years. Learn how to improve product discoverability and boost sales on today’s leading social channels using Commerce Cloud.
The final one in a spree of 20-minute sessions before lunch! And a good one to end with on integrating social channels into the customer journey using Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
As social channels are ever-changing, looking at what the next five years will bring is not a bad idea.
- Daniel Shim
- 12:30 PM - 12:50 PM
- 20 minutes
Learn from the behaviors of billions of shoppers to inform insights and predictions for holiday 2022 and drive readiness across marketing, commerce, customer service, and the store and associates.
If you have been doing Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud for a while, holiday readiness should be a term you have heard before.
If not? Then this is the session for you!
- Ramasree Pitla
- 01:00 PM - 01:20 PM
- 20 minutes
Explore API-only (headless) ISV opportunities on the Commerce Cloud platform and learn about the existing headless ISV solutions in our marketplace.
As mentioned before, Headless has gotten a more prominent part in Commerce Cloud. And it’s share is going to grow in the years to come.
But what does that mean for third party integrations? Let’s see if this session answers a few questions!
- Desmond Wong
- Mishika Narula
- 01:30 PM - 02:10 PM
- 40 minutes
MuleSoft and Salesforce built the only unified platform that combines the power of integration, API management, and automation to support retailers' digital transformation journey.
I don’t think it is a big secret that I focus on multi-cloud solutions, and Mulesoft plays a big part in connecting the different products that Salesforce offers!
- Dwyane Wade
- Lori Castillo Martinez
- 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
- 60 minutes
Former pro basketball player Dwyane Wade will receive the first #TeamEarth Impact Award for Equality and discuss his work in inclusive marketing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
The ending Main Keynote to finish off 2 days of learning and meeting people!
Party Time
It wouldn’t be a Salesforce event if there weren’t a big party at the end of day one! Connections is no different; a fantastic night of entertainment has been planned out.
For now, it is still unknown “who” will be there, but at least there is a Spotify playlist to get your groove on!
It turns out it is OneRepublic!
