Salesforce B2B Commerce Migration: Why It’s Time to Move from CloudCraze
Introduction
CloudCraze began in 2010 as a managed package for Salesforce providing B2B commerce and leveraging the power of Salesforce’s cloud platform. However, the landscape has since evolved, and CloudCraze has entered support-only mode. Now, businesses are encouraged to transition to Salesforce’s more advanced platform— Salesforce Commerce on Core, which offers a robust, modern solution to meet the demands of today’s digital commerce.
The End of Innovation: CloudCraze in Support-Only Mode
With CloudCraze no longer receiving new feature updates, businesses relying on it are at a disadvantage. In support-only mode, Salesforce provides basic bug fixes and security patches, but no new innovations or enhancements have been introduced since the Winter 2021 release. In today’s fast-paced digital commerce world, running on an outdated platform could mean falling behind competitors. Modern B2B commerce platforms are constantly evolving to adapt to market trends and customer expectations, leaving CloudCraze users stranded on outdated technology. Just look at the most recent additions of AI capabilities. Arguably one of the biggest changes in the IT world and CloudCraze customers cannot participate.
Security Concerns in an Aging Platform
CloudCraze’s core technology stack—now over a decade old—poses potential security risks. While Salesforce continues to provide essential support, older frameworks like Backbone.js and Handlebars are inherently less secure than modern alternatives. These outdated frameworks are vulnerable to new types of cyberattacks, which could jeopardize the sensitive data and transactions that define B2B commerce. As cybersecurity threats grow more sophisticated, relying on an aging platform puts businesses at unnecessary risk. Moving to B2B Commerce on Core introduces more advanced security features, such as native integration with Salesforce Shield and more frequent updates to stay ahead of vulnerabilities.
Performance Issues Impacting User Experience and SEO
CloudCraze often struggles with performance, especially under high traffic loads. These performance limitations not only affect user experience but can also harm your search engine rankings. Lighthouse scores, an important measurement of key web performance metrics like load time and interactivity, can be negatively impacted by CloudCraze’s architecture. Modern B2B commerce platforms, on the other hand, are designed to optimize for speed and scalability. With faster page load times and a more responsive user interface, businesses on Salesforce’s B2B Commerce on Core can offer a superior customer experience and improve their SEO rankings. In its continued drive to innovate, Salesforce has released the Lightning Web Runtime engine, pushing web performance even further. The LWR engine is 2 generations removed from Cloudcraze.
There are 2 Cobol programmers left in the US
I’m being dramatic. There are roughly 2000 open positions for Cobol in the US. As opposed to 130,000 Java programmer. What’s the point? Talent moves on to modern technologies. CloudCraze’s reliance on outdated technologies like Handlebars and Backbone.js introduces several challenges. As the industry moves toward modern frameworks, the talent pool for maintaining and developing these older technologies continues to shrink. This makes it harder and more expensive to find developers who can support and extend CloudCraze implementations. Salesforce’s newer B2B Commerce on Core uses Lightning Web Components (LWC) and Lightning Web Runtime, which are not only more efficient but also align with current development practices. These modern frameworks enhance developer productivity and make maintenance easier, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Integration Hurdles with Salesforce Ecosystem
As a managed package, CloudCraze’s is not built by Salesforce and relies on custom “CCRZ” objects which often create challenges when integrating with other Salesforce Clouds. These custom objects require additional effort to synchronize with Salesforce’s ever-expanding ecosystem of solutions, such as Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, or Revenue Cloud. This friction slows down business processes and makes it difficult to create a unified view of your customers. B2B Commerce on Core, built natively on Salesforce’s Lightning platform, ensures seamless integration with other Salesforce solutions. This alignment allows businesses to leverage the full power of the Salesforce ecosystem, reducing integration complexity and improving operational efficiency.
There Is A Path Forward: Migrate to B2B Commerce on Core
Migrating to Salesforce’s B2B Commerce on Core offers a range of benefits. Businesses will gain access to enhanced security, better performance, and modern development frameworks. Features like enhanced CMS, Lightning Web Runtime and Lightning Web Controls are table stakes for Commerce on Core. In addition, it provides out-of-the-box integration with Salesforce’s other cloud products, empowering businesses to create a truly unified digital commerce experience. By staying current with Salesforce’s technology stack, businesses ensure they can keep up with the rapid pace of innovation in B2B commerce, providing their customers with the best possible experience.
Conclusion
The time to migrate from CloudCraze is now. Legacy platforms can no longer keep up with the speed of innovation, security demands, or performance expectations that modern B2B
commerce requires. Businesses that want to remain competitive should plan their migration strategy to B2B Commerce on Core today. This move not only future-proofs your digital commerce capabilities but also positions your business for long-term success in an increasingly digital world.