Big C vs. Little C commerce
Real B2B commerce success requires unifying all customer interaction channels, not optimizing storefront transactions in isolation
Podcast with David Blue
Commerce Is Bigger Than Checkout with David Blue
February 26, 2026 · 40:33
Watch on YouTube
About This Episode
David Blue of Saltbox challenges conventional B2B ecommerce thinking by distinguishing between "little C" and "big C" commerce. Little C commerce is the storefront transaction itself—the add-to-cart, checkout experience that captures only a portion of how manufacturers and distributors actually do business. Big C commerce is the omnichannel reality: the seamless integration of storefronts, sales-assisted experiences, account management portals, configuration tools, and complex ordering mechanisms that reflect how complex B2B buyers actually navigate their purchase journeys. The misconception that commerce equals storefront transactions blinds organizations to the broader challenge of unifying fragmented customer experiences across multiple channels.
Saltbox, founded in fall 2021 and positioned exclusively on the Salesforce platform, emerged from recognizing that B2B digital transformation lags B2C by years, and the Salesforce ecosystem had white space for a B2B-focused services firm. David emphasizes that the real measure of commerce success is not transaction percentage or add-to-cart metrics—metrics borrowed from B2C—but whether customers can accomplish their job more effectively across whatever channel they choose. A Fortune 1000 HVAC manufacturer working with Saltbox exemplifies this: field technicians needed rapid parts discovery from mobile devices with real-time inventory visibility from manufacturer and distributor networks, reducing discovery time from minutes to seconds. That job-focused architecture involves product data, fitment data, search optimization, and integration across Oracle ERP, data lakes, and storefront experiences.
David articulates that the Salesforce CRM-driven approach to commerce differs fundamentally from ERP-driven commerce. ERPs optimize for back-office operational efficiency with rigid data structures, while Salesforce optimizes for customer-centric experiences with flexible front-office capabilities. This means choosing Salesforce for B2B commerce is not about "best of breed" point solutions stitched together; it's about accepting that platform coherence reduces integration burden and allows teams to focus on customer experience rather than data plumbing. Saltbox's differentiation includes being AI-enabled through its proprietary Saltbox One system—a shared intelligence layer capturing 150+ years of institutional knowledge that amplifies consultant capabilities rather than replacing human expertise.
Key Themes
Job-focused over transaction-focused measurement
Customer success hinges on enabling buyers to accomplish their work efficiently, not maximizing ecommerce conversion rates
Salesforce platform coherence beats multi-platform complexity
CRM-driven unified data models reduce integration work and let organizations focus on customer experience
Specialization yields expertise
Focusing exclusively on Salesforce in a specific market (B2B) creates depth and niche positioning that broad platforms cannot match
Notable Quotes
“Form does not beat function in B2B. And I think that's what a lot of people get wrong when they think about trying to become the Apple of or the Amazon of." — David Blue”
“When that buyer traverses the sales assisted to a self-service motion, there's no steps that need to be redone and there's no steps that need to be reconfirmed." — David Blue”
Guest
David Blue — Saltbox
Topics
Big C Commerce Omnichannel Salesforce Commerce Sales Motions Customer Experience B2b Ecommerce Strategy Platform Strategy
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