This document introduces Salesforce’s China product strategy and outlines the set of features that are targeted for availability in the initial release.
Opportunity in China and Challenges Specific to China
Brands are constantly striving for innovation in this dynamic and fast-changing market. However, taking advantage of this opportunity is not without its own unique and specific set of challenges. Such challenges are faced by all enterprises that operate in China.
Regulatory
The regulatory environment in China, with respect to data sovereignty, is dynamic and continuously evolving. Regulatory frameworks such as the Cybersecurity Law (CSL), Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), and Data Security Law (DSL) place significant restrictions on how Chinese citizen data should be handled and the consent dynamics needed in order to be able to process or store that information outside of China. As such, many companies opt to store consumer data locally and deploy their infrastructure within mainland China to ensure compliance with these regulations.
Unique Market Dynamics
The ways in which businesses engage with customers in China are fundamentally different. The Chinese ‘Super Apps’, apps that wrap multiple separate functions into a single experience, have changed the way that brands interact with their customers.These platforms enable unique shopping and engagement experiences through leveraging real-time one-to-one communication for both marketers and service agents alike.
Performance
China has unique network challenges as cross-region access can significantly impair round trip response times. Customers expect fast performance of applications and services, therefore companies should consider the best ways to mitigate this and ensure the very best experiences for their customers in China.While the opportunity of the China market is substantial, there are a unique set
of regulatory and technical challenges that businesses face when operating in China.
Salesforce China 360 vision
To help customers address these challenges, Salesforce is bringing a localized version of the Customer 360 to mainland China in partnership with Alibaba Cloud, China’s leading Cloud Computing ecosystem. This empowers brands to confidently onboard their services in mainland China knowing they’ll have a service that can meet the local market needs.
Salesforce CRM and Platform Cloud on Alibaba Cloud
Salesforce has delivered Sales Cloud and Service Cloud alongside the power of the Salesforce Platform to China, which are now generally available. Running locally on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure, brands will be able to leverage the World’s #1 CRM as the backbone of their China Customer 360 strategy. With these products available, customers operating in mainland China can leverage a full suite of automation and workflow tools supporting their Sales and Service processes.
Ecommerce & Marketing in China
The customer engagement landscape in China is materially different enough that Salesforce has invested in creating a separate set of China-specific commerce and marketing tools. The first product that was launched is Connected Experiences Gateway (CXG). It includes Social Commerce, a headless commerce product designed to support storefronts on key local channels. It also includes Social Integration that integrates CRM with local apps. By extending the power of Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud, CXG forms an invaluable part of a brand's China Customer 360 strategy, allowing a full and integrated connection across various touch points from engagement and commerce to sales and services. With the continuous update and upgrade of products, Alibaba Cloud and Salesforce have gradually added new features in product releases. For more information, see the following topics:
Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud CRM feature differences (Summer '24 Release)
Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud CRM feature differences (Spring '24 Release)
Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud CRM feature differences (Winter '24 Release)
*Modified for China: Salesforce and Alibaba Cloud are developing China-specific features to better align with the unique customer requirements of operating in China.