A dozen Studio Science team members were among the thousands to descend upon Chicago last week for Salesforce’s Connections conference. Connections is Salesforce’s marquee marketing event, and this year it centered around data and AI’s role in marketing, commerce, and customer experiences.
Between hosting our own space on the McCormick Place floor, multiple demos, other events, and having countless conversations with those in attendance, we tried to absorb as much of the conference as we could. But with more than 270 sessions and the massive campground area filled with demos, booths, and breakout areas, it’s impossible to catch all of the knowledge and insights being distilled over two days.
Which is why we’re here. If you weren’t able to make it in person this year or just didn’t have enough time in the day to experience it all, we asked a few of our Salesforce experts on the ground to give us their quick takeaways from Connections 2024. Here’s what they had to say.
From a customer perspective, it’s clear they’re hungry for tangible examples and prescriptive, hands-on approaches for using/maximizing their existing Salesforce investments. Specifically, trying to figure out how they can streamline operations and boost productivity.
Meanwhile, Salesforce is facing a ton of competition from all sides – CRM, marketing, data, commerce, etc. – and has to be seen as the best option and be competitive on price against those who have caught up technology-wise. For partners like us, Salesforce reps are swimming in technology and complexity and need help telling simple stories that resonate with their customers.
At the end of the day, most of the folks I talked to just want to sell more. It’s simple; how can they use technology to increase AOV, find new buyers, convert occasional purchasers into frequent shoppers, cross-sell, up-sell, and more.
– Steve Pruden, CEO
Connections was another great opportunity to see what Salesforce’s platform vision is for 2024 and beyond. Data Cloud was a good sized piece of the overall conference and it’s clear that’s a huge focus moving forward.
It was also a great time for Studio Science to connect with current and future clients about projects that are on the docket for 2024/25. We made some great headway on meeting new clients that are a part of our strategic growth, we met with current clients to move current work forward and get them planning their next phases, and we made significant movement in the overall brand recognition of Studio Science as a company.
– Eric Koopmans, Director of Salesforce Solution Architecture
This is personally my favorite Salesforce event of the year and this one compared well to my past experiences. AI (automation), data, and a 360-degree customer view were all major themes, as promised. Just like with every major theme, it was a bit overdone. A lot of the sessions were dominated by AI conversations and it seemed to get to the point where attendees were getting overloaded with it.
I tried to attend as many commerce sessions as possible. A lot of folks are curious about the commerce product roadmap and additional features that can help their environment. No surprise here, but everyone is asking about AI’s role in commerce and how AI integration can help automate in areas other than just messaging and copy.
– Lou Stanley, Senior Account Executive
I talked to what felt like 1,000 people over the course of three days – thank you to everyone who stopped me to chat – and a few things stood out. Obviously, personalization is still very much top of mind.
Another is that instead of being told to buy more technology, brands want to get more out of what they have. They want to focus on improving CX and work with their technology to talk to consumers in ways that drive more revenue.
To that note of wanting to get more out of what they have, brands are also tired of being sold to. Instead, they are looking for partners who can run workshops, showcase what they are seeing in the market, and help organize next steps. It’s about doing more with what they already have.
– Derek Neff, SVP of Alliances
You can also learn more about the commerce demos we showcased at the Commerce Cloud booth and about our Salesforce partnership.
