Salesforce rolls out platform for big brands to create NFT loyalty programs

Customer relationship management software company Salesforce has launched Salesforce Web3, an NFT management platform to help its customers create token-based loyalty programs.

Businesses can create and sell NFTs, monitor blockchain activity and view real-time customer data on Salesforce Web3, which launched today with subscription tiers. The rollout comes after a pilot program of 257,000 transactions with Salesforce customers such as whiskey brand Crown Royal, clothing brand Scotch & Soda and Mattelthe toy company behind Barbie and Hot Wheels.

“One of the most interesting and powerful things is access to first-party data,” Adam Caplan, GM of Web3 at Salesforcetold Decrypt. “When the regulations change and Apple changes the rules around cookies, Facebook and brands don’t want to spend all this money with any of these organizations – the crypto wallet becomes very powerful, so I can contact a customer directly and access it first. -party data, Caplan said.

His comments echo those of Salesforce Web3 head Marc Mathieu, who told Decrypt last month at NFT Paris as he believes crypto wallets are the new cookies. That said, Salesforce is aware of the implications for user privacy. “We’ve built in consent from privacy tools to enable wallet owners to share all their information if they want, or just some information,” Caplan said Decrypt.

Mattel’s Hot Wheels NFT Garage Series consisted of 215,000 NFTs of digital cars, and some allowed customers to earn physical Hot Wheels products, the company said. Scotch & Soda partnered with Salesforce to launch its free NFT loyalty program Club Soda 3.0 while Crown Royal minted over 20,000 purported digital collectibles that were associated with the brand and sent care packages of Crown Royal alcohol to active duty military members.

“A couple of years ago, brands were thinking about [NFTs] as a revenue generator, and that’s still true to some extent — Mattel sold out in 12 hours, it was a huge success, Caplan said. “But a lot of brands see this as engagement as well, maybe there’s no revenue and we should just give away these NFTs to drive personalization, community, excitement about our brand and targeting a younger audience.”

Caplan described Salesforce Web3 as “blockchain agnostic,” and it only supports proof-of-stake chains. Most Salesforce customers use Ethereum or Polygon, he said. “A lot of our brands want to pay the gas taxes for the end consumer, they don’t want the consumer to even understand that there are gas taxes or need to know what they are,” Caplan said, referring to the fees associated with making transactions on blockchain networks like Ethereum.

The Salesforce Web3 GM added that the company prefers to avoid using industry jargon, such as “blockchain” or “NFT,” not only to minimize friction, but also because of the baggage they carry. “There’s so much passion around it for better or for worse, especially the last couple of years with all the craziness that’s happened, so we don’t tend to use the words,” he said. “Because it doesn’t matter, it’s about the customer experience.”

Caplan mentioned Nike and Starbucks like two Salesforce customers making admirable moves in the Web3 customer loyalty space, even though neither is yet a Salesforce Web3 subscriber. Salesforce sees retail and consumer goods, media and fashion brands as prime targets for its new NFT management software.

More than 400 Salesforce employees signed a petition in February last year in protest against the company’s attempt to initiate NFT measures. Salesforce has since developed its own Web3 Advisory Board and Ethical Use Advisory Council together with its consulting partners such as Accenture and Deloitte Digital, AE Studio, Media Monks, TIME and Vayner3.

“We received fantastic feedback from staff and took it very seriously; we engaged with the employees who had concerns and those who were passionate,” Caplan said. “It really influenced our road map and our approach.”