The Commerce Cloud acts as a one-stop, out-of-the-box solution. From automation to emails to marketing, Commerce Cloud has a product as a solution for every requirement of businesses and individuals. But all these specifications and features will remain useless if Salesforce Commerce Cloud isn’t integrated with third-party applications as operations like processing of payments and cards or order fulfilment management isn’t something that is in the hands of Commerce Cloud.
It is shocking, right! Yes, even though the Salesforce Commerce Cloud is quite equipped with many innovations, many things, like payments and tax calculations, cannot be performed directly on the Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The Cloud needs to be integrated with certain applications for providing those services to the customers.
SFCC’s features get enhanced via these integrations, but few businesses have skilled developers who can work on these integrations. This gap in integrating payment processors with SFCC is managed using Salesforce Link Cartridge.
Role of Link Cartridges in B2C Commerce Cloud
You must be thinking, what are these cartridges now; are they something like the ones which we have in our printers. We can say that Salesforce Link Cartridges are the bridge between commerce cloud and integrations for a simpler explanation. Technically, link cartridges are containers or collections of configurations and codes and certain documentation required to implement the proposed Salesforce-certified third-party integration. They are used for packaging and deploying program code and data, structured into folders and subordinate folders for efficiency.
The third-party integrations required in the B2C Commerce Cloud usage, like tax calculation systems, payment processors, product information systems, and other integrations, are established effectively over the Commerce Cloud with these Salesforce Link Cartridges.
A regular Salesforce B2C Commerce storefront needs at least one link cartridge, but they generally implemented more than one. Implementing these Link Cartridges isn’t as easy as implementing other cartridges that generally function in product cycles or Commerce Cloud. Link Cartridge implementation requires Salesforce Certified B2C Commerce Developer and Commerce Cloud System Integration. There is a rigid set of standards for Link Cartridges set by Salesforce, which must be followed to be trusted on its functioning and can be implemented with no hiccups or back thoughts in mind.
What is Link Marketplace?
Well, Salesforce Link Cartridges is not having the only benefit of integrating the third-party apps and enhancing the Salesforce Commerce Cloud. An added benefit of owning a certified Salesforce Link Cartridge is having it listed in Link Marketplace. Don’t panic; here’s what Link Marketplace is.
Link Marketplace is the official catalog of all certified Salesforce LINK Cartridges. It is the primary resort for discovering various third-party integrations. We can say that Link Marketplace is the App Exchange of LINK Cartridges. When a certified Salesforce Link Cartridge is developed, it gets self-listed by Salesforce on the LINK Marketplace, emphasizing its authenticity. LINK Marketplace is not just for finding Salesforce Link Cartridges; rather, it is an influencing place between Salesforce Commerce Cloud consumers, developers, and practitioners. Businesses can connect to various new and potential customers and enhance their integration experiences by assembling at LINK Marketplace.
How to get your Salesforce Link Cartridge published on Link Marketplace?
After reading about the Salesforce Link Cartridge and how it enhances the power of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, one would get excited to get a Salesforce Link Cartridge of theirs over the LINK Marketplace. Getting a Salesforce Link Cartridge published in Link Marketplace isn’t just a one-step process, but it’s not that tough. Let’s get to how we can get our Salesforce Link Cartridge published in Link Marketplace.
1. Members, please come in!
The Salesforce LINK Marketplace can be accessed only if you are a LINK technology Partnership program member. Go to the partner portal of Salesforce, apply for the Link Technology Partner Program Membership, and hop on the trail of publishing your Link Cartridge.
2. Join the program
After filling up the form, the requestor has to read and accept the basic terms and conditions of the LINK Technology Partner agreement and validate with signature the program fees. After these processes, the Link Technology Partner Team will assist the requestor in determining partnership tiers and their eligibility, processing the partnership agreement, and chalking a roadmap for your success with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
Read Also: How To Convert Abandoned Carts Into Complete Sales With B2C Commerce Cloud?
3. Integration and work
The next step is to integrate your application with Salesforce Commerce Cloud via a Salesforce Certified B2C Commerce Developer. Often organizations do not have a certified B2C Commerce Developer, and this is where Cyntexa walks in. Cyntexa helps businesses perform such integrations by acting as a certified B2C Commerce System Integrator and assisting you with our Salesforce-certified B2C Commerce Developers team.
After integration, the next step is to request the integration to be validated in alignment with the Salesforce B2C Commerce Certification standards. This validation can be assured by building an efficient integration and presenting high-quality documentation and support to the integration.
4. Submission for certification
After building up a production-level efficient Link Cartridge, it is time to submit the Link Cartridge for its certification. The submission must be done by a certified Salesforce B2C Commerce Developer or a consulting partner for Salesforce B2C Commerce like Cyntexa.
5. Reach the Link Marketplace
Once the link cartridge developed and published gets validated and accepted by Salesforce, the user can start promotion of their integration solution(s) for Salesforce Commerce Cloud Consumers and Merchants to notice, purchase and utilize.
Final Words
After reading A to Z about Salesforce Link Cartridge and how it powers up the Salesforce Commerce Cloud, businesses are taking steps to get their Link Cartridges developed and published, and this is where Cyntexa comes to the rescue by assisting and enhancing your Link Cartridge ideas and visions to getting it developed by our skilled and certified Salesforce B2C developers; we have it all for you. Scared about launching your cartridge after developing well, worry not because, being a Salesforce B2C Consulting Partner, Cyntexa provides Link Cartridge Compliance services to help you review your cartridge and get it published in the marketplace.
Originally published at https://cyntexa.com on May 23, 2022.
