By Brent W. Peterson
I'm sitting in Hawaii, watching another perfect day unfold. The morning sun sparkles off the water as a massive cruise ship slowly makes its way into Kona harbor. A gentle breeze carries the sweet scent of plumeria, and somewhere nearby, turtle doves coo their morning song.
This is where big ideas come from - where the rhythm of the waves helps you see patterns you might miss in the noise of daily business.
And I've noticed something fascinating.
While everyone's obsessing over AI chatbots and machine learning promises, a quiet revolution is happening in enterprise commerce. The kind of shift that occurs while most people are looking the other way.
I have a confession to make. After decades in enterprise e-commerce, mainly using Magento, I built my first Shopify app. I learned a ton during this process.
Here's the thing about Shopify: It has evolved far beyond its small-business roots. While Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, and Salesforce were busy protecting their enterprise turf, Shopify quietly redefined the game. It just expanded its definition of 'enterprise' to include companies with annual sales of $200M+, and it is not being subtle about its ambitions.
While Salesforce pours resources into AI moonshots and spends 85% of its focus elsewhere, Shopify is methodically executing its enterprise strategy. Just 15% of Salesforce's revenue comes from commerce - and it shows. They're selling tomorrow's AI dreams while Shopify is solving today's commerce problems.
I'll be sure to break down what's actually happening here.
Shopify just moved their definition of 'enterprise' to companies doing $200M+ in annual sales. That's not insignificant - that's serious business. And they're being smart about it. Instead of forcing their payment system on everyone (which used to be their thing), they're letting big players use their own payment processors.
Flexibility wins enterprise deals.
But here's the clever move - Shop Pay. Victoria's Secret and Shoe Carnival aren't small brands, yet they're adopting Shopify's checkout system. It's like getting your foot in the door before selling the whole house. And while they're at it, Shopify is pushing into physical stores with their point-of-sale systems. They're not just playing in e-commerce anymore.
Meanwhile, what's Salesforce doing? Their commerce platform makes up just 15% of their revenue. They're going all-in on AI while their commerce cloud sits there like last year's iPhone. Sure, they've grabbed some wins - Hasbro, Black Rifle Coffee, and ZO Skin Health chose Salesforce. But here's what keeps me up at night: Salesforce is protecting its enterprise relationships while Shopify is actively hunting them. (Hey, Adobe Commerce, does that sound familiar?)
Think about it.
Salesforce is playing defense with their legacy clients, while Shopify is playing offense with modern commerce tools.
The Real Price of Enterprise E-commerce
So, what does all this mean for the e-commerce landscape? Let me break it down without the usual corporate buzzwords.
First, follow the money. Shopify's Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) is growing faster than the broader e-commerce market. That's not just good numbers - it's a sign that merchants are voting with their wallets. They're choosing simplicity over complexity and actual results over PowerPoint promises.
Remember when Shopify was just for 'small businesses'?
That perception is dead.
When you've got Mattel building unique product pages for different brands like American Girl on your platform, you're playing in the big leagues. The enterprise crowd isn't just looking anymore - they're moving in.
But the real battle? It's happening in physical retail. Shopify isn't just content with online sales. They're pushing into brick-and-mortar with their point-of-sale systems. Why? Because they understand something fundamental: merchants don't want seven different systems that barely talk to each other. They want one system that works.
For large merchants, this isn't just about technology - it's about cold, hard cash. When Shopify offers 50% savings over three years compared to Salesforce, that's not pocket change. That's millions in savings that can go straight to growth, innovation, or (let's be honest) the bottom line.
I've spent years in this industry, and here's what keeps the Salesforce team up at night: Shopify isn't just competing on price. They're competing on simplicity, flexibility, and speed.
While Salesforce is scheduling another enterprise architecture review meeting, Shopify merchants are already launching their next campaign.
Why Merchants Care About This Battle
I've built apps for multiple platforms, and here's what actually matters to merchants - not what the sales decks tell you.
Integration isn't just a buzzword anymore. Shopify gets this. They're not just connecting to social media - they're embedding commerce everywhere, from TikTok videos to Roku TVs. While Salesforce talks about "omnichannel strategies," Shopify merchants are already selling through Instagram, gaming platforms, and streaming services.
Here's what clicked for me while building my first Shopify app: The platform isn't trying to be everything to everyone.
Instead, they're making it dead simple to plug into anything.
Want to add new payment methods to your existing site? Done in minutes. Need to integrate with your physical store? There's a clear path for that. Building custom checkout experiences for different markets? The APIs are ready to go.
The platform is built for flexibility, not lock-in. That's a fundamental shift from the traditional enterprise approach of 'use our everything or use nothing.'
The social commerce piece is enormous. Salesforce might have more features, but Shopify understands that today's commerce happens when customers actually hang out on social platforms. They're not just adding "buy buttons" - they're creating native shopping experiences inside these platforms.
For developers and merchants, this creates a perfect storm of opportunities. The ecosystem is thriving because it's built on actual merchant needs, not enterprise wishlist features. When I launched my app, I wasn't fighting against the platform - I was building with it.
Think about it this way: While Salesforce is selling enterprise dreams in boardrooms, Shopify is enabling commerce everywhere customers actually want to buy. That's not just a technical difference - it's a fundamental shift in how modern commerce works.
The Enterprise Commerce Plot Twist Nobody Saw Coming
Let me make a prediction: In the next 18 months, we'll see more enterprise companies quietly switching to Shopify. Not because of feature promises or executive golf outings but because the math finally makes sense. The era of million-dollar implementations and never-ending consulting contracts is winding down.
I've watched platform migrations from both sides. Some are train wrecks. Others are surprising wins. If you've moved from Salesforce to Shopify (or vice versa), I'd love to hear your war stories. Drop a comment below - we all learn from the battle scars.
Here's a question that keeps bouncing around my head: While Salesforce chases enterprise merchants, are they missing the fact that those merchants want their commerce platforms to, you know, help them sell stuff?
Speaking of selling stuff, do you remember that Shopify app I mentioned earlier? It's called Content Basis Topic Generator, and it solves creating blog posts based on your products or collections in Shopify. I built it because I saw merchants struggling with content in Shopify out side of their PDP Pages. No steak dinners are required - just practical solutions for real problems.
The future of enterprise commerce isn't about who has the most significant feature list or the fanciest AI. It's about who actually helps merchants sell more with less hassle.
