Salesforce Unveils AI-Powered Agentforce for Retail and Cloud-Based POS System

Salesforce has introduced two innovative tools to transform the retail industry: Agentforce for Retail and Retail Cloud with Modern POS. These advancements, announced before the National Retail Federation (NRF) conference, demonstrate Salesforce’s commitment to using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, productivity, and customer experiences for retailers navigating online and offline environments.

Agentforce for Retail is designed to empower retailers with AI-powered digital labor. It includes a comprehensive library of pre-built agent skills to automate tasks such as order management, guided shopping, appointment scheduling, and loyalty promotion creation. These capabilities allow retailers to streamline routine operations, enhance customer interactions, and improve overall efficiency. Leading brands like Saks Fifth Avenue and SharkNinja are already testing Agentforce in real-world retail scenarios, showcasing its potential to revolutionize customer engagement.

The Retail Cloud with Modern POS is another significant offering, merging online and offline operations into a unified platform. It incorporates mobile point-of-sale capabilities, clienteling tools to capture customer preferences and shopping history, omnichannel fulfillment options with “mixed cart” capabilities, and robust inventory management systems. This cloud-based platform is designed to free retail associates from fixed checkout counters, enabling a more fluid shopping experience while providing retailers with a centralized solution for managing inventory and customer interactions. Integration with Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, and Order Management further enhances its utility.

These tools underscore Salesforce’s broader strategy of embedding AI across its platform to redefine operational capacity and customer service. Agentforce for Retail represents a significant leap forward by enabling the creation of AI agents that perform tasks autonomously, bridging the gap between simple AI copilots and sophisticated, task-oriented digital assistants. This focus on AI-driven innovation aligns with Salesforce’s mission to help retailers adapt to changing customer expectations and market demands.

Salesforce’s advancements arrive at a time when other companies, such as Talkdesk and Zebra Technologies, are also rolling out AI tools tailored to the retail sector. Talkdesk recently introduced AI agents capable of handling tasks like real-time order tracking and customer authentication, while Zebra Technologies is developing AI solutions for frontline retail workers. However, Salesforce distinguishes itself with its comprehensive approach, combining a robust multi-cloud architecture with specialized retail capabilities.

As Nitin Mangtani, Salesforce’s senior vice president and general manager of Retail, emphasized, the combination of AI-fueled digital labor and a modern POS system can unlock unprecedented levels of operational capacity for retailers. These tools streamline day-to-day tasks and enable retailers to deliver seamless, unified shopping experiences across physical and digital channels, driving business growth and enhancing customer satisfaction.

By leveraging the power of AI, Salesforce is setting a new benchmark for retail innovation, equipping businesses with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive and dynamic industry. These solutions exemplify how advanced technologies can bridge the gap between traditional retail practices and the demands of the digital age, ensuring a more connected, efficient, and customer-centric future for the retail sector.