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Manage Anonymous Consumer Journeys by Using Consumer Sales Business APIs in Energy & Utilities Cloud Sales
To offer a seamless and consistent customer management experience for business-to-consumer (B2C) engagements, integrate Consumer Sales with Energy & Utilities Cloud Sales. This integration helps for effective management of cart-based journeys for residential and small business unauthenticated end users that have an integration user profile.
Required Editions
| Available in: Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer Editions |
Connect REST APIs give your admins a streamlined, industry-specific interface for every phase of the sales journey. The API-first Cart-to-Asset experience provides a digital experience for anonymous shoppers. An anonymous shopper with an integration user profile can effortlessly find, configure, and purchase products in a consumer-friendly experience.
After the admin configures the integration user profile for the guest user with API only access, system integrators can integrate business APIs with external systems. The APIs show customers the product with pricing information instantly based on the selected configuration that they can add to their cart. After the products are added to the cart, the checkout process converts this cart into an order.
App Usage Assignment
When a user with the Consumer Sales User permission set creates a WebCart with the Consumer Sales type, the system generates an AppUsageAssignment record. The system links this record to the cart by using the cart ID and tags it with the Consumer Sales app usage type.
This assignment propagates to subsequent orders and assets. The Consumer Sales app usage type is required for the Product Configuration API, Place Sales Transaction API, and Create Order API to function correctly with the ConsumerSalesContext context definitions.
Consumer Sales Business APIs
Explore the comprehensive reference library of business APIs for Consumer Sales.
- Product List API
- Use the Product List API to provide customers with a list of products that are eligible for customer carts. The API gets the list of products for a specified catalog, category, or subcategory, so that the user can start their shopping journey.
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For example, a homeowner visits the Kenton Energy website to find a new electricity plan for their residence. After entering their zip code, the website invokes the Product List API to filter and display available tariffs for that region. The user sees a list of eligible options such as the Standard Fixed Plan, the Green Energy Plan, and the Dynamic Time-of-Use Plan, allowing them to browse the high-level benefits of each.
- Product Details API
- Use the Product Details API to provide customers with product details, such as attributes, hierarchy, or cardinality of individual product records or bundle-based product records, such as price, features, terms, and eligibility rules. The API gets the product details based on a specified product ID.
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For example, a user is interested in the Dynamic Time-of-Use Plan and selects View Tariff Details. The website invokes the Product Details API using that plan's unique ID. The API returns granular data, allowing the page to display the specific Unit Rate for peak hours versus off-peak hours, the daily Standing Charge, and the Monthly Fixed Charges.
- Bulk Product Details API
- Use the Bulk Product Details API to provide customers with details of multiple products for comparing features and prices side by side. The API gets the details of multiple products at once based on the product IDs provided.
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For example, a cost-conscious customer wants to compare the Standard Fixed Plan against the Green Energy Plan to see the price difference for renewable energy. The user select the Compare checkbox for both. The website invokes the Bulk Product Details API, which fetches the attributes for both plans in a single call. This allows the site to generate a side-by-side table showing that while the Green Energy Plan has a slightly higher Unit Rate, it offers a $0 carbon footprint guarantee compared to the Standard plan.
- Product Configuration API
- Use the Product Configuration API to retrieve and update a product’s configuration from a configurator. This API runs configuration rules and notifies users of any violations for changes to product bundles, attributes, or product quantities within a bundle. Also, this API gets pricing details for the configured bundle.
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For example, a customer chooses the Standard Fixed Plan but wants to add Smart Home Protection (an insurance add-on) and opts for Paperless Billing. The website invokes the Product Configuration API to validate these selections. The API confirms that the Smart Home Protection is compatible with the selected residential plan and calculates the new Monthly Fixed Charge by applying a $5 discount for the paperless billing selection.
- Place Sales Transaction API
- Use the Place Sales Transaction API to place a sales transaction with integrated pricing and configuration, and manage the transaction throughout its lifecycle. This API enables users to create, configure, price, and tax a cart or an order efficiently. It offers significant performance and scalability by managing the state of the shopping session.
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For example, once the user is satisfied with their configured Green Energy Plan, they click Sign Up Now. The website invokes the Place Sales Transaction API to create a digital pending enrollment record. The API calculates the estimated annual cost based on the user's historical usage (if provided), includes any regional energy taxes, and reserves the current advertised rates. This ensures the price is locked in as the user proceeds to enter their service address and personal details.
- Create Order API
- Use the Create Order API to create an order from a cart ID or context ID. When you provide both the inputs, the cart ID takes precedence. This API runs in sync mode to support only one order.
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For example, a user provides their bank details for Direct Debit and submits their final application. The website invokes the Create Order API to finalize the enrollment. The API generates a unique Account Number, creates the digital service contract, and schedules the switch-over date with the national grid. Simultaneously, it triggers a downstream process to send a welcome pack to the customer and, if necessary, alerts the metering team to install a smart meter at the property.
