TLDR: SharkNinja is significantly upgrading its digital customer engagement by integrating Salesforce’s Agentforce AI agents into its new e-commerce platform. This strategic move aims to deliver 24/7 personalized support, streamline the shopping journey, and create a more authentic, community-driven online experience for its global customer base, with a phased rollout expected throughout 2025.
Global product design and technology powerhouse, SharkNinja, known for its Shark and Ninja brands, is set to transform its e-commerce and customer service landscape through the strategic implementation of Salesforce’s advanced AI agents, dubbed ‘Agentforce’. This initiative, which has been in development and beta testing, is poised to redefine how consumers interact with the company’s diverse portfolio of household products.
The integration of Agentforce is a cornerstone of SharkNinja’s broader replatforming effort, moving its home appliance sales to Salesforce’s ecosystem, including Commerce Cloud. The primary goal is to create a ‘much richer experience’ for customers, particularly given SharkNinja’s direct-to-consumer focus and lack of physical storefronts, as highlighted by Calvin Anderson, Senior Vice President of Global Digital Experience at SharkNinja. The company aims to earn customer attention in a competitive digital landscape where traditional SEO is evolving rapidly towards AI-driven search results.
Velia Carboni, CIO of SharkNinja, emphasized the transformative potential of AI agents, stating, ‘Innovation is the driver behind every product SharkNinja creates across our vast portfolio, so it was really important to find a tool that could give us the capabilities needed to be just as innovative across every consumer interaction.’ Carboni further noted, ‘The unlock with Agentforce versus historical chatbots will be authenticity. Agentforce gives us that opportunity. It feels more personal, more like a dialogue than a black-and-white ‘I ask this question, I get that answer.” This sentiment underscores a shift from rigid, script-based interactions to more fluid, human-like conversations.
The AI agents are designed to autonomously handle a wide array of customer interactions, from guiding shoppers through the buying process and answering product questions to troubleshooting issues and managing returns. This ‘always-on, digital workforce’ will provide 24/7 tailored support across more than 30 markets, significantly streamlining workloads for human agents, allowing them to focus on more complex, high-impact interactions. Adam Evans, EVP & GM of Salesforce AI Platform, commented on the partnership, stating, ‘SharkNinja prioritizes quality, innovation, and an exceptional customer experience. By integrating customer data with service and support functions, Agentforce enables SharkNinja to deliver an exceptional experience at every touchpoint — building customer loyalty and keeping them coming back time and time again.’
Beyond immediate customer service, Agentforce will leverage consolidated customer data from Commerce Cloud to deliver highly personalized shopping experiences, offering targeted solutions and recommendations based on past purchases and service history. Anderson provided a glimpse into the agent’s capabilities, explaining, ‘You’re literally speaking to it like you would coach or train someone. It could be a world where we’re asking for it to start with recipe recommendations and then product and recipe pairing.’ He also noted the iterative testing process to ensure the AI becomes a ‘wholesome, thoughtful, inquisitive agent.’
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While the feature is currently in beta, SharkNinja anticipates a phased rollout, with the AI agents expected to launch as part of its social commerce initiatives in early fall. The full integration of Salesforce’s commerce and service capabilities, including Agentforce, is a strategic ‘reset’ for SharkNinja’s digital presence, with comprehensive implementation projected through the middle of 2025. The company is meticulously preparing its data infrastructure to ensure the AI can efficiently access and utilize information, moving towards a future where consumer conversations drive content and product understanding.
