With AI no longer just a futuristic buzzword, it’s reshaping the way businesses operate today. We wanted to step back and look at how global technology giants like SAP and Microsoft are approaching AI, not in theory, but in practice, and what their strategies could mean for the future of B2B eCommerce. Because when companies of this scale move, the ripple effects are felt across the entire industry.
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SAP: Embedding AI in Commerce Operations
SAP has been introducing AI capabilities into its commerce solutions. According to the company, AI in SAP Commerce Cloud can “review product tags and catalogs, generate and customise product descriptions, embed supplemental technologies such as machine vision, and guide customers to the right choice for their needs.”
SAP has also launched its Business AI portfolio, including Joule Agents, designed to “automate important customer experience functions like catalogue optimization and quote creation, freeing teams to focus more on strategic growth”
SAP’s AI Roadmap in B2B E-Commerce: What’s Next in 2025
AI Agents Deployment at Scale
In a Q2 2025 earnings call, SAP CEO Christian Klein revealed that the company has launched 14 AI-powered agents so far this year, with plans to expand toward 40 total by year-end. These agents automate key business workflows such as quote generation, expense management, service dispute resolution, and financial forecasting, a prime example of AI penetrating B2B operational functions.
Agentic AI for Sales and Supply Chain
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Klein described SAP’s strategy of “agentic AI” as a big next step. He highlighted two purpose-built agents: one for sales (optimising product pricing and bundling at the right buying moment) and another for supply chain (ensuring stock availability and timely delivery). Leveraging data context is crucial for these agents’ effectiveness, though approximately 80% of SAP customers currently lack the infrastructure to support full deployment. SAP’s roadmap aims to bridge that gap.
AI-Driven Commerce Tools Already Available
On the SAP Community platform, the new AI Shopping Assistant, part of the SAP CX AI Toolkit, is now available. This tool enables natural-language, conversational product discovery directly on SAP Commerce Cloud storefronts, offering intelligent recommendations and specification comparisons. It’s an early indication of how SAP is layering AI into front-end customer experience.
Enterprise-Context AI Scaling Across 2025
SAP’s broader “Business AI” framework, featuring the generative AI assistant Joule, is positioned as a unified interface across business functions, from supply chain to finance, HR, and sales. The company plans to expand from 230 AI-powered scenarios now to around 400 by the end of 2025, aiming to deliver AI agents that “understand your business data and context,” accessible through a single interface.
For companies, the impact is a shift toward more personalised, predictive, and efficient digital buying journeys, mirroring consumer expectations but tailored to enterprise scale.
Microsoft: Embedding AI Agents into B2B Commerce
Microsoft is accelerating its AI strategy by positioning itself as an “AI agent factory”—a platform that enables businesses to build and deploy AI agents across tools like GitHub, Copilot, and Azure. As reported by The Verge, Microsoft’s CoreAI team, led by Jay Parikh, is spearheading this transformation, aiming to standardize AI-driven development and accelerate application delivery.
On the B2B front, Microsoft is rolling out advanced AI capabilities within its Dynamics 365 platform. The 2025 “release wave 2” roadmap introduces AI agents designed to proactively assist sales, service, finance, and commerce teams. These agents will help sellers close deals faster, support service teams with real-time knowledge, and provide finance professionals with automation and analysis, all pushing AI into the heart of enterprise workflows.
Why It Matters: These developments show Microsoft is moving beyond simply embedding AI, it’s enabling organisations to create personalised AI agents that enhance productivity, streamline operations, and transform how B2B services are delivered. This is a strategic shift, making AI not just a feature but an integrated, self-driving layer across enterprise platforms.
Looking Ahead
Microsoft’s roadmap goes beyond embedding Copilot features. The company has outlined a steady expansion of role-based AI agents across Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, with upcoming waves focused on deeper integration into commerce, supply chains, and financial services. At the same time, Microsoft is positioning Azure as the backbone for enterprises to build their own custom AI agents, turning the platform into an ecosystem where AI assistants become standard infrastructure. For B2B eCommerce, this means a future where routine tasks from quote building to demand forecasting are increasingly handled by intelligent, automated agents, freeing human teams to focus on strategy and growth.
AI’s Expanding Role in B2B Ecommerce
Artificial intelligence is moving from pilots to real deployment across the B2B commerce value chain.
From the buyer’s perspective, this means highly personalised recommendations, AI-powered chatbots that provide 24/7 support, and dynamic storefronts that adapt to individual behaviour in real time. For sales teams, AI is shifting strategy from reactive to predictive: lead scoring, automated quoting, and smarter account targeting are helping sellers anticipate buyer needs before they arise.
Driving Efficiency and Smarter Procurement
Behind the scenes, AI is reshaping operational efficiency. Businesses are using it to forecast demand, optimise inventory, and gain clearer supply chain visibility. Procurement is also evolving: AI agents can now evaluate suppliers, track compliance and even support negotiation strategies with data-driven insights. These capabilities reduce risk, speed up decision-making, and create new levels of transparency across traditionally complex B2B networks.
Winners, Losers, and the Road Ahead
The shift is creating a new divide. Digitally mature companies with integrated systems and clean data are well-positioned to thrive, especially those balancing automation with human expertise. By contrast, firms that are slow to adopt AI, or that rely on fragmented tech stacks risk being left behind. For B2B leaders, the path forward is clear: start small, personalise customer journeys, integrate AI tightly with ERP and CRM systems, and scale once results are proven. Those who act decisively today will set the benchmarks for tomorrow’s AI-driven B2B commerce landscape.
The Only Certainty Is Change
This article has highlighted, at a top level, how two of the world’s biggest technology players—SAP and Microsoft—are embedding AI into their platforms in ways that are reshaping enterprise technology itself. As a result, the B2B eCommerce landscape is being transformed too: from smarter customer experiences and predictive sales to more efficient operations and data-driven procurement. These strategies show not just how global giants are using AI, but how these shifts are redefining what B2B buyers and sellers will come to expect in the digital marketplace.
