For many retailers, e-commerce is a way to sell products directly to consumers. Adidas is exploring a different idea: what if e-commerce itself became a product?
At Salesforce Connections 2026, Adidas revealed a new E-commerce as a Service (EaaS) strategy that allows the company to build and operate online stores for partner brands. One of the first examples is the Audi Formula 1 online store, which Adidas launched and now manages on behalf of its partner. According to the company, the initiative represents a business opportunity worth more than $100 million.
The announcement is interesting because it expands the role of major brands in digital commerce. Instead of simply selling products, companies may increasingly offer the infrastructure and expertise needed to run e-commerce operations.
Adidas’ approach is straightforward.
Rather than asking partners to build and manage their own e-commerce platforms, Adidas handles the digital operations. From storefront management and merchandising to customer service and global logistics, the company provides an end-to-end solution.
The Audi F1 merchandise store demonstrates this model in practice. Consumers interact with an Audi-branded website, while Adidas manages the e-commerce operation behind the scenes. According to Adidas, partners can benefit from existing global infrastructure without having to build their own systems from scratch.
This strategy reflects a broader trend across digital commerce.
Companies increasingly compete not only through products but also through services and ecosystems built around those products.
Artificial intelligence plays an important role in Adidas’ EaaS strategy.
The company is working with Salesforce to develop AI agents that support merchandising, customer interactions, and ecommerce operations. According to executives, these tools allow Adidas to manage multiple partner stores without significantly increasing headcount.
One demonstration showed an AI shopping assistant helping customers find products, recommending sizes based on previous purchases, and assisting with returns.
Another application focuses on merchandising. AI agents can help manage product visibility and search rankings across multiple e-commerce sites.
The goal is not simply to automate tasks. It is to make operating multiple digital storefronts more scalable.
Product Information Supports Scalable Commerce
Managing multiple partner storefronts creates new operational challenges.
Different brands bring different product catalogs, marketing requirements, customer expectations, and international markets. Maintaining consistency across those environments requires reliable and structured product information.
Product specifications, media assets, categorization, and enriched content help support merchandising, search functionality, AI recommendations, and customer experiences across digital channels.
As AI becomes more involved in e-commerce operations, structured product data becomes even more valuable.
Whether AI assists customers, manages merchandising, or supports e-commerce operations, the quality of the outcome depends on the quality of the underlying information.
Adidas’ E-commerce as a Service initiative highlights an interesting development in the retail industry.
Digital commerce capabilities are becoming products in their own right.
Brands with strong logistics networks, e-commerce expertise, and technology platforms can increasingly package those capabilities into services for other businesses.
Artificial intelligence helps make that model more scalable, while global infrastructure helps extend it across international markets.
For e-commerce, the idea is significant.
The future of digital commerce may involve more than brands selling directly to consumers. Increasingly, successful retailers may also become service providers, helping other brands build and operate their own online businesses.
Adidas’ latest initiative suggests that the boundaries between retailer, technology provider, and e-commerce operator are becoming increasingly blurred.
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