Elevating the Sonos Dealer Experience with Scalable B2B Commerce

The existing Sonos dealer portal allowed users to place orders but lacked the sophistication, clarity, and brand polish that Sonos is known for in its consumer experiences. The company partnered with Studio Science to design and implement a scalable, Salesforce-powered platform that would streamline operations and strengthen relationships with its professional partners.

Challenge

Despite Sonos's reputation for intuitive hardware and elegant user experiences, its B2B portal was strategically underperforming. Dealers and distributors had fragmented experiences across ordering, support, and rebates, while internal teams struggled with manual reporting and limited visibility.

An initial Experience Lab workshop revealed a critical gap in proactive support during the buying process and the lack of an effective experience strategy, resulting in workflows that were misaligned with dealer needs.

“Our B2B platform is the primary touchpoint most partners have with our brand. It should feel premium—commensurate with our brand—and it should work hard for us, driving revenue, not just facilitating orders.” - Sonos Leader

Solution / Approach

Studio Science partnered with Sonos through a multi-phase engagement, beginning with identifying user needs,  validating opportunities, and co-creating a roadmap for a unified, scalable B2B experience.

Phase 1: Research, Strategy, and Prototype

Studio Science conducted one-on-one interviews with Sonos employees and professional partners across North America, including distributors, residential and commercial integrators, and account managers. These sessions evaluated navigability, usability, feature desirability, content relevance, and overall brand alignment.

The research revealed three critical themes shaping the desired future-state experience:

• Transparency and status: Dealers needed real-time visibility into orders, shipping, and product availability.
• Efficiency and organization: Users sought faster paths to ordering, logical product categorization, and access to essential documentation.
• Enablement and support: Dealers wanted contextual guidance—technical specs, installation help, and rebate visibility—all in one place.

Insights from the interviews informed a future-state service blueprint, which mapped the complete dealer journey across all touchpoints and internal systems. The blueprint was paired with a system architecture diagram that clarified the dependencies that would shape the future implementation.

Studio Science then developed interactive prototypes to visualize the reimagined experience. The prototypes demonstrated:

• Streamlined navigation and intuitive page hierarchy
• Contextual product recommendations and improved filtering
• Simplified rebate management and enhanced tracking visibility
• Self-service account and partnership tier management tools

Prototype testing with dealers and Sonos stakeholders validated usability and informed design refinements. The process also aligned cross-functional teams around a shared, evidence-based vision—reducing risk ahead of full-scale development.

Phase 2: Salesforce B2B Commerce Implementation

Building on Phase 1 foundations, Studio Science led the implementation of Salesforce B2B Commerce to support Sonos’s dealer and partner commerce experience. The solution was integrated with Sonos’s Salesforce CRM, SAP ERP, and Salesforce OMS, creating a scalable commerce foundation aligned with Sonos’s broader Salesforce ecosystem.

Delivery approach and collaboration

Studio Science worked as an extension of the Sonos team through a highly collaborative delivery model with shared ownership across product, design, engineering, and business stakeholders. Frequent working sessions, sprint demos, and feedback loops enabled rapid validation, real time prioritization, and continuous alignment throughout the engagement.

This close partnership culminated in the Studio Science team being invited to present the portal at Sonos’s dealer appreciation conference in Santa Barbara.

Timeline and implementation milestones

The project followed a phased, sprint-based delivery approach focused on incremental value. An early discovery and alignment phase defined future state goals, followed by iterative delivery of core features. Final rollout was supported by enablement, documentation, and transition planning to ensure successful adoption.

Salesforce accelerators and reusable components

No pre-built Salesforce accelerators were used beyond the standard Salesforce B2B Commerce model. While the solution was tailored specifically to Sonos’s requirements, the engagement established repeatable collaboration models, integration approaches, and delivery practices that can be applied to future B2B commerce initiatives.

Impact / Outcomes

The redesigned dealer portal delivers immediate, measurable business impact while elevating the professional experience to reflect the brand’s premium standards. Dealers benefit from real-time order visibility, simplified navigation, and easier access to product, rebate, and support information, enabling faster, more confident purchasing decisions.

Adoption and performance

The portal saw rapid adoption following launch, with all dealer accounts fully live within the first six weeks. Engagement was strong, reflected in a significant increase in logins, orders placed, and total order intake. The migration was completed smoothly with minimal issues, allowing the business to stay on schedule and transition dealers on time.

Business impact

Post-launch performance showed substantial year-over-year gains across key metrics, including increased order volume, revenue growth, higher average order value, and stronger repeat purchasing behavior. While the overall dealer base remained stable, engagement deepened as dealers relied more heavily on the portal for day-to-day operations. Silver-tier dealers reported a 16-point increase in Net Promoter Score, driven by improved support, faster responses, and easier access to critical information. Dealer feedback consistently described the experience as “easy to use,” a “huge improvement,” and “better in every way.”

Long-term value

Internally, teams benefit from improved data integrity, reduced manual work, and a unified platform that supports faster iteration and scalability across regions and product lines. The modernized portal strengthens dealer relationships and supports long-term growth in the professional channel.