Adidas launches ecommerce-as-a-service with AI agents

Adidas is now offering ecommerce-as-a-service (EAAS) to other brands, using AI agents from Salesforce to run online stores for partners like the Audi Formula 1 team. The apparel giant’s senior project manager, Dominik Seeberger, said the move has unlocked a $100 million business opportunity and that Adidas launched the Audi site in just eight weeks.

Seeberger spoke at Salesforce Connections 2026 in Chicago, where he explained that Adidas is competing with companies like Fanatics, which he called “digital disruptors.” Fanatics, he said, is gaining market share through rapid growth in its licensed partner business and EAAS model, offering end-to-end services across more than 200 partners. “Many of them are also our partners,” Seeberger said. “And you can imagine, we are not really happy about that.”

To fight back, Adidas assessed whether its own technology could support a similar model. It concluded it could. The company is now in talks with other potential partners to run their ecommerce operations.

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How the Adidas-Audi EAAS deal works

Under its EAAS agreement with Audi, Adidas handles the entire ecommerce operation for the Audi F1 store, which launched in February. The two companies already had a merchandise partnership, making the arrangement “quite obvious,” Seeberger said. “It is an Audi webstore. The consumer wouldn’t realize that Adidas is operating the site. … In easy words, the partner could sit back and enjoy the show. There’s zero lift on their side.”

Adidas offers global checkout in 100 currencies and ships to more than 200 countries. It also provides 24/7 customer service via email and chat. For Audi, fulfillment runs from Germany to over 200 destinations worldwide. Seeberger said the EAAS model includes mutual brand benefits and shielding against competitors. The goal is to provide a premium ecommerce experience while ensuring consistent brand presentation and optimizing merchandising.

Adidas runs its EAAS operation with just one merchandiser, one computer scientist, and one site operations person.

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Seeberger said the company can only scale further by using AI agents. It is building those agents using Salesforce’s Agentforce platform. Andreas Kasper, an account director at Salesforce, said managing multiple sites with one person each isn’t feasible. “So either you hire an army of merchandisers, or you use AI,” he said. “Our merchandising agent uses natural language to strategically influence search rankings, automatically boost or bury products with agentic rules. It isn’t a custom build. It’s a template.”

To run hundred-million-dollar businesses with lean teams, Seeberger said, “you need a lot of hands, and this means a lot of AI technology.” During the session, Seeberger and Kasper demonstrated the Adidas Agent on the Audi F1 site. In the demo, a user asked for a T-shirt. The agent asked about sleeve length, color, and design preferences. When the user requested a short-sleeve gray shirt, the agent recommended three options and suggested a size based on past purchases. The agent also handled a return request. It asked for an order number and email. When the user only provided an email, the agent showed several orders. The user selected the second one, and the agent indicated which items were eligible for return.

Seeberger said Adidas is in discussions with other brands to expand the EAAS model, though he did not name specific companies. The approach allows Adidas to compete with Fanatics and other marketplace players without adding significant headcount. The company’s internal technology assessment confirmed it could support a similar model to digital disruptors, and they are now pursuing that path actively. For a broader look at how major retailers are shifting online strategies, see how Ulta Beauty E-Commerce Outpaces Stores with AI Assistant.