Pros and cons of e-commerce SAP integration

When talking about optimizing webshops, the focus quickly shifts to the front end and the customer experience. Then there is talk of placing attractive service offers directly next to call-to-action elements, using breadcrumb menus to increase clarity for the store visitor or the question of the right time to request email data and its most favorable positioning on the store interface.

These and other aspects are undoubtedly an important improvement in sales opportunities via the Internet channel.

"But these are largely just static elements for optimizing the front end"

Gerlinde Wiest-Gümbel diagnoses that an e-commerce strategy should not be limited to this. The managing partner of IT service provider Poet adds:

"When it comes to adapting to individual users and supporting them with personalized offers, a narrow focus on optimizing the store interface is not enough.

All important dynamic functions, starting with product availability information, would require the integration of one or more business management systems in the background"

she emphasizes.

In addition, any personalized and therefore sales-promoting information requires that the entire knowledge of the store visitor's typical purchasing behavior from the various databases in the company must be used.

"Omnichannel strategies are at the top of the agenda for many store providers. However, they cannot be realized if e-commerce is operated as a silo system"

Wiest-Gümbel points out. Instead, the back-end systems and business processes need to be integrated with the front-end.

In Wiest-Gümbel's eyes, integration of the SAP ERP system is directly linked to the future viability of a provider's e-commerce.

"One argument in favor of stores as a silo system is that they are easier to operate. But without the corresponding infrastructure in the background, it will hardly be possible to significantly increase the trading volume of a store in the long term, because it will remain limited both in terms of its information quality for users and its marketing control."

She is also unable to accept objections regarding the expense of integration projects. There are now established procedures with which they can be implemented in just a few weeks by using ready-made interfaces and best practices.

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