Runner-up: Lion - Best Tech Awards 2025 Industry Disruptor
Lion: Disrupting Beverage Operations withAI Innovation, Cloud ERP, and ScalableCommerce Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Best Tech SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
FMCG https://www.lionco.com/Beverages (Beer, RTDs,
Alcoholic Seltzers, Craft Spirits)
RISE with SAP; SAP BTP; SAP Sales Cloud; SAP
Build Apps; SAP HANA Cloud; SAP Business AI;
SAP AI Core; SAP AI Launchpad; SAP Commerce
Cloud Version 2
Lion is a leading beverage company with operations across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Managing a diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-
alcoholic drinks, Lion combines 180 years of heritage with a bold commitment to innovation and customer-centricity.
Lion has redefined how it operates by partnering strategically with SAP to deliver a cloud-first ERP transformation through RISE with SAP, an AI-powered mobile
sales enablement app built on SAP Business Technology Platform, and a seamless migration of its marketplace to SAP Commerce Cloud Version 2. These
initiatives have streamlined operations, accelerated innovation, and empowered teams with cutting-edge tools to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Lion: Disrupting Beverage Operations with
AI Innovation, Cloud ERP, and Scalable
Commerce
Best Tech SAP Industry Disruptor
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
FMCG https://www.lionco.com/Beverages (Beer, RTDs,
Alcoholic Seltzers, Craft Spirits)
RISE with SAP; SAP BTP; SAP Sales Cloud; SAP
Build Apps; SAP HANA Cloud; SAP Business AI;
SAP AI Core; SAP AI Launchpad; SAP Commerce
Cloud Version 2
Lion is a leading beverage company with operations across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Managing a diverse portfolio of alcoholic and non-
alcoholic drinks, Lion combines 180 years of heritage with a bold commitment to innovation and customer-centricity.
Lion has redefined how it operates by partnering strategically with SAP to deliver a cloud-first ERP transformation through RISE with SAP, an AI-powered mobile
sales enablement app built on SAP Business Technology Platform, and a seamless migration of its marketplace to SAP Commerce Cloud Version 2. These
initiatives have streamlined operations, accelerated innovation, and empowered teams with cutting-edge tools to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Lion: Disrupting Beverage Operations with
AI Innovation, Cloud ERP, and Scalable
Commerce
Best Tech SAP Industry Disruptor
Challenges
Lion faced a complex set of challenges that required urgent and transformative action to maintain its competitive edge and
support long-term growth.
The company’s legacy on-premises ERP systems were a major barrier to agility. These systems were cumbersome, expensive
to maintain, and required multi-year upgrade cycles that consumed significant resources and delayed the adoption of new
innovations. As a result, Lion was unable to move at the pace needed to compete in a rapidly evolving FMCG landscape.
At the same time, Lion’s digital commerce backbone, SAP Hybris had reached end-of-life, introducing significant risks to the
stability, scalability, and security of a platform that processes the majority of the company’s sales. This was especially
concerning during peak trading periods, where even minor disruptions could impact revenue and customer trust.
Operational inefficiencies further compounded these issues. Field sales teams spent excessive time manually recording beer
tap data, which was later uploaded to CRM systems, a slow, error-prone process that limited the time reps could spend
strengthening customer relationships and driving growth. Access to actionable insights was also delayed, with complex
reporting processes slowing decision-making and limiting Lion’s ability to respond dynamically to changing market demands.
These challenges included:
• Legacy ERP limitations: Long, resource-heavy upgrade cycles and technical debt slowing innovation.
• Critical platform risk: An ageing Hybris commerce platform processing ~90% of NZ and 75% of AU sales, creating
exposure to instability and service disruption.
• High operational costs: Rising infrastructure, maintenance, and hosting expenses linked to outdated systems.
• Inefficient sales processes: Manual data collection reducing sales productivity and customer engagement opportunities.
• Slow reporting and decision-making: Time-consuming data extraction and fragmented systems delaying business
insights.
Without decisive action, Lion risked losing operational resilience, increasing costs, and diminishing its ability to deliver the
seamless experiences customers expect in a highly competitive market.
Lion faced a complex set of challenges that required urgent and transformative action to maintain its competitive edge and
support long-term growth.
The company’s legacy on-premises ERP systems were a major barrier to agility. These systems were cumbersome, expensive
to maintain, and required multi-year upgrade cycles that consumed significant resources and delayed the adoption of new
innovations. As a result, Lion was unable to move at the pace needed to compete in a rapidly evolving FMCG landscape.
At the same time, Lion’s digital commerce backbone, SAP Hybris had reached end-of-life, introducing significant risks to the
stability, scalability, and security of a platform that processes the majority of the company’s sales. This was especially
concerning during peak trading periods, where even minor disruptions could impact revenue and customer trust.
Operational inefficiencies further compounded these issues. Field sales teams spent excessive time manually recording beer
tap data, which was later uploaded to CRM systems, a slow, error-prone process that limited the time reps could spend
strengthening customer relationships and driving growth. Access to actionable insights was also delayed, with complex
reporting processes slowing decision-making and limiting Lion’s ability to respond dynamically to changing market demands.
These challenges included:
• Legacy ERP limitations: Long, resource-heavy upgrade cycles and technical debt slowing innovation.
• Critical platform risk: An ageing Hybris commerce platform processing ~90% of NZ and 75% of AU sales, creating
exposure to instability and service disruption.
• High operational costs: Rising infrastructure, maintenance, and hosting expenses linked to outdated systems.
• Inefficient sales processes: Manual data collection reducing sales productivity and customer engagement opportunities.
• Slow reporting and decision-making: Time-consuming data extraction and fragmented systems delaying business
insights.
Without decisive action, Lion risked losing operational resilience, increasing costs, and diminishing its ability to deliver the
seamless experiences customers expect in a highly competitive market.
Solution
Lion took a bold, multi-stream approach to transform its core operations and sales enablement processes, leveraging SAP’s
integrated ecosystem to modernise, innovate, and future-proof the business.
The centrepiece of this transformation was the implementation of RISE with SAP, migrating to SAP S/4HANA in the cloud.
With the upgrade to S/4 2023, shift to embedded gateway, implementation of Spaces and Pages, migration of the content
server to BTP Document Management Services, and transition to SAP RISE, Lion is now well-positioned to achieve its Clean
Core ambition. These changes simplify Lion’s landscape and ensure it can fully leverage the latest SAP innovations. This
transformation moves Lion away from resource-heavy, multi-year upgrades toward a predictable annual upgrade cadence,
enabling faster adoption of new features and helping Lion stay ahead of emerging industry trends.
Recognising the criticality of its online marketplace, Lion also undertook a seamless migration from SAP Hybris to SAP
Commerce Cloud Version 2. This technically complex project achieved zero customer disruption, safeguarding a platform
that processes ~90% of New Zealand and ~75% of Australian sales. The new headless commerce architecture enables Lion
to quickly adapt its digital interfaces to meet evolving customer needs, improve scalability during peak trading periods, and
significantly reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs.
To empower its field teams, Lion rapidly developed an AI-powered mobile app using SAP Business Technology Platform
(BTP), combining SAP Build Apps, SAP HANA Cloud, SAP AI Core, and SAP AI Launchpad. Built in under 10 days, the app
revolutionised sales workflows by automating the capture of beer tap data, crowdsourcing market insights, and integrating
seamlessly with SAP Sales Cloud. Its AI assistant, “Joey,” delivers personalised product recommendations based on user
preferences and venue data, enhancing sales productivity and improving customer engagement.
Lion took a bold, multi-stream approach to transform its core operations and sales enablement processes, leveraging SAP’s
integrated ecosystem to modernise, innovate, and future-proof the business.
The centrepiece of this transformation was the implementation of RISE with SAP, migrating to SAP S/4HANA in the cloud.
With the upgrade to S/4 2023, shift to embedded gateway, implementation of Spaces and Pages, migration of the content
server to BTP Document Management Services, and transition to SAP RISE, Lion is now well-positioned to achieve its Clean
Core ambition. These changes simplify Lion’s landscape and ensure it can fully leverage the latest SAP innovations. This
transformation moves Lion away from resource-heavy, multi-year upgrades toward a predictable annual upgrade cadence,
enabling faster adoption of new features and helping Lion stay ahead of emerging industry trends.
Recognising the criticality of its online marketplace, Lion also undertook a seamless migration from SAP Hybris to SAP
Commerce Cloud Version 2. This technically complex project achieved zero customer disruption, safeguarding a platform
that processes ~90% of New Zealand and ~75% of Australian sales. The new headless commerce architecture enables Lion
to quickly adapt its digital interfaces to meet evolving customer needs, improve scalability during peak trading periods, and
significantly reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs.
To empower its field teams, Lion rapidly developed an AI-powered mobile app using SAP Business Technology Platform
(BTP), combining SAP Build Apps, SAP HANA Cloud, SAP AI Core, and SAP AI Launchpad. Built in under 10 days, the app
revolutionised sales workflows by automating the capture of beer tap data, crowdsourcing market insights, and integrating
seamlessly with SAP Sales Cloud. Its AI assistant, “Joey,” delivers personalised product recommendations based on user
preferences and venue data, enhancing sales productivity and improving customer engagement.
Impact
80–85% of customer orders now
processed through digital channels
improving scalability and customer
experience while reducing manual
intervention.
AI-powered mobile app developed
in <10 days showcasing rapid
innovation cycles and delivering
immediate productivity gains for field
sales teams.
Report run times reduced from 1.5
hours to 6 minutes dramatically
accelerating decision-making and
enabling near real-time insights.
Lion’s transformation has delivered measurable, wide-ranging business outcomes, reshaping how the company operates,
engages with customers, and empowers its workforce. By combining a clean-core ERP, future-proofed commerce platform,
and AI-powered sales enablement, Lion has increased agility, reduced costs, and unlocked new opportunities for growth in a
competitive FMCG market.
The move to RISE with SAP has simplified operations, reduced upgrade timelines from years to a predictable annual
cadence, and improved reporting speed, enabling faster and better-informed decision-making. The migration to SAP
Commerce Cloud Version 2 safeguarded Lion’s most critical digital sales channel, maintaining customer trust and ensuring
scalability during peak trading periods. Meanwhile, the AI-powered mobile app has transformed how sales teams operate in
the field, reducing admin time, improving data accuracy, and allowing reps to focus on higher-value customer engagement.
These initiatives have improved employee efficiency, reduced operational costs, and provided customers with seamless,
data-driven experiences. Together, they demonstrate Lion’s ability to challenge industry norms and set a new standard for
how a heritage beverage company can innovate at speed.
80–85% of customer orders now
processed through digital channels
improving scalability and customer
experience while reducing manual
intervention.
AI-powered mobile app developed
in <10 days showcasing rapid
innovation cycles and delivering
immediate productivity gains for field
sales teams.
Report run times reduced from 1.5
hours to 6 minutes dramatically
accelerating decision-making and
enabling near real-time insights.
Lion’s transformation has delivered measurable, wide-ranging business outcomes, reshaping how the company operates,
engages with customers, and empowers its workforce. By combining a clean-core ERP, future-proofed commerce platform,
and AI-powered sales enablement, Lion has increased agility, reduced costs, and unlocked new opportunities for growth in a
competitive FMCG market.
The move to RISE with SAP has simplified operations, reduced upgrade timelines from years to a predictable annual
cadence, and improved reporting speed, enabling faster and better-informed decision-making. The migration to SAP
Commerce Cloud Version 2 safeguarded Lion’s most critical digital sales channel, maintaining customer trust and ensuring
scalability during peak trading periods. Meanwhile, the AI-powered mobile app has transformed how sales teams operate in
the field, reducing admin time, improving data accuracy, and allowing reps to focus on higher-value customer engagement.
These initiatives have improved employee efficiency, reduced operational costs, and provided customers with seamless,
data-driven experiences. Together, they demonstrate Lion’s ability to challenge industry norms and set a new standard for
how a heritage beverage company can innovate at speed.