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Retail

Transform shopping experiences on every channel — and improve sustainability across your value chain — with our cloud retail solutions.

Retail digital transformation

Retailers face new challenges in the way goods are marketed, bought, fulfilled, delivered, and sold in a highly competitive marketplace, but emerging technology innovations are ushering in new opportunities as well. Retailers can leverage technologies, such as cloud, AI, robotics, IoT, and VR/AR, to provide the shopping experiences that delight customers. 

Image representing top of mind topics for retail including commerce everywhere, personalization, convenience, sustainability
Omnichannel retail: commerce everywhere

From in-store digital displays to online marketplaces and pop-up stores, today’s omnichannel retail eliminates the lines between channels. To compete and thrive, retailers must provide seamless shopping experiences that exceed customer expectations. 

Customer convenience

Curbside pickup, “buy online pick up in store” (BOPIS), “scan and go,” and “just walk out” options are here to stay, allowing customers to shop and collect goods conveniently. Micro fulfillment centers and partnerships with last-mile companies, such as Uber and Lyft, offer additional customer-pleasing options – all made possible through smart technologies. 

Marketing personalization

Understanding changing trends and unique customer preferences is key to the success of every retail business. Powerful retail analytics can shed light on customers’ current and future needs, helping retailers shape their offerings. Personalized marketing and experiences – based on consent and trust – build customer loyalty and, ultimately, profitability. 

Sustainable shopping

Today’s consumers want to purchase from companies that demonstrate sustainable business behavior. Fortunately, sustainable business is good business and circular economy principles and zero waste through better planning can make a real difference to the bottom line. Advanced technologies are essential to provide the transparency that is required. 

Innovative retail solutions from SAP and our partners

Solutions that address specific retail industry needs help you achieve cost-effective transformation and sustainable growth.

SAP Intelligent Returns Management

Offer a seamless, transparent product returns process with AI-assisted routing, dispositioning, and analytics while maximizing margins on returns and reducing carbon emissions. 

SAP Commerce Cloud

Create engaging digital storefronts for any device and use AI to deliver hyper-personalized e-commerce experiences, recommendations, and promotions that maximize conversions. 

SAP S/4HANA Retail for merchandise management

Transform core processes with Intelligent ERP for the retail industry. Improve in-store operations with real-time insights, drive customer-centric merchandising, and optimize your supply chain. 

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Be inspired by Retail's BIG show

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Explore how we can help your retail business run better

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Deliver omnichannel marketing campaigns that convert browsers into buyers – and provide exceptional experiences in stores, online, and on mobile devices. Our retail marketing and CX solutions can help you gain a real-time view of each customer and provide personalized, consent-based engagements at scale. Build relationships, increase loyalty, and drive profitability. 

  • 360-degree customer profiles
  • Real-time shopper insights 
  • Personalized omnichannel experiences
  • Marketing performance management
  • Flexible pickup, delivery, and returns

73% of retail organizations consider it important to deliver fun, relevant, and convenient customer experiences tailored to each customer’s sentiment, history, and preferences. Only 10% are able to do so.

Source: SAP Performance Benchmarking

With SAP Integration Suite, we were able to integrate our new customer loyalty management solution from SAP quickly and easily and fulfill the needs of our most valuable customers. We gained insight and flexibility to support a quick innovation for ever-better shopping experiences and to distinguish ourself in the market.

Andreas Zimmer, Lead Developer SAP BTP, Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding GmbH & Co. KG

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Put the customer at the center of all your merchandising decisions – and increase conversion rates – with our retail merchandise management software. Anticipate customer and market trends accurately, optimize pricing and promotions, and improve all aspects of your day-to-day merchandise operations – from purchasing and allocation to performance. 

  • Centralized data management
  • Retail sales and demand forecasting 
  • Merchandise and assortment planning 
  • Merchandise management and execution 
  • Omnichannel pricing and promotions 

79% of retail organizations consider it important to quickly and efficiently change assortments and adapt pricing across channels based on current trends and customer insights – but only 27% are able to do so.

Source: SAP Performance Benchmarking

With a granular view of purchasing behavior and activity, we can now offer customers the right product at the right time at the right store.

Michael Coatsworth, Domain Architect, Foodstuffs North Island Limited

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Ensure your retail sourcing and procurement teams are fast, agile, and exceptionally well-informed – with SAP software. Our solutions can help you efficiently source ethical and sustainable products, control risk and costs, and collaborate with a global network of suppliers. Drive brand differentiation with innovative and private-label sourcing and use AI-powered analytics to improve contract negotiations, optimize orders, and save money. 

  • Strategic sourcing and contract management 
  • Supplier and risk management 
  • Procurement analytics 
  • Merchandise and indirect buying 
  • Smart invoice management 

72% of retail organizations consider it important to have holistic visibility into spend categories across all lines of business and geographies of their retail operations – but only 29% are able to do so.

Source: SAP Performance Benchmarking

Partnering with SAP on our transformation journey, we’re making procurement simpler for stores with the rollout of SAP Ariba solutions as our single platform for the procurement of all non-trade goods.

Phillip McDonald, GM, Group Procurement, Woolworths Group Limited

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Get the right products to stores and customers at just the right time with our retail supply chain management solutions. From the first mile to the last, our software can help you create efficient, customer-driven, and transparent supply chain networks. Collaborate with partners and suppliers, reduce waste and emissions, and fulfill demand from anywhere – instantly and at optimum costs. 

  • Integrated supply chain planning
  • Retail inventory management
  • Omnichannel fulfillment
  • Warehouse and transportation management
  • Retail logistics and track and trace

70% of retailers consider it important to have visibility into the global inventory pool and optimize it for a “source anywhere, fulfill anywhere” model – but only 15% are able to do so.

Source: SAP Performance Benchmarking

Thanks to SAP Extended Warehouse Management, we have improved the efficiency with which we can manage deliveries, enabling us to offer better value to our customers.

Nicolai Gradman, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain Logistics,Salling Group A/S

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Meet evolving shopper expectations at brick-and-mortar stores and online – and provide customers with frictionless, consistent experiences across channels – with our software for omnichannel retail and store operations. Equip store associates with real-time customer and inventory data, offer mobile POS and self-checkout, support smart store technologies, and create engaging digital storefronts and e-commerce experiences. 

  • Real-time customer and inventory visibility
  • Smart and automated store processes 
  • Support for smart store technologies
  • Omnichannel POS software  
  • Omnichannel e-commerce platform 

74% of retailers consider it important to equip store associates with real-time product and inventory information to help them serve shoppers better – but only 30% are able to do so.

Source: SAP Performance Benchmarking

Thanks to the innovation and dedication of SAP and its partners, we can now offer customers a more pleasurable and convenient shopping experience that suits their schedules – day or night.

Dirk Muehlhaeuser, Head of Retail IT, Valora Group

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