We recently participated in a SAP® partner workshop where SAP® discussed their cutting edge solutions for the wholesale distribution industry and how these solutions enable wholesalers to compete and win in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

The SAP S/4HANA® Ecosystem

SAP S/4HANA quickly became the cornerstone of any business transformation.  No matter the business need, SAP S/4HANA and the applications connected within the platform’s ecosystem allow for the communication of business functions that were commonly handled separately to interact and learn from one another.

We reviewed the key solutions that were discussed and why this technology is now a necessary component of your business.

1. Sales leveraging SAP Hybris® Commerce

The SAP Hybris Commerce solution will provide an E-Commerce platform to enable key capabilities that include pricing procedures, web page personalization, contextual experiences and website content.  Gartner predicts that by 2018, 40% of B2B digital commerce sites will use price optimization algorithms and configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools to calculate and deliver product pricing dynamically.  By increasing the connection points with your customer and providing the same capabilities regardless of how or when they connect, you’ll be providing analytics and history across all channels and enabling an omnichannel experience.  The capabilities of the web, mobile and social can then be leveraged by your field sales teams to provide the customer with all details of their interactions.

2. Marketing utilizing SAP Hybris Marketing

Marketing is an overlooked line of business within wholesale distribution. SAP Hybris Marketing provides the ability to take customer segmentation and predictive analytics to the next step with a marketing focus.  This is especially true as wholesalers continue to explore B2C along with B2B.  SAP Hybris Marketing allows a business to understand their customer segments and to build campaigns to focus on these segments.

3. Analytics for the Internet of Things using SAP Leonardo®

The Internet of Things, now marketed as SAP Leonardo, can provide live insights, predictive capabilities, optimize processes and enable new business models.  For wholesalers, Leonardo can provide unique capabilities around connected fleets or environment monitoring, meaning understanding the location of their fleet, truck temperatures, equipment health, efficiency in routes, and usage and consumption of inventory.

4. Human Resources operating SAP SuccessFactors® HCM Suite and SAP Jam Collaboration

Lastly, SAP SuccessFactors cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions provide a comprehensive human resource solution for an industry which is experiencing an aging workforce and a need to market wholesale distribution to young millennials.  Some of the capabilities include recruiting, which provides a strategic approach to attracting and engaging talent; and SAP Jam Collaboration which provides collaboration tools and a private social networking feature.

Collaboration is one most critical elements in a business transformation. Wholesale distributors are undergoing significant changes in their industry, requiring a need for enhanced technologies.  Leveraging SAP S/4HANA and its corresponding platform functionality from SAP Hybris Marketing, SAP Leonardo, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Jam Collaboration and SAP Hybris Commerce, can help distributors differentiate their services for clients and prepare their organization for the digital economy.