It’s time to expand your Ecommerce capabilities FAST

We are in the middle of an unprecedented crisis and the challenges faced by retail companies are greater than ever before. What do we see as a sustainable model for retailers? Where do they see opportunities and want to invest?

More than ever, the time to start your E-commerce platform is now. When physical stores are closed by government order, even though they will open as things get back to normal, online shopping is the way for consumers to buy products. If you have not transformed your Digital Commerce yet, you are missing out on this opportunity.

Impact on big retailers

The impact on big retailers in EMEA is huge. Danish retailer Bestseller (Vero Moda, Only, and Jack&Jones), Swedish retailer H&M, sports brand Adidas, and the electronics retailer Ceconomy (MediaMarkt and Saturn), are struggling with profitability. With physical stores closed and public and sport events canceled, all are increasingly looking at Ecommerce as a growth channel.

And we can only assume that once the crisis is under control, shopping streets and malls will be reformed. Government measurements to ensure public health must be in place and therefore fewer shoppers will be allowed in stores and malls.

And, there is also the change of the customer and their call for proof of “clean” products and services. The customer will only buy products and services if the seller can show clearly how the product was safely produced, transported, and delivered to the customer. Of course, this applies mainly for food, but also to clothes and electronics. Customer trust in a brand just became crucial.

We can safely say that the impact of COVID-19 on big retailers is huge. And, on top of that, there is a threat from global Ecommerce giants such as Amazon and Alibaba as they enter the Benelux market.

Retail is changing rapidly: Transforming stores as Ecommerce distribution centers

The COVID-19 crisis is only speeding up the change in retail. Where Ecommerce was growing at a steady pace for the last few years, now with people instructed to stay home, consumers are buying online more than ever. They’re going online to buy groceries, cleaning products, fitness equipment, and other items while retail stores remain closed.

An online tracker by Emarsys and GoodData illustrates how fast Ecommerce has grown during the crisis. In western and central Europe between March 29 and April 12, retailers with physical stores saw online orders increase from 52% to 76% compared to the same period last year.

Because of that spike in Ecommerce during this crisis, Dutch retailer HEMA is transforming its stores into Ecommerce distribution centers. Temporary? Maybe, but it shows the shift in the retail market.

After the crisis, will consumers be even more critical, more demanding, and, above all, will they be buying face to face? In the new world of “working from home,” consumers are getting used to doing business online. Even consumers preferring face-to-face business before are now forced to do explore the online and digital world.

The question now is: “Are you ready for the new world?” Before the crisis, many brands and retailers were already struggling to keep up in the digital transformation path to Ecommerce. So, what about after this crisis? How are you changing your business model to the changing retail market?

Not just an online store? Order management, supply chain, e-fulfillment and delivery are equally important

As part of your E-commerce site, you need to build a seamless commerce experience for your customers. You want to better understand the needs of our customers by asking for feedback on the order process, the products delivered, or contact with customer services.

Next, you want to target your customers with personalized digital marketing campaigns based on shopping behavior online and instore. You want to build a loyal client base with loyalty campaigns to send your customer shopping vouchers or discount coupons. And, you want your customer service channel connected with the online channels to build a 360º customer profile and recognize them when they call your service center.

Today, online retailers are increasingly looking to strengthen their fulfillment and delivery modes as they explore direct-to-consumer channels. At the same time, retailers realize the significance of further streamlining their supply-chain and order-management systems to help them handle dynamic customer demands.

FAST commerce to support your new business model

It is important to start fast and to start small. We believe in a model of test and learn by delivering a product or service to the market and learning from the customer to improve and scale. To support this belief, we have invested in a solution that enables the launch of a B2C commerce solution under five weeks[i] and a B2B commerce solution in nine weeks.[ii]

FAST Commerce for SAP Customer Experience is an accelerator designed and developed by Capgemini specifically for rapid commerce site launches on the SAP public cloud. Combined with Capgemini’s proven delivery process and industry expertise, the solution provides a fixed price and timeline, with focuses on complex use cases and industry sectors.

We help you shorten the implementation cycle of SAP Commerce cloud and build new business models using Digital Commerce. We help you reduce up to 40% of the costs and create timeline for MVP implementation.

As a Digital Transformation leader, we understand the challenges of Digital Commerce. Capgemini is your partner in all these areas with proven solutions and experience in all sectors. To learn more about our related offer, visit our webpage Fast Commerce for SAP Customer Experience and receive the free product sheet on FAST Commerce for SAP CX.

[i] Using SAP Upscale Commerce.

[ii] Using SAP Commerce Cloud with B2B Accelerator.

Martijn van Deel

Expert in Digital Customer Experience, Head of Europe SAP CX CoE

My passion is to deliver the next level in Digital Customer Experience by bringing new innovations and technologies. I believe in a seamless commerce experience where all touch points in the Customer Journey are delivered by a truly integrated platform. This allows us to treat each customer as the individual they are all the time. And deliver a consistent and seamless experience, interacting as one unified brand.
With the SAP CX customer experience suite you can build stronger relationships with your customers, and earn and keep their trust. These cloud solutions for marketing, commerce, sales, service, and customer data uses intelligent technologies like machine learning to power real-time engagements. SAP CX is a truly integrated platform with a shared ‘data lake’ to seamless interact with your customers over all channels.
I am a true believer of the Agile collaborative way of working. Together we can overcome challenges and identify opportunities to bring the best in class customer experience.
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