IBX shop feature roadmap

It may sound provocative, but the truth is that happy shoppers save money. The current and upcoming releases of IBX Shop during 2014 offer further enhanced usability for end-users and compatibility to new back-end technologies.

• Limit order capabilities
• “Shop on behalf of…” other users using IBX Shop
• Guide users to configure their items with Dynamic eForms
• Search within refined search result
• Use IBX Shop with SAP MM

Limit order

Limit order items can be used to procure a variety of materials or services from a supplier, up to a certain predefined maximum value limit – for example when a service needs to be performed but the exact price is unknown.  The user can create goods receipts and receive invoices until either the maximum value or the assigned end date of the order has been reached.

You can also combine the benefits from the spot buying process with the new limit item feature. For example, the buyer can first do a spot buy for a consulting project and, after selecting the winning bid, turn it into a limit order and let the invoices be matched against the limit order.

By using the limit order feature organizations can reach higher contract compliance on the more complex categories and get increased savings. limit order feature was introduced in the February release (R1) and will be further enhanced in the May release (R2).

“Shop on behalf of…”

Purchasing assistants and purchasers can buy products on behalf of other users – for example a secretary for their manager. This saves time, so that core staff can focus on more strategic tasks. Shopping on behalf of other users is also beneficial during employees absences or for new-joiners. Shop on behalf of feature was introduced in the February release (R1).

Dynamic eForms – dependencies between input fields

An eForm is a template with pre-defined entry fields attachable to a product or service. The entry fields are serving to add relevant information or options to a product or service.  Now selections in one field will influence the available options in another field. Dynamic eForms will help the users to configure the item and guide them to make the right choices, reducing the number of available options and thus making it easier to shop. The supplier benefits from getting more precise and correct orders. Dynamic eForms will help organizations capture more spend and increase the savings. This feature will be released in the R2 release in May.

Search within refined search results

There are two main strategies to find the item you want to buy. The most common way is to start by entering a text and hit the search button, and then maybe continue with filtering the search result by category or supplier. This is the most common way and is already well supported.

The other way is to start by browsing the relevant category. With this new feature users will be able to continue to search within the selected category. The same applies if you browse for a supplier, or select a predefined list of items from the start page. This feature increases the usability further and makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for. This means increased contract compliance and increased savings. This feature is planned for the R3 release in October.

Use IBX Shop with SAP MM

Investing in SAP SRM is no longer needed, instead you can leverage your investment in SAP MM and get the same benefits of using IBX Shop. With IBX Shop you get an intuitive, user friendly shopping experience for casual users. It empowers end users for self service purchasing without the need for training. Your organization gets higher contract compliance and increased process efficiency in the purchase-to-pay process.

IBX Shop for SAP MM is planned for the R3 release in October. Contact Capgemini IBX Business Network to learn more about the benefits for your organization.