By David Kretz
Who would have thought some years ago that a pure online retailer like Amazon would enter the grocery market and invest in physical stores. This is a big thread to traditional retailers who need to come up with new strategies to compete in the new digital world. That’s why analysts like IDC see the need for - and a rapid move to – an omni-channel platform that combines both the online and onsite world into a single B2B2C platform. According to IDC, by 2018, 30% of major retailers will adopt an omni-channel digital B2B2C commerce platform, improving customer experience and process efficiency..
I will be discussing how HPE and SAP can help you make B2B2C a reality during a breakout session titled “Build the Digital Retail Enterprise with SAP and HPE” at SAP TechEd EMEA. The presentation will also focus on how the HPE E2E portfolio powers SAP’s Retail solutions – from largest scale-up systems for SAP CAR to real time shopper and consumer insights with HPE Aruba and intelligent edge solutions for stores powered by HPE Edgeline.
Be ready for the future
A true retail omni-channel must be digital at its core in order to be able to connect the retailer with the right consumer at the right time in the right place. A digital platform makes it easier for customers to:
- Explore - Connected, personalized marketing results in additional customer store visits
- Shop - Presence awareness and associated enablement tools provides a more personalized, in- store experience
- Buy - Smart shelves and interactive product displays offer rich product information and cross-selling opportunities
- Get - Counter-less and self-checkout options enable the customer to purchase anywhere in the store
- Use - Social strategies allow the customer to share purchases and reviews with the brand and their own network
The platform provides answers to the specific questions retailers consistently list as being the most important for their success.
Be prepared for change
Working with HPE and SAP to implement an omni-channel platform is perhaps one of the most important steps a retailer can take the deal with the massive changes predicted to take place in retail in a very short space of time. Again, according to IDC, these changes will include:
- By 2019, digital transformation investments will triple, drawing funds away from store capital and profoundly changing the retail industry.
- In 2017, no less than 40% of new retail applications purchased will be deployed in the cloud to speed and secure business objectives.
- A surge in cybersecurity breaches will result in a 20% escalation of spending on managed services by 2018.
- Retail mobile enablement triples mobile investments in 2017 and doubles spending on wireless infrastructure through 2019.
- Intelligent assistants become the must-have app in 2017 and support shoppers' "jobs to be done" in context-aware omni-channel conversations by 2018.
- By 2019, artificial intelligence will change how merchants, marketers, planners, and operators work, improving productivity by 30%.
Now is the time to prepare for these changes and implement strategies that will allow you to optimize and maximize their impact on your organization. Your reward? An enterprise that transitions from “survive” to “thrive.” The consequences for not preparing? They are evident in the long list of retailers that no longer exist or are on the verge of disappearing.
Be there!
The HPE breakout session at SAP TechEd EMEA can provide you with specific strategies and proven solutions to ensure that you will be prepared to leverage change and use it to your advantage. Here’s the information you need to attend:
- TITLE: “Build the Digital Retail Enterprise with SAP and HPE”
- DATE/TIME: Thursday, November 14. 15:00 – 15:30 p.m.
- SESSION ID: NET52108, Networking Session 4
- VENUE: Show Floor
I hope to see you there.
More information on the complete portfolio of HPE – SAP solutions is available on the HPE – SAP Alliance site.
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