September 29, 2021
SAP Hybris, now SAP Commerce Cloud, is undergoing a transformation to help meet the future. The news that this change accompanies a requirement for clients to migrate their commerce platform off-premises has received mixed reactions. 1
The SAP Commerce Cloud migration presents a major opportunity for companies to reassess their tech stack and to make big decisions about the future of their business beyond simply their e-commerce platform. With this move, every company, particularly those already making use of SAP Commerce, should rethink their overall architecture and the way they want to engage with clients in an effort to determine if they want to leverage past investments for even more value, or to move in another direction.
To greet these changes, we wanted to examine the cloud migration process, look at the company-wide opportunities presented by the current moment, and lay out how choosing the right digital partner will help companies make the best choice for their business.
Head(less) in the Clouds
The SAP Commerce Cloud is a complete e-commerce solution that integrates all the components required for the Omni-channel business. Given that this move takes SAP’s commerce offering off premises for every company using it, it stands to free up companies’ IT departments, making it so that you don’t have to be an SAP expert to run your e-commerce offering.
In addition, the off premises, cloud-like nature of the service makes SAP Commerce Cloud well suited to the composable architecture so many companies are gravitating towards, and which will mark the baseline of many future tech stacks. However, this need to switch to a MACH-based tech stack is one of the things that has some companies worried.
For anyone looking to stick with SAP but unsure about whether a full MACH redesign is right for their company, the good news is that the two don’t have to go hand in hand. Shifting SAP commerce off premises is an action that you needn’t enter lightly, either. Given the fact that this transition is being required by SAP, now is the best time for companies looking to make a transition to weigh all options and make the transition that makes the most sense for their individual needs.
Mandatory Migration is an Opportunity to Optimize
Given this need to make the best choices for your company, this transition is perfectly placed as an opportunity to optimize in more ways than one. If you’ve been using SAP Commerce Cloud for years, but you haven’t been using it to its fullest effect, now is a good time to explore the many ways SAP’s commerce platform can improve and optimize your business.
On the other hand, if you feel that you haven’t been making full use of SAP’s capabilities because you don’t need them, and another e-commerce offering gives you the scaled down possibilities that suit you, now is the time to make a change. But more than simply changing your e-commerce platform, it can also be a good time to consider optimizing your front end UX, or to take your tech stack headless.
Making a Change Isn’t Just About Switching Tech
Companies looking to make a shift or to optimize their processes should view this as an opportunity to update more than just the technology supporting their offerings. To get the most out of the shift, you’ll also want to update your organizational structure and optimize new ways of working.
Put simply: Your technology should work for you and make everyone’s job easier, not the other way around. By updating your tech stack to a more composable architecture and migrating your e-commerce solution to the cloud, you create the following opportunities for your business:
- Reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- Drastically reduce time-consuming upgrade cycles
- Free up IT personnel to work in their areas of expertise instead of needing to be experts in other systems
- Create better ways of working that will benefit multiple areas of your company
The benefits are far reaching. Sales and customer service employees benefit from seamless data integrations and the increased personalization that’s possible through composable architecture. Creating clear CRM and e-commerce integrations can create immediate ROI increases. And with the ease of updating the pieces of your architecture to meet future needs, every aspect of your business can benefit from a switch.
A lot of companies aren’t using their available tech stack as completely as possible. Getting the most out of the platform offerings available frees up employees to perform other, more high-level tasks, and empowers your employees to better serve your customers. Along with any cloud migration, or other overhaul of your digital strategy, rethinking processes, personnel duties and other organizational structures is likely to lead to the most positive outcome.
Don’t Feel the Need To Do It Alone
The SAP Commerce product is evolving. Companies looking to keep SAP Commerce Cloud moving forward will need to evolve as well, and this evolution carries multiple benefits that go far beyond just the e-commerce platform. The opportunity presented by this mandatory migration is the perfect chance to look at your current setup and to determine if your business capabilities are being dictated by the technology you’re using, or if you can change the technology and cause your business needs to dictate which platforms will be the most useful.
Whether you’re looking to stick with SAP through this migration or to make a change, it’s important to know you don’t have to do these things alone. Not only can Valtech, as a recognized global SAP partner, help to keep this transition as smooth as possible, but we can also advise our clients on the best solutions and platforms for their business. In addition, as a strategic digital partner, we’re well suited to guide you through new ways of working to ensure you get the best out of whatever choice you make.
At Valtech, our guiding principle is always to provide the best solution to suit our clients needs, not to upsell or give options that won’t help your business. No matter what you’re likely to choose in the coming months, having someone in your corner who can help you to see the best possible course of action, as well as provide the services needed to make the necessary changes, is crucial. To schedule a consultation with our experts about the best possible course of action for your company during this time, contact us today.
