Cyber Week has once again been an incredible success for SAP customers and given us interesting insight into market trends.
Through Cyber Week, SAP Commerce Cloud powered US$12.2B in gross merchandising value (GMV) for our customers, with a 23.42% year-over-year (YoY) increase in number of orders processed through the solution and 100% uptime. This level of success requires personalized customer engagement, and, for Cyber Week 2024, SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement delivered a 10% YoY increase of overall engagement across all channels, with mobile channels seeing a 200% growth YoY.
But more than just numbers, we’re drawing insights and learnings from some of the largest brands we serve around the world.
Imitation Is a Form of Flattery for B2B Companies
Many industries have looked at how B2C retail companies reach their customers historically and used it as a model. This year, we saw our wholesale distribution customers running Black Friday and Cyber Week promotions to their customers – B2B buyers – with outstanding results. In fact, customers in the wholesale distribution industry saw a 125.2% increase YoY in GMV.
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Holiday Shopping Continues to Start Earlier Each Year
E-mails, SMS, social ads, and more for Black Friday sales have been circulating since well before November 29th. Understandably so, as retailers compete for market share. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail sales saw an increase of 2.3% in October, which beat analyst predictions and is a good early indicator for the holiday shopping season. For SAP customers in electronics, appliances, and personal care and beauty, we saw spikes in sales in mid- to late-October, which supports the U.S. Commerce Department’s findings.
However, getting started early doesn’t mean that retailers are simply shifting their sales and then finished. Instead, getting started early allows retailers to do both – lean into a first round of promotions earlier than the “shopping season” and a second round during peak Cyber Week shopping, leading to a higher total year-end volume. In addition, by providing two rounds of promotions, companies were able to capture customers who may have missed the initial offering. SAP customers, particularly in the home improvement and personal care industries, were able to achieve this success with a “two-hit” strategy.
Consumers Perceive Deals May Get Sweeter If They Wait
It’s been the belief for years that the best deals happen on Black Friday, but we’ve seen a shift this year. Our data shows that on Cyber Monday the GMV values were significantly more than Black Friday, with an explosive 71.8% increase YoY. Was this trend due to shoppers rushing to take advantage of sales on the last day of the sales event? Or have shoppers been re-conditioned to wait for the best deals on Cyber Monday? We’ll see if this shift has a stronghold in the upcoming years.
Cyber Week Isn’t About the American Thanksgiving Holiday Anymore
To achieve this kind of success takes months of work from entire teams – both from our customers’ side and from SAP. By infusing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools to predict, prevent, and address issues proactively, our team of dedicated engineers created 360-degree action plans for our customers and created recommendations to help achieve peak holiday success. With 24×7 control room support, real-time monitoring, and risk mitigation, SAP helped ensure seamless performance and availability during peak traffic periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with 100% uptime, setting a new benchmark for holiday readiness.
Bianke Wolke, GVP Head of Application Product Management, shares the latest innovations in the SAP SuccessFactors Second Half 2024 Release. To learn more about SAP SuccessFactors HCM, visit https://sap.to/6051tOE3b.
00:00 – SAP SuccessFactors 2H Release Highlights Overview
00:26 – AI-assisted 360-degree review
00:53 – Career and Talent Development experience
01:38 – AI for learning
02:02 – People profile update
02:28 – Global Benefits experience
02:55 – AI recommended jobs
03:30 – Joule, AI copilot from SAP
03:56 – 1H 2025 sneak peek
#sapsuccessfactors #ai
Tech companies are evolving rapidly and creating a new culture of innovation. Will this open up new opportunities for women? On a mission to find out, a group of researchers set up the #100TechFrauen (100 Women in Tech) project and recently published their findings.
The “Making the Future Visible: 100 Innovative Women in Tech” project saw female scientists from the Institute for Research in Social Sciences (ISF) in Munich, Germany, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg study the tech industry to discover whether it is creating opportunities for women. The project’s researchers interviewed 100 trailblazing women who are driving a new culture of innovation and transformation at tech companies, but don’t necessarily have a background in STEM.
100 Women in Tech
The results of the study are in, and one thing is clear: women have a bright future in tech. This was also the message from the female trailblazers who were interviewed as part of the project.
“Our key finding is optimistic: the digital transformation is opening up new opportunities for women,” Kira Marrs from ISF Munich says. It is important here, she notes, to think about how digitalization and gender equality fit together. We need to consider how we can break with existing structures and look at what we can do to create even more possibilities, she says.
According to Christine Regitz, cofounder of the Business Women’s Network from SAP, head of SAP Women in Tech, and president of the German Informatics Society, the number of women in tech has stagnated over the last 15 years. Yet the sector needs women who will shape its progress, especially given the skills shortage, she says. “We need digital sovereignty to make conscious decisions. It’s about more than programming,” she continues. “We also need the skills and expertise to make digital technologies work for us.”
Anja Bultemeier from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg agrees that it is no longer about the technology itself, but about how people interact, which is why new factors, such as customer and user experience, are becoming increasingly important. “Seeing technology through this new lens has created opportunities for women who do not have a technical background,” she says. One quote from a study participant explains this change very neatly: “I don’t sell technology; I sell solutions.” Increasingly, non-tech women are heading up technical teams and shaping the strategies and visions that will produce the best possible customer experience.
Christine Regitz (left) and Verena Laumayer would like to see more women in networks such as Business Women’s Network or SAP Women in Tech.From left: Kira Marrs, Eva Zauke, Verena Laumayer, and Anja Schneider discuss new opportunities for women in the tech industry.
From Literary Studies to Google: Examples of Innovative Career Paths
The researchers also found that taking a less traditional approach to hiring makes it easier for women to get a foot in the door – after all, when roles are flexibly defined, they are open to people who have an atypical background. Take these women for example.
Eva Bacon’s patchwork and rather unconventional career path took her from studying literature to working for Google in New York – a perfect example of a non-tech woman at the center of the tech world. Bacon now oversees transformation projects as a senior program manager at Google. “Anything is possible in this job,” she says enthusiastically. Part of her work involves motivating and guiding her employees. At a workshop, she recalls, the participants were tasked with building houses out of spaghetti, and the instructor said to her, “You need to be the glue that holds everything together. We have enough people building houses. We now need someone who can make a city out of them.” Being a born organizer, she found that an easy task. Abstract thinking, she says, is something that comes to her naturally. What really helped her gain a foothold in the tech world, though, was the fact that she had taken the time to learn about HTML. Whenever she needed to know anything else, she would ask the computer geeks, adding that it is nevertheless important to have “a certain affinity for technology and to have the confidence to tackle new topics and ask questions.”
Back when Sarah Mang-Schäfer was at high school, she set an ambitious goal in her art class of one day coming up with the advertising image of the century. These days, as head of a public cloud engineering team, she flexes her creative muscle in a more technical capacity. Although she went on to study computer science, she found that art and technology were not so different after all. “To solve problems, you need to be creative,” she says. She worked initially in neuroscience, which taught her the importance of networking. She then poured her energy into cancer research, teaming up with doctors to test software. It was in this role that she realized what successful IT implementation was all about, namely understanding what customers want without them needing to ask for it. Today, we call that customer or user experience, fields which are growing in the IT industry and where women in particular have the breadth of skills and expertise required.
One thing is clear: women have a bright future in tech
At BSH, one of Europe’s largest makers of home appliances, the officer in charge of manufacturing strategy is Fiona Taylor. A scientist by training, Taylor is on a mission to attract more women into manufacturing, because she firmly believes that gender diversity benefits companies. With so few women in industry, she knows all too well how it feels to be the lone woman in the room, which is one reason why she wants to see the situation change.
Passionate about her work, she loves the variety her job brings: “I work with so many different people across the company, from purchasing and manufacturing to logistics.” Her task is to ensure everyone on the operational side pulls together. “Being one of the people who determines where we invest and where we build new manufacturing plants, I can help ensure that we remain competitive as a German company. And it means I can influence our corporate culture.” When she returned to work after having her second child, Taylor was pleased to discover that the company’s thinking had shifted. She was asked to head up manufacturing for the very reason that she thinks out of the box and asks the questions that need asking – and would be an ideal role model for combining a leadership position with working part-time. Taylor urges women to “have the courage to start the conversation and drive change,” and calls on other female leaders to reach out to two other women to help them progress as well.
Stephanie Karger, head of Standard and Safety at BSH, is further proof that you do not have to work full-time nor have technical expertise to be an effective leader. “We’ve adopted a new leadership style, one that is based on trust and equality,” Karger says. “Whenever I need specialist technical knowledge, I simply ask my team.” Women are more likely to see leadership roles in this way, which is something their team members appreciate too, because it gives them the autonomy that many of them desire.
Anja Schneider has been global head of Premium Engagement & Advisory, Customer Services & Delivery at SAP, since April 2024. Prior to this, she was chief operating officer of Technology & Innovation for many years. “I enjoy creating impact – and being the person who is ultimately responsible when customers have a problem,” Schneider says. “Bringing together a whole network of experts to find a solution is rewarding.” At SAP, she says, she has never encountered anyone who doubted women’s ability to lead. Schneider’s career has taken an unconventional path, too: she joined SAP from Germany’s civil service. Leaving the public sector for the private one was a leap into the unknown for her. But, as Schneider puts it, challenges like this push us out of our comfort zone so that we can learn and grow. In her case, it took an open mindset and an interest in technology. Besides, she adds, having a different perspective is also an advantage when it comes to being an advocate for the customer. According to Schneider, a team of developers does not need another developer to lead it.
Anja Schneider in conversation with Kira Marrs at the conference for the 100 Women in Tech project.Eva Bacon explains how she made her career as a literary scholar at Google.
AI Creates New Opportunities and Reduces Bias
Eva Zauke, executive vice president of SAP Enterprise Adoption and engineering location lead for SAP Labs Walldorf and St. Leon-Rot at SAP SE, is involved in examining how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work and creating new careers for women. “AI is opening up opportunities to women who are ready to enhance their skills.” For instance, AI is leading to new roles in IT beyond traditional programming ones. According to Zauke, data scientist, prompt engineer, ethics expert, interface designer, model engineer, and user experience designer are just some of the careers emerging in the field of AI. They also appeal to a wider spectrum of applicants, including graphic designers, people with a humanities background, and psychologists. However, while AI can unlock opportunities for women, it can also perpetuate gender disparities because, as Zauke says, data is biased: “AI inherits bias from the humans who program it, who, more often than not, are white men.” Having more women working on AI would, Zauke believes, not only reduce data bias but also help fill the talent gap in Europe’s tech sector.
Verena Laumayer is a member of the SAP Women in Tech strategy team, which is part of the Office of the CEO. She often finds herself at business events where not one speaker is a woman. Whenever she mentions this to the organizers, invariably the answer is that they simply could not find one, which is why she calls on women to have more confidence in their expertise and to increase their visibility. Public speaking skills can be learned, she says. Laumayer has no doubt that women need to be at the forefront of the tech economy and help shape its future.
Making the Future Visible: 100 Innovative Women in Tech
Germany’s ISF Munich research institute and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg have teamed up on a two-year project (from October 2022 through October 2024) that puts the spotlight on 100 pioneering women in the technology industry and on the important role they play in innovation today. Called #100TechFrauen, the project is part of a German government initiative to raise the profile of women in innovation and is supported by a network of partners from the services sector, industry, and the startup scene, including AUDI AG, IT service provider Atruvia AG, Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH), SAP SE, and Siemens AG. For more information (in German), visit #100TechFrauen.
In modern society, our perception is constantly bombarded with a never-ending stream of visual and auditory stimuli, overwhelming our senses and making it difficult to stay grounded in the present moment. Despite the challenges posed by our fast-paced society, it is essential to remain mindful and in the present to navigate the complexities of our perception and experiences.
SAP’s new art exhibition explores this concept and features the work of three artists, each offering their unique perspective on “The Tapestry of Perception.” It highlights the interconnectedness of perception, transformation, transition, memory, and the awareness of our surroundings. The art gallery is open to the public until February 2, 2025; the works can be viewed virtually or in person at the SAP International Training Center in Walldorf, Germany.
One of the key challenges we face in this information-saturated world is filtering out extraneous noise and differentiating between reality and our subconscious experiences. It can be difficult to discern what is truly happening in the present moment, as we draw from fragmented memories to make sense of our surroundings. Everyone sees and experiences life through a different lens, making the theme of perception open to interpretation.
The Interplay of Materials, Perception, and Memory Fragments
Litfass – Petra Goehringer Machleid. Click to enlarge.
As we navigate through life, we undergo various transformations and transitions, which further shape our perception of the world around us. Our memories, often fragmented and incomplete, play a significant role in how we interpret and understand our surroundings. German artist Petra Goehringer Machleid focuses on the interplay of wax and concrete and how the two different materials merge together over time. In her work “Litfass,” the peeling of all the different layers off the pillar represent all the stories held together, making it a unique representation of how experiences transform an individual.
Ultimately, our perception is shaped by our ability to draw from memories and differentiate between reality and subconscious experiences. Our awareness of time and surroundings also plays a significant role in shaping how we experience the world around us. Austrian artist Petra Fohringer captures the experience of memory and present experiences in her work “Winter’s Coming,” featuring Tyrion Lannister from the prominent TV series “Game of Thrones.” Throughout the series, the characters undergo significant changes, facing various challenges and setbacks that shape who they are. The relationships formed and the memories shared by the characters play a crucial role in their individual growth and transformation, serving as a reminder of the importance of the memories we create and the impact they have on our lives. “My artistic works open up the question of true and traditional memories, the influence and manipulation of memory, both individual and collective,” Fohringer notes.
Winter’s Coming, 2019 – Petra Fohringer. Click to enlarge.
Stefan Mittlboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer, a multidisciplinary artist from Austria, delves into the world of transformation by recreating a beehive with copper encased in concrete. The honeybees, in his work of art “bodies,” represent unity and cooperation during times of transformation. The piece also represents the cyclical nature of life, as bees work tirelessly to gather resources and sustain their hive, mirroring the constant flow and transformation of life. This series of life and the fragile balance of it is a crucial component of his artwork. At the exhibition in Walldorf, an additional short film of the artist creating his work is on display.
bodies, 2019 – Stefan Mittelboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer. Click to enlarge.
The components of the SAP art exhibition “The Tapestry of Perception,” which are memories, perception, and reflection of the world around us, contribute to our self-image, shape our experiences, and influence our general well-being. By understanding and appreciating the significance of these elements, we can cultivate a deeper awareness and appreciation for the richness of our human experience.
Top image: Mindatlas, 2022 – Stefan Mittelboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer
Since 1972, SAP has supported contemporary art in all its forms – and the artists who create it
The approaching SAP ECC deadline is prompting strategic moves within the SAP ecosystem, including Atturra Limited’s acquisition of Chrome Consulting Pty Ltd to enhance its enterprise content management (ECM) capabilities. Atturra, through its subsidiary Anatas Pty Ltd, has signed a Share Sale Agreement to acquire Melbourne-based Chrome Consulting, a major player in SAP/OpenText integration. Chrome […]
SAP Sustainability Data Exchange aims to transform how companies handle carbon-related data, offering a solution to standardize and streamline the collection, sharing, and analysis of emissions information across supply chains. Efforts to achieve net-zero emissions require businesses to address not only their direct carbon output but also the emissions generated throughout their supply chains. This […]
At last month’s SAP Spend Connect Live event, I had the privilege of speaking about five crucial bets spend management professionals should place on themselves to ensure success and agility for their organizations, especially against a backdrop of economic and political uncertainty. As my colleague Jeff Collier, chief revenue officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP, recently highlighted in his article, these insights resonated strongly with attendees and are more relevant than ever as we approach 2025.
With more change on the horizon, it is vital to keep these bets in mind to prepare for potential challenges head-on. Over the past year, we’ve witnessed how spend management professionals who stay confident and bet big achieve remarkable results. In fact, according to the 2024 Economist Impact report, C-suite confidence in the procurement function has increased by 14% in just one year, with 84% of executives now agreeing that procurement is essential for organizational strategy.
As we gear up for 2025 and beyond, let’s explore these five bets that will solidify spend management’s role as an indispensable part of an organization.
Bet #1: Strategic Collaboration
The first bet that spend management professionals should place is on strategic collaboration. As procurement becomes increasingly integrated with other critical business functions, it is up to procurement professionals to lead these collaborative efforts. Your colleagues are looking to you to take the initiative and ensure that procurement is involved in strategic initiatives that keep your organization agile in the face of uncertainty.
Whether you are partnering with HR to manage the external workforce or implementing a category management strategy in partnership with supply chain, SAP is here to support you. Our solutions are designed with collaboration at the forefront, working to minimize miscommunication and simplify business processes so you can focus on what truly matters.
Bet #2: Effortless Compliance
The mere mention of compliance can evoke stress and worry in anyone who has ever worked in spend management. Ensuring every detail is accounted for can be nerve-racking, especially when considering local regulations and sustainability goals. At SAP, we believe that compliance should not just be simple; it should be truly effortless.
For example, SAP integration with Concur Travel and Concur Expense can enable employees to select in-policy vendors from the start. SAP Ariba Invoice Management with SAP Business Network helps you understand and comply with evolving tax regulations. From complex tax requirements to travel policies, SAP can help you eliminate these points of concern before they cause issues.
Manage all sources of spend for increased control and business resilience
While intraorganizational strategic collaboration is key for an efficient operating model, your software must also be seamlessly integrated to make the most of our connected solutions. Fragmented processes and tools won’t get you where you need to go, which is why SAP is committed to a suite-first strategy that aims to reduce the number of systems used to manage spend.
Whether you are an all-SAP customer or use third-party technology, we can offer a seamless experience regardless of where you are in your SAP journey. From SAP Spend Control Tower, your single source of truth for all spend data, to SAP Ariba solutions for source-to-pay that can streamline all your procurement processes, our out-of-the-box solutions help deliver powerful business outcomes across the entire spend management process.
Bet #4: Increased Productivity
The next bet to place is on increased productivity. In recent years, we have seen firsthand how productivity gaps can be detrimental to an organization. Add in unexpected geopolitical and economic events, and you have a recipe for disaster. As the procurement landscape evolves, it is imperative to upskill your workforce to meet evolving demands.
SAP’s newest innovations, like SAP Business AI, can help automate mundane tasks, freeing up bandwidth for making strategic decisions that really count. And increased productivity is not just reserved for key decision-makers – it benefits every employee at every level.
Bet #5: Informed Decision-Making
Finally, spend management professionals should bet big on informed decision-making. More than ever, it is essential to make choices quickly and confidently, knowing that your decisions are supported by data. That’s where SAP comes in – solutions like SAP Business Network Discovery and the intelligent audit service can deliver the best recommendations for you, helping to take the guesswork out of decisions amid timeline pressure.
With data-informed reports and suggestions, you can be confident that your choices are backed by best-in-class insights. SAP helps reduce complexity and can deliver only the insights needed to make the best choices for your business.
New Ways to Streamline Critical Business Processes
To learn more about the innovations shared at SAP Spend Connect Live in 2024, I encourage you to read this article by my colleague Manoj Swaminathan, president and chief product officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.
I say it every year, but there is something truly special about spending time with our incredible customers, hearing transformation stories and tales of success across so many organizations. The SAP community’s resilience, drive, and commitment to excellence inspire me greatly.
When it comes to the right tools, best integrations, and data-driven insights, SAP is your go-to partner. Our solutions, informed by your feedback, are here to help you win big. As you close out this year and head into a new one, remember that SAP is here for you. When you rely on SAP, you secure the future success of not just your business function, but your entire organization.
Etosha Thurman is chief marketing officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.
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