June’s live Cloud Wars Expo event featured dozens of industry leaders allowing the Acceleration Economy team access to the inner workings of the greatest growth market the world has ever known.
In this News Desk interview, Acceleration Economy VP and Principal Analyst, Aaron Back, welcomes SAP’s Matt Laukaitis and Applexus’ Chris Couch to discuss the benefits and challenges of the SAP retail cloud.
Highlights
00:01 — Aaron introduces EVP of Consumer Industries at SAP Matt Laukaitis and Applexus VP of Cloud Solutions Chris Couch.
01:24 — Laukaitis discusses the common problems within the recent evolution of the retail industry, including rising consumer expectations, disruption in the supply chain, and widespread talent shortage.
03:06 — Winning in retail requires delivering solutions at scale and being flexible enough to grow quickly even as business models shift dramatically.
03:38 — Couch details Applexus’ 15-year partnership with SAP with a focus on co-innovation within retail and consumer industries.
05:01 — SAP’s retail cloud streamlines processes by unifying different platforms and facilitating better decisions. Simpler infrastructure sets the table for easier transformation as the industry changes.
07:27 — Laukaitis talks about balancing consistent, authentic sustainability efforts with profitability. Consumers are growing to expect sustainable products.
08:57 — The complexity of handling both sustainability and supply chain challenges causes some companies to stop short of their end goals. Laukaitis names several SAP partners overcoming both sets of challenges through the SAP retail cloud.
10:31 — Sustainability is more than a box to check to win over customers. Aaron turns the discussion to the challenge of fraud in the retail space.
11:31 — Couch describes Applexus’ customer journey mapping approach and balancing data protection with a seamless customer experience.
12:55 — Co-innovation and co-creation is the “lifeblood” of SAP’s cloud solutions in every industry. SAP’s advisory council analyzes the unique requirements of each sub-segment within the retail space. Laukaitis emphasizes the critical role of co-innovation in developing purpose-built solutions.
15:06 — The SAP industry cloud supplies a “complete toolset” for Applexus’ end-to-end solutions.
16:25 — Industry clouds can both unlock new levels of value and keep businesses afloat. The ability to pivot quickly allows SAP partners to better weather sudden disruptions.
Access more than 40 hours of cloud education content featuring 100-plus speakers at Cloud Wars Expo On-Demand. All content is free to Acceleration Economy subscribers with an on-demand pass.
