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Startup trends 2024: Innovations in e-commerce CX

Enterprise e-commerce solutions have to be holistic, comprehensive, relevant, and up-to-date with customer needs and market trends. In order to deliver an end-to-end suite of applications and services, large e-commerce vendors have to maintain a clear strategic partner approach.

At SAP, innovation is a core element of our partner strategy. In order to offer customers a relevant ecosystem of partners, we always scout for solutions that are both innovative and enterprise-ready to complement our offerings. To deliver on that commitment, in 2017 SAP established SAP.iO, with an ongoing mission to build the company’s next generation of partners.

Here are five startup trends for 2024 in the e-commerce space, represented by startups that graduated the SAP.iO program and are now certified SAP partners.

  1. Personalization – Jebbit
  2. Customer advocacy – Mention Me
  3. Immersive experiences – Obsess
  4. B2B commerce – Zoovu
  5. Video commerce – Smartzer

Startup partnerships lead the way in e-commerce innovation

E-commerce has come a long way, but we can expect even more innovation ahead as startups set their sites on ways to improve it as consumer needs and habits change.

New technologies, with AI likely playing a big role, will help brands deliver seamless, personalized, and interactive e-commerce experiences that drive loyalty and sales.

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Mention Me Customer Advocacy Intelligence Platform Now an SAP Endorsed App Available on SAP Store

Mention Me announced that its Customer Advocacy Intelligence Platform is now an SAP Endorsed App, available for online purchase on SAP® Store. SAP Endorsed Apps are a category of solutions from SAP’s partner ecosystem that help customers become best-run, intelligent enterprises. Endorsed apps are meant to deliver value with desired outcomes.

“We are thrilled to bring the power of customer advocacy marketing to the SAP ecosystem,” said Mention Me’s CEO and Co-founder Andy Cockburn. “This is the next natural step in our partnership with SAP and the wider CX ecosystem, and means that even more global ecommerce brands can now leverage the power of customer advocacy to turn their customer base into an unbeatable growth engine. Our AI powered platform can help brands deliver best in class user experiences wherever they are in their buying journey and help drive retention, loyalty, and increased acquisition at a much-reduced CAC for their businesses.”

AP Endorsed Apps are premium certified by SAP with added security, in-depth testing, and measurements against benchmarks results. Mention Me helps marketing and CX teams discover, nurture, and activate their biggest advocates by using unique advocacy data and insights which are then deployed across SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement helping to ensure that every customer touchpoint is optimised to drive further advocacy and growth for the business. This helps drive incremental growth for ecommerce businesses through further enhancing their personalisation capabilities to provide a true competitive advantage.

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Online Shopping Is Arduous: AI Makes It Easy

While AI isn’t an automatic slam dunk panacea for every business problem, one thing it’s incredibly gifted at is sifting through tons of information to help people quickly find the product of their dreams.

Anyone who’s searched for a product, be it an e-bike, laptop, or washing machine, is all too familiar with choice paralysis from information overload. Imagine instead, landing on a website and conversing with the smartest salesperson in the world available 24/7, who asks the right questions to give you the right product as fast as possible. Meet Zoovu, an AI-powered platform that helps B2C and B2B companies match customers with the exact product they’re looking for.

“Our cloud-based AI product discovery platform helps customers connect to their customers by surfacing the right product,” said Lamees Butt, senior vice president of global alliances and channels at Zoovu. “We remove choice paralysis by simulating the kind of in-store shopping experience that you would get with the most knowledgeable salesperson.”

Butt said that global brands, retailers, and manufacturers realize on average a 200% conversion uplift in customer purchases, and an increase in average cart value by 47%. One power tool company increased customer engagements by an estimated 65% in over 35 global markets.

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At LAFW, SAP’s Fashion Bid Officially Hits Both Coasts

After unveiling its take on the future of fashion retail in New York earlier this year, tech giant SAP is now bringing the proposition to N4XT’s L.A. Fashion Week, along with some of the buzzworthiest tech around.

Its newly opened LAFW pop-up store picks up the thread from its S.Fashion Experience Lab opened in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards in February to introduce New Yorkers to its so-called fashion store of tomorrow. As one of 20 in more than a dozen markets, the lab was kitted out with interactive mirrors, smart shelves and other features that bring personalization into brick-and-mortar locations. It was a high-powered flex to showcase what data-driven retail can do.

The SAP Retail Experience pop-up at LAFW aims to strut its stuff for designers, brands and consumers at NYA Studios in Hollywood. Visitors can experience augmented reality mirrors for virtual try-ons, select product customization options and robotics, among other things, with featured designers that include Advisry, Tombogo, Kim Shui, BruceGlen and No Sesso. Several will make their fresh-off-the-runway wares available immediately for purchase.

Offering consumer-facing experiences is a notable move for SAP, a multinational, Germany-based maker of enterprise applications that typically operate behind the scenes to manage logistics, supply chains and customer experiences for retail, manufacturing, energy, pharmaceuticals and other verticals, including fashion.

The fashion industry’s interest in green and circular economies is a perfect match for SAP, said Andre Bechtold, the tech company’s senior vice president and head of solution and innovation experience. “Sustainability is part of our vision and mission,” he said, “and we want to support designers, the whole fashion industry, with our portfolio [of offerings].” The connection makes sense: Data-based tools can drive efficiencies and connect dots between online and real-world shopping. The resulting boost in personalization and customer experience could mitigate rates of return, waste and over-runs.

SAP’s approach amounts to a souped-up version of omnichannel retail, dressed with plenty of buzzworthy tech. “Whatever customers are able to experience in the physical store is [driven] by a combination of the data we know from the e-commerce process,” Bechtold explained. The heavily tech-laden LAFW pop-up offers a taste of that.

Another dimension comes from SAP’s incubator program, SAP.io, which is bringing two female-led, virtual platforms, Obsess and Bigthinx, to the shows.

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L.A. Fashion Week Preview: Sergio Hudson, Luis de Javier, No Sesso, Demobaza to Show

L.A. Fashion Week will officially kick off this Wednesday, with an opening show by Imitation of Christ. The week-long event presented by N4XT Experiences will feature a mix of screenings, fireside chats, panel discussions and shows by designers such as Sergio Hudson (known for dressing everyone from Michelle Obama to Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé), Demobaza (worn by Blackpink in their Pink Venom video), Theophilio, Luis de Javier and Kwame Adusei.

The program variety, with the majority of this year’s activations held at Nya Studios in Hollywood, will give attendees an opportunity to network and learn about new techniques and technologies to grow their brands.

“Advisry, TOMBOGO, Kim Shui, BruceGlen and No Sesso will all be a part of that experience which is powered by the technology which [software company] SAP has developed,” says Pardo. “We’ve also partnered with SAP.iO, which is their very cool incubation arm and with Obsess, we are creating a virtual retail experience curated by Black Fashion Fair with House of Aama, Khiry and Homage Year. We have our partnership with BigThinx, also part of SAP.iO, which is creating a virtual runway experience with VFILES as well.

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N4XT Experiences Elevates LA Fashion Week 2023 Through Esteemed Lineup of Partners, Designers, and the Launch of LAFW Society

LA Fashion Week (LAFW), a globally recognized platform for designers and brands, is thrilled to announce the lineup of official partners for this year’s event. Landing in the heart of Hollywood on October 18-22 at NYA Studios, LAFW is dedicated to showcasing the diverse and dynamic style of Los Angeles while fostering emerging talents with the theme: “Empowering Designers, Empowering Dreams”. This remarkable event, under the visionary leadership of N4XT Experiences, transcends the conventional fashion week concept, blending fashion, beauty, technology, and sustainability with inclusivity at its core.

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Zoovu is a Lead Partner in SAP Industry Cloud

The partnership is expanding as global companies increasingly look to unlock new revenue streams and reduce direct sales costs through more automated and intelligent e-commerce platforms. Until now, the complexity and number of products offered by most manufacturers and large-scale B2B organizations required highly skilled sales teams to educate customers and convert inquiries into sales. By harnessing the power of SAP and Zoovu technology, customers can easily transform large, complex product catalogs into highly accurate and continuously optimized digital sales environments.

Zoovu was invited to join the SAP.iO Acceleration Partner Program last year and the platform quickly jumped to the top 2% in the SAP® Store. Building on this strong market demand, Zoovu has been elevated to SAP partner for SAP’s industrial cloud portfolio.

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Adverity announces Gen AI Integration in Latest Product Strategy

Adverity, the integrated data platform for connecting, managing, and using your data at scale, today announced the rollout of incorporated generative AI tools within the platform as part of its latest product strategy.

Continuing its mission to help marketers and data professionals maximize the value of their data, the platform has announced a host of new upcoming and future AI-assisted features, including:

  • Data Transformation Assistant: Users are able to use the assistant to help with creating data transformations. By inputting the requirements they have, the assistant will automatically create the code for the transformation, as well as provide step-by-step instructions on how to implement the desired outcome.
  • New Connectors on demand: Users can upload details for their API of choice and build new connectors on demand with the help of AI.
  • Natural language Data Analytics: The integration with AI tools such as ChatGPT enables users to ask questions using non-technical everyday language and receive instant answers to their data-based questions, vastly simplifying the data analytics process.
  • Proactive Intelligence: Users will be able to interact with their data, and request digestible summaries within the tables, which can be validated and put into action or used as the basis for further targeted analysis.

By harnessing the power of generative AI, Adverity ensures customers can most effectively manage and use their data at scale. A recent report from McKinsey highlights that GenAI has the potential to generate a value ranging from $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion across different sectors.

The benefits for Adverity users will include:

  • Time savings through easy access to vast amounts of data, activated by AI for quick answers to data-based questions.
  • Faster onboarding and better assistance in data transformations for less technical users.
  • Self-Serve connector capability – provides users with infrastructure to easily build their own data connectors.
  • Quicker and faster journey to generate insights on the Adverity platform.

“The impact that generative AI will have on businesses over the next few years is huge. It has already started to revolutionize the way in which people interact with everyday tasks both professionally and personally. Increasing the value for our customers and ensuring that they have the quickest and easiest way to generate the insights they need, has always been a number one priority for Adverity, comments Martin Brunthaler, Co-founder and CTO of Adverity.

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Retail Trends: Eco-Friendly Online Shopping To Top $100 Billion

Five years from now, none of us will go through a product checkout experience and not have the option to make our purchase carbon neutral. That’s how Dane Baker, co-founder and CEO of EcoCart, predicts the sustainable future of e-commerce.

His company, EcoCart, partners with brands and retailers to power a carbon-neutral and climate positive shopping experience. The app calculates the carbon footprint of products, giving consumers the opportunity to offset the emissions at checkout through brand-sponsored sustainability projects.

“We’re making it easy for consumers to take climate action in a frictionless way as they go about their daily lives,” said Baker. “Working with a global network of partners, we help brands strengthen customer relationships and loyalty. Shoppers have a deeper affinity with organizations that act on their shared commitment to sustainability.”

Brands of all sizes worldwide are using EcoCart to increase conversion rates and repeat purchases. A premium skin care product organization boosted repeat purchase rates by 50%. A fast-growing plant-based nutritional supplements company increased online cart conversions by 22%. One sustainable furniture company’s average order value (AOV) skyrocketed by 38%.

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parcelLab Launches ‘Retain’ to Empower Brands to Recover Revenue and Make Returns More Sustainable

New Product Offers Digital Returns Portal and End-to-End Post-Purchase Communications

parcelLab, the premier global provider of post-purchase customer experience software, announced the launch of Retain. The new product provides the uncomplicated returns experience today’s consumers expect, while providing brands with the flexibility and customization options needed to reduce costs, recover more revenue, and make returns more sustainable.

Retain uplevels the returns, warranty, and exchange process from paper to digital, featuring a digital returns portal as well as tracking and communications to enable customers to effortlessly register their returns, get a label or QR code, and track returns. Personalized emails and a customized Returns Status Page deliver end-to-end post-purchase communication to drive web traffic and repeat purchases.

Returns remain an untapped part of the post-purchase experience and the next revenue retention opportunity for brands. A recent parcelLab study found that brands’ return policies influence 92% of consumers – and 54% of consumers expect access to the return process status at any time. To meet this overwhelming market demand, parcelLab developed Retain to empower retailers to deliver their customers the tools and transparency they require while ensuring personalized journeys that build and sustain customer loyalty over time.

“Retailers have an opportunity to turn potential customer dissatisfaction into opportunities for revenue retention”

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SAP Emarsys Supercharges Partner Ecosystem for the Ultimate Customer Experience

When it comes to possession of purchasing power, consumers have never been more in control. Today’s savvy shoppers select what, where and how they buy – and are increasingly aware of their authority. In fact, shoppers in 2023 expect to be provided with options that fit their individual needs.

New research from SAP Emarsys shows that over two thirds (65%) of Americans like the option to communicate with brands via different platforms, and a further study by the omnichannel customer engagement platform found the average American has four ‘shoppable devices’ in their home. Brands have to deliver on customer expectations while at the same time, producing profitable business outcomes. It’s no easy feat, leading to a complex, diverse and ever-changing marketing landscape.

To empower brands and marketers to excel in an ever-evolving e-commerce environment, SAP Emarsys, has unveiled its revolutionary partner ecosystem. The Emarsys Partner Connect Ecosystem offers expanded access to proven and pre-integrated solutions from market-leading technology and expert solution partners – equipping brands with the capability to create marketing and commerce experiences that attract and advance authentic relationships with customers.

Enhancements to the Emarsys Partner Connect portal are set to benefit partners, customers and prospects. For prospects and customers, new updates make it easier to expand their omnichannel customer engagement capabilities with trusted partners, tools, and resources. This model allows marketers the time and agility that is required to deliver excellent experiences for their own customers, leading to greater profitability while staying true to their core business objectives.

Additionally, the Emarsys Partner Connect Ecosystem will benefit partners by allowing them to more easily connect and expand into the SAP and Emarsys customer base.  Offering partners access to added value, scalability, and novel revenue streams to fuel their business’s growth.

“We know that our customers need their marketing solutions to be flexible and agile to keep up with changing market conditions, which is why the Emarsys Partner Connect ecosystem is such an essential part of our offering at SAP Emarsys. By providing marketers the ability to use market-leading providers, we are opening up the power of omnichannel,” said Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys. “We are committed to growing and nurturing our partner ecosystem so we can continue combining our power to create the best possible end-user experience.”

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How Tech Makes Shopping Quick and Easy for Bosch Customers

Benefits of e-commerce include reaching new customers and better personalizing service. But what if your customers need – and have spent decades relying on – the in-store expertise of your associates? To find a very specific product? For use with another very specific product? To accomplish a very specific task?

“More and more of our users are coming online…[and] they still want to have the similar guidance and the systems they had in-store,” Ganna Lobachevska, the touchpoint owner of Product Finder and Product Guidance at Bosch Power Tools Accessories, told SAP at NRF 2023 for a new video. “Our overall goal is to make it easier for our users to find the right accessory for their job.”

Of course, making something easy to do on the front end is seldom easy to build on the back end. And that was Bosch’s challenge when helping online shoppers narrow their search for the perfect jigsaw blade, drill bit, or abrasive wheel from a truly massive accessory portfolio.

“Any company with a wide range of products has to think how they can simplify the user journey…and how they can make it easier for the customers to find the right product,” Lobachevska said. “With the Bosch Accessory Advisor, we provide a solution that makes it easier and faster.”

Building that easier, faster solution meant finding a high-tech way to satisfy a peculiar demand by online shoppers.

When Brick-and-Mortar Set the Bar (Almost) Too High

Selecting a specific power tool accessory for a specific job – and ensuring it’s compatible with your specific power tool – are big reasons that people historically shopped at brick-and-mortar stores, according to Lobachevska. It makes sense, right? You can consult with a knowledgeable human sales associate.

But Bosch’s e-commerce customers expect the same in-store-style expertise via a quick and painless online exchange, according to Lobachevska. And she doesn’t seem worried.

“The Accessory Advisor guides the user through a series of very simple questions,” Lobachevska said. “In the end, they have three perfect recommendations for the work they want to do.”

It’s pretty much an online conversation that yields the right product, according to Lobachevska. And Bosch found the right tech – and partners – to make these virtual dialogues happen.

Tech to the Rescue

“We realized that there is a need for a better user guidance,” Lobachevska said of Bosch’s decision to go with Zoovu, a Boston-based digital commerce search platform and partner solution in SAP’s industry cloud. “It offered us the best.”

Zoovu’s Semantic Studio translates technical jargon into e-commerce-friendly prose, which saves time for both Bosch data managers and shoppers. A few artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted questions later, and these accessory hunters have enjoyed a smooth, seamless customer experience.

“This means that our customers spend less time searching for a product,” Lobachevska said. “And when they purchase the product, it’s the right one and they are more satisfied.”

This increases efficiency, according to Lobachevska. It also cuts down on returns and poor online reviews.

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5 companies leveraging startup innovation to improve their customer experience

To provide exceptional customer experiences, companies are turning to startup innovation. By partnering with startups, established organizations can tap into novel technologies, fresh perspectives, and agile methodologies to revolutionize how they engage and delight their customers.

SAP.iO simplifies the collaboration between SAP customers and cutting-edge enterprise software startups by facilitating seamless integration with SAP solutions. Our portfolio of 150+ enterprise-ready startup solutions integrated with SAP Customer Experience enables customers to drive innovation.

This roundup showcases five companies that have embraced startup solutions to elevate their customer experience.

 

Adverity & Ikea: How IKEA uses data to identify the best paths to success 

IKEA worked with Adverity’s data analytics platform to consolidate and analyze vast amounts of marketing data from various sources. By leveraging Adverity’s solution, IKEA gained valuable insights and improved the efficiency of their marketing campaigns, ultimately leading to better decision-making and enhanced marketing performance. 

Adverity works with SAP Industry Cloud, SAP Integration Suite, and SAP Marketing Cloud and is available on the SAP Store. 


Jebbit & NHL: How the NHL Scores Authentic Fan Engagement 

The NHL worked with Jebbit to improve its user acquisition and engagement strategies. The NHL used interactive experiences and personalized content powered by Jebbit’s platform to drive user engagement, increase fan loyalty, and ultimately grow their user base. 

Jebbit works with SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement and SAP Customer Data Platform and is available on the SAP Store 


LISNR & Jaguar Land Rover: Jaguar Land Rover Drives Connectivity with LISNR  

Jaguar Land Rover worked with LISNR to overcome connectivity challenges in linking passengers with their mobile devices and vehicles. By leveraging LISNR’s secure ultrasonic data transmission technology, they improved connectivity, enabled authentication, and delivered personalized in-car experiences, surpassing their implementation goals. 

LISNR works with SAP Customer Data Cloud and SAP Commerce Cloud and is available on the SAP Store.


Mercaux & Holland & Barrett: Launching a Digital Transformation Project  

Holland & Barrett collaborated with Mercaux to launch a new pilot digital transformation project. Using Mercaux’s digital retail solutions, Holland & Barrett aimed to enhance the in-store customer experience, improve product visibility, and drive sales through personalized recommendations and interactive features.  

Mercaux works with SAP Industry Cloud and SAP Commerce and is available on the SAP Store  


Yellow.ai & Sephora: Embracing Digital Experiences Powered by Conversational AI

Sephora wanted to adopt an omnichannel approach to providing a best-in-class retail experience across both offline and online channels to their customers at any hour of the day. They worked with Yellow.ai to introduce a virtual assistant that provides personalized beauty consultations and can help customers with checking product availability, reserving products, managing in-store pickup, and facilitating product returns.

Yellow.ai works with SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP CRM Sales, and SAP CRM Service Manager and is available on the SAP Store.

 

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The SAP Store Now Offers yellow.ai’s Generative AI-powered ChatBots and VoiceBots for Employee and Customer Experience

Yellow.ai, a global leader in Conversational AI announced that its generative AI-powered ChatBots and VoiceBots solution for customer and employee experience automation are now available on SAP Store, the digital marketplace for SAP and partner offerings. Both solutions are built on SAP Business Technology Platform using SAP Integration Suite. While the customer experience (CX) solution integrates with SAP Commerce, SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP CRM Sales, and SAP CRM Service Manager, the employee experience (EX) solution integrates with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.

“Leveraging multi-LLM architecture, our generative AI-powered Dynamic Automation Platform is helping enterprises redefine how they connect with both customers and employees, giving them a competitive advantage and valuable ROI at scale,” said Raghu Ravinutala, CEO & Co-founder, Yellow.ai.

Available on SAP Store for a free trial.

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Jebbit Launches AI-Powered Interactive Digital Experiences

Jebbit, the provider of the world’s first zero-party data and customer experience platform, announced the launch of its new AI-powered Experience Generator and Language Translation capabilities, accelerating the ability for businesses to build meaningful connections with audiences across all channels. The innovative features allow marketers to build Jebbit experiences – personalized interactive quizzes, trivia and surveys – in seconds, then translate them into multiple languages with the click of a button, enabling brands to quickly scale globally.

Generative AI has dominated 2023, with Forrester reporting that the global artificial intelligence software market is expected to reach $126 billion by 2025. As with disruptive consumer data privacy regulations in the past, and industry-shifting technology like AI, Jebbit always strives to remain on the right side of marketing; that is, prioritizing consumer trust and experience. Jebbit’s new AI-powered experiences strategically balance intelligent technology with human judgment to edit, analyze and personalize data in a way that improves online experiences, while improving speed-to-market. In contrast, many companies leverage AI in data targeting small population sizes and then extrapolate that to the masses without deeper insights.

Jebbit’s AI-powered Experience Generator and Language Translation capabilities have been extensively beta-tested by customers and volunteers in order to provide real-world feedback and to inform future capabilities. One such future capability is AI-Assist,  coming soon across the Jebbit platform, to equip users with AI-powered assistance in creating content such as informed product recommendations, question generation, guidance on rephrasing questions, and the ability to automatically leverage design elements from a website (text, colors, images).

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