“SAP to Acquire hybris to Deliver Next-Generation Customer Experience” – the recent consolidation is reflective of maturity in key software markets such as commerce, and the need for unified solutions to tap into eCommerce growth across the globe. We have seen companies like Oracle and Netsuite acquire commerce systems, and now, SAP with the acquisition of Hybris. We have a significant growth opportunity and it is time for us to rethink commerce.
There is a fundamental need for a new commerce system of record that does not exist in either CRM or ERP— resulting in fragmentation of systems and slow time to market. This new systems of record for commerce needs to provide distributed order orchestration, a virtual catalog that enables rapid product, pricing, packaging, bundling and customer experience across touch points – self–service, assisted, multi-channel, to complement the core billing, invoicing and revenue recognition capabilities of ERP/Financials.
In addition, Salesforce.com‘s acquisition of ExactTarget and the Marketo IPO are also pointing to the evolution of marketing automation and nurturing markets. This is an important trend that needs to be connected together since this focuses on customer acquisition, and the prior (commerce) on monetization. And one trend cannot exist (for too long) without the other.
The fun is just starting.
