Last updated: Building the future of DTC e-commerce, one hack at a time…

Building the future of DTC e-commerce, one hack at a time…

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AND THE WINNER IS…

SAP Commerce Cloud Hackathon update, Friday, May 28, 7:00 pm, EST:

#SAP Commerce Cloud Hackathon update, Friday, May 28, 3:00 pm, EST:

The clock has run down –  it’s time to step back from the laptops!

The excitement, suspense and thrill of it all – how will it all unfold as we enter the judging deliberations?

Let’s check in with our three teams to see what they have learned and what they would recommend to brands considering SAP Commerce Cloud:

#SAP Commerce Cloud Hackathon update, Friday, May 28, noon, EST:

We’re officially entering Day 2 and the teams are off to the races! Spirits are high, and the energy is contagious as Team LiveArea, Team Ecenta, and Team SAP Services work against the clock to prepare for the final judges deliberation.

Will they prevail as they put the final touches on their e-commerce stores? Let’s check in on how the teams are feeling and the progress they have made.

#SAP Commerce Cloud Hackathon day one final update, May 27, 8:00 pm, EST:

And just like that, we’ve reached the end of Day 1!

The three teams have come a long way, making a ton of progress while building out innovative e-commerce experiences.

The competition is white hot, and only one team shall prevail – so let’s take a look at how the teams are feeling and what they have accomplished as we wrap up Day 1:

#SAP Commerce Cloud Hackathon update, May 27, 4:00 pm, EST:

The hackers have been hard at work, so it’s time to check-in on them again. Hear from Team LiveArea, Team Ecenta, and Team SAP Services on the reasons they’re taking part in the hackathon, what they have learned thus far, and their biggest triumphs and challenges.

Team Live Area:

Team Ecenta:

Team SAP Services:

#SAPUpscaleCommerce Hackathon update, May 27, 1:00 pm, EST:

The challenge has begun and the hackers are ready to dive in – competition is high, and the excitement is palpable.

Will the team with the fashion, retail or automotive use case get their first MVP transaction out?
Who will build the most extensions?
Who will leverage the OOTB capabilities the most?

Have a look at how we’ve kicked-off this fantastic event!

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/555807429

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/555807429

How many hackers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

We don’t know either, but we’re about to find out how many it takes to create the perfect omnichannel e-commerce storefront, with lightning speed!

On Thursday, May 27-Friday, May 28, SAP Commerce Cloud will be hosting a virtual Hackathon event, where three teams of product experts and some very special solution integration partners will battle it out to create three brand new online shopping experiences based on specific, real-world client requirements – all within the SAP Commerce SaaS e-commerce platform.

To make it as interesting and relevant as possible, one core direct-to-consumer business scenario will be addressed by each team.

Here are the cases that will be tackled by these teams, with results judged by a panel of CX experts.

  1. Buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS)

In this case, the hackathon team will address a recent trend in consumer behavior around bulk buying, particularly relevant in a post-pandemic world as retailers have often struggled to maintain control over their inventory during panic buying events.

The challenge is for the team to build a mobile-friendly site for purchasing block quantities (full boxes or cases) of products for pickup at whichever store is most convenient for each customer. Requirements include multiple language and currency support, specific order management capabilities, self-service order tracking, and more.

Some considerations for this team are:

  • How will the most appropriate store location be determined?
  • Will partial orders or only full orders be allowed for pickup?
  • What happens if the order isn’t picked up by the consumer?
  • Do cross-sell opportunities exist and, if so, how will they be addressed?
  1. The temporary pop-up store

Here, a motorsports tire supplier serving both professional and prosumer audiences requires a mobile-first site that enables customers to order preferred series selections or category-specific products for either pre-season home or professional racetrack use.

Importantly, services such as tire mounting, shaving, storage, and more – to be delivered at retail stores or a mobile service truck – must be available to be bundled with each order. The site must also be capable of prioritizing in-stock items during race events, while also allowing for a wide range of special order-only products to be easily purchased for later fulfillment.

Some of this team’s considerations for the project include:

  • Can items not in available on-site be ordered for future delivery?
  • Does the site effectively and responsibly collect customer data for progressive profiling?
  • How can the SAP Commerce platform be extended through a custom solution?
  • What cross-sell opportunities does the pop-up storefront enable? 
  1. Seasonal inventory liquidation

The final scenario involves a fashion retailer that has typically held annual warehouse sales events for its most loyal clientele. The events gave elite customers exclusive access to the season’s latest products, as well as allowing the retailer to sell off the previous season’s overstock at a discount to make way for new inventory. Since the last planned large warehouse sale in 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, the retailer wanted to look into how to conduct the event safely in the current climate, including private in-store styling and scheduled warehouse shopping appointments.

The challenge is to build a mobile-friendly site that enables customers to order only products in stock at the warehouse, then easily schedule stylist advisor appointments and in-person pickup. Other important requirements are the ability to execute product “drops” for particular loyalty tier segments, detailed product specification and comparison tools, and bundling and picking instructions for warehouse employees.

Some further considerations for the team include:

  • Can products not in stock still be ordered and shipped at a later date?
  • How will customer data for profiling be collected and what types of data should be used?
  • Can the out-of-the-box capabilities of Upscale be extended through a custom solution?
  • What cross-sell opportunities does this event enable?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FucDCX8jrYs

How will judges rate the work?

For all teams and projects, judges will base their rating on overall creativity, use of available product extensions, ease of shopping experience, time-to-market, and how well the solution drives customers toward long-term loyalty and advocacy for the brand. Partners will accumulate points based on the solution(s) they develop.

For participating clients, this event will be a fun, action-oriented way to get a fresh perspective on how to solve their core e-commerce challenges, as well as to learn more about SAP e-commerce technology and the SAP partner ecosystem directly from experts. For participating partners, this presents a chance to really “kick the tires” on the Commerce platform by solving some common challenges in an intense, high-pressure setting that demands creativity, practicality, and know-how.

For everyone involved, this promises to be a fun and rewarding experience that everyone can learn from while spending quality time working alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry.

Follow along on this page to get real-time event updates, watch insightful interviews with our partners and product experts that capture the progress, wins and excitement of their hacks, followed by final presentations and winner deliberations on May 28. If you want to join in on the excitement, be sure to use #SAPUpscaleCommerce. We can’t wait to see what these talented teams come up with!

SAP Upscale e-commerce

 What key capabilities are needed for today’s modern, cloud-based e-commerce platform?

To stay agile as a midmarket direct-to-consumer business and meet the changing needs of customers in the moment, you need an intelligent selling engine that can help you:

  1. Sell anywhere, to make your store the go-to destination for your category. Deliver rich, mobile-first, omnichannel shopping that encourages engagement and conversion by making it easy for customers to swipe, pinch, and tap their way to purchase, while unifying the online and in-store experience.
  2. Sell smarter, whether big or small, by leveraging built-in AI capabilities to create a bespoke experience for each shopper at scale, and deliver convenient, relevant, and alluring experiences to customers that help optimize profit for your business.
  3. Start fast and grow without limits, through out-of-the-box, no-code tools that let you create fresh shopping experiences in just days, then easily extend and optimize your solution through deep customization using low-code tools.
  4. Deliver on your brand promise, by selling and shipping from anywhere through agile order orchestration and flexible fulfillment from warehouses, shipping hubs, and local stores. Turn one-time buyers into loyalists, by converting them to subscribers through exciting surprise and delight offers.

E-commerce everywhere.
Fast. Personalized. Shoppable.
It starts HERE.

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