Magento 2 Integrates With SAP: How It Will Benefit the E-Commerce Industry

Praveen Malviya
Accely
Published in
9 min readMay 23, 2019

SAP is an advanced Enterprise Resource Planning Software that is helping the e-commerce industry to take a giant stride forward by managing the various business operations. It includes establishing a strong bond between your brand and customers, improving the supply chain and accounting management, innovating the order processing, centralizing the data hub, and much more. Now, with Magento 2, getting integrated with SAP, we can certainly expect the e-commerce business to flourish further.

Integrating Magento 2 With SAP

The initial step is to run the Magento 2 SAP Integration with the help of advanced import and export extensions. It will help you to integrate the Magento 2 website using an entire SAP environment. It will connect you to a two-way data synchronization process based on data transmission of API integrations.

You also get additional support for specific third-party connections, which help in establishing integration with a chosen SAP branch. The improved import and export extension also offers a range of benefits and is considered superior in comparison to Magento 2 SAP extensions and connectors. The benefits include-

  • The data can be synchronized and controlled both automatically and manually.
  • Mapping allows configuration of the extension based on any new SAP update.
  • Improved import and export extension can be used for multiple integrations

The connector will always remain linked to one SAP product. You cannot use it for integrating with third-party platforms. However, the improved import and export Magento 2 extension have contrary features. Unlike connectors, which are linked to a single product, import and export Magento 2 extension can be connected to many connectors in one module. It allows you to easily integrate your e-commerce store with any PIM (Product Information Management) service. It includes other solutions such as accounting software, customer relationship management system and enterprise resource planning. You pay to avail one extension of the service and get the benefit of several extensions.

If you are looking to simplify the process of establishing links with multiple platforms, you have to use the flexible import presets. The presents are offered by extension. The advantage of employing a preset is that you are not required not to match third-party attributes that are used in Magento 2. Secondly, you cannot do mapping manually without having a specific preset. Preset also has a user-friendly interface, allowing you to conduct mapping in less time and more easily.

Vital Features of Improved Import and Export Magento 2 Extension

  • The Import and Export Magento 2 Extension can be smoothly integrated with the third-party platform. You don’t need to have any knowledge of programming skills.
  • It offers various import or export sources such as Dropbox, URL, FTP, and SFTP.
  • TXT, XML and CSV files help in data transmission. The developers will soon receive support from more file formats.
  • Presets to allow smooth mapping process for any custom file structure.
  • Get real-time attribute values during import.
  • Export default values and filters.
  • Run jobs without any synchronization using Command Line Interface (CLI) or through admin.
  • Get automated import or export cron job routine.
  • Creating an import and order export category seamlessly with corresponding documents.
  • The import speed is around 3k products per minute.

Now let’s analyze into some detail how Magento 2 SAP integration is benefiting the e-commerce industry.

SAP has expanded its comprehensive solutions to help all business organizations belonging to different industry verticals. So, an e-commerce website owner using Magento 2 will certainly reap the benefits of SAP to customize his services. SAP allows you to run your e-commerce store more efficiently and rapidly with Magento 2 integration. The improved import and expert Magento 2 Extension is also there for additional support.

We can categorize the SAP products and applications into seven important categories, which will give you a better understanding of how SAP is helping to flourish in the e-commerce sector.

  • ERP and Digital Core
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Digital Supply Chain Management
  • Network and Spend Management
  • The innovation of HR Activities
  • Analytics
  • Digital Platform

Enterprise Resource Planning and Digital Core

The ERP and Digital Core have been further divided into four application categories including SAP S/4 HANA, SAP S/4 HANA Cloud, Cloud ERP Services, and Financial Management Solutions. All these products can be easily and comprehensively connected with Magento 2 using improved import and export. You can choose an ERP solution based on your enterprise size and specific requirements.

SAP S/4 HANA

SAP’s new intelligent ERP system has proved to be a boon for a wide range of industries. It has allowed business processes to take advantage of digital transformation with a much more advanced and modern ERP landscape. SAP S/4 HANA is also letting enterprises leverage the advantage of innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, and others to take user experience to the next level. It is based on cloud deployment, either on-premise or hybrid.

SAP S/4 HANA will simplify a number of key e-commerce store activities such as extended warehouse management, transport and shipping, enhancing the product life-cycle, and others.

SAP S/4 HANA Cloud

The SAP S/4 HANA Cloud is another venerable option that can offer an optimum advantage to an e-commerce business. The presence of Cloud converts every activity of the e-commerce store into a real-time action with the accessibility of streamlined data. So, obviously, the productivity of your business will enhance and your employees will work more efficiently.

SAP S/4 HANA Cloud can also prove its worth when an entrepreneur has to make fast and effective data-based decisions. With the integration of Machine Learning, it can automate business processes to increase agility. Furthermore, it allows the integration and consolidation of data between headquarters and subsidiaries based on a two-tier deployment.

Cloud ERP Solutions

SAP offers its advanced cloud-based ERP solutions for every business organization irrespective of its size. If it is a large enterprise, the SAP S/4 HANA Cloud represents the Business Suite ERP. On the other hand, SAP has developed SAP Business ByDesign to represent mid-size companies. If you own a small company, you have to use the option of SAP Business One.

Financial Management

You can also have a comprehensive financial management service with SAP S/4 HANA Finance. It offers intelligent tools that innovate your accounting system and improves all financial operations. You can do all your finance related work in real-time such as generating bills, and managing the cash flow seamlessly. It is available either on-premise or in the cloud with full support for Magento 2 integration.

Improving Customer Experience via Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

SAP has also developed various products that help to improve the customer experience of your Magento 2 e-commerce website. Of course, the improved import and export extension is there to help in this regard but you need an effective CRM system to serve your audience better.

SAP C/4 HANA

SAP C/4 HANA is a highly advanced CRM suite technology that helps in upscaling your brand and boosts the trust factor with your customers. It means you can convert your site visitors into potential customers.

Getting Customer Data in Real-Time

Online businesses are always searching for opportunities to get more and more customer insights to turn visitors into loyal customers. SAP has now made it possible with the Customer Data Management Cloud, which can easily integrate with Magento 2 to personalize your audience experience. It also allows you to control data more efficiently.

Digitizing Marketing Techniques

SAP Marketing Cloud offers an advanced omnichannel marketing automation software that helps to personalize your customer experience. It collects all the first-hand data of your loyal customers and creates an enriched profile so that you can target your users more specifically.

Sales and Commerce

SAP offers you a platform using which you can improve your sales by better reaching out to the customers. Even Magento 2 provides an enhanced tool that helps to increase the sales reps. Apart from that, SAP also offers an e-commerce solution with pre-built integrations. However, it is not as efficient as Magento 2.

Transforming Supply Chain Management

SAP has played a pivotal role in transforming and digitizing the Supply Chain Management System with the help of S/4 HANA logistics. It has further stimulated activities such as research and development, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and manufacturing. Now, how the supply chain management process is assisting in the growth of e-commerce.

The answer to the question is by providing a platform where you can approach the market more quickly to sell customer-centric products. In fact, you also get the advantage of using some other advanced tools such as supply chain planning and supply chain logistics

Network and Spend Management

As an e-commerce website owner, you must be aware of the cutthroat competition in this sector. There are times when you have to lower the cost of your products because your competitors have done so. However, you are here to gain profit as well. This is where SAP comes in to help you out. It provides intelligent tools, sourcing, and procurement that can reduce the risk factors when decreasing the cost. It streamlines collaboration with suppliers and various other management tasks. The network and spending management base itself on the following elements-

Supplier Management -

It simplifies the task of managing supplier information and performance through Magento 2 website integration with SAP and improved import and export.

Strategic Sourcing

If you want to simplify the process of managing an entire analyze-to-contract procedure, then take the benefit of strategic sourcing that can analyze transactional spending data to get the best deal on sourcing agreements.

Travel and Expense Management

SAP offers you an optimum solution that helps to keep your travel expenses and management under check even before you proceed with a booking. The SAP Concur helps to capture and report expense data along with providing other facilities such as the invoice management system. The integration of the cloud helps to plan your expenses and budget more effectively. SAP Concur is also connected with SAP S/4 HANA and Magento 2.

Improving the Procurement

SAP improves the procurement and operations of your business. You can also look forward to upscaling the procure-to-pay cycle with the help of Magento 2 that integrates with the ERP system and e-commerce stores.

Adopting a Smart Selling Technique

The integration of Magento 2 with SAP has allowed enterprises to adopt a smart selling technique by implementing B2B solutions. The use of the digital economy has increased the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of both the buyers and the sellers.

Streamlining the Human Resource Management System

Nowadays, most business organizations are looking to harmonize their workforce with the integration of human resource management system. SAP has offered that facility in conjugation with Magento 2 integration to transform the entire system. The SAP HRMS tool is accessible on the cloud or on-premise. It also provides a plethora of other benefits such as core HR and payroll services, time and attendance management, monitoring the performance of the employees, simplifying the process of recruitment and onboarding, smart training of employees, and planning the management of the workforce.

Analytics

When we talk about analytics in SAP, we are often reminded of SAP Analytics Cloud and its role in driving the business forward. However, SAP is also aiming to make your data connections more intelligent. You can combine advanced tools with machine learning to get real-time insights. You can get the help of other products such as Business Intelligence, Enterprise Planning, and Predictive Analytics.

Digital Platform

With Magento 2 SAP integration, managing data from any source or in any format has become more simplified. It also allows you to create, integrate, and extend your business apps. Also, connect them to a single hub. The other tools that support this task are SAP HANA and its database, SAP Cloud Platform, Enterprise Information Management, and Cybersecurity, Governance, Risk and Compliance.

SAP and Magento 2: Both a Boon for E-Commerce Platform

The integration of Magento 2 with SAP along with the additional benefit of improved import and export has been a major booster for e-commerce stores. At a time when most e-commerce stores are looking to implement digital innovation with several benefits and advanced tools.

If you want to integrate Magento 2 with SAP, you have chosen the right SAP provider. Get in touch with the experts today.

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