IN-DEPTH CASE STUDY
How Parker Thrilled Distributors With A New B2B Portal
How do you replace an end-of-life B2B portal—while keeping all critical data in SAP ERP?
This was Jane Mascia’s challenge at Parker.
Parker is a diversified technology and manufacturing company that specializes in reliable adhesives, coatings, motion management devices, and sensing technologies. The company’s solutions reduce risk and improve product performance in a diverse range of industries, including oil and gas, aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial. With a 90-year history, Parker is a leader in every market they serve.
THE PROBLEM
On-Premises B2B Portal No Longer Supported
Parker had a B2B portal for their distributors, but the solution ran on SAP ISA. This platform had become end-of-life, and while it provided a great customer experience, Parker needed to replace it. Not only was the solution itself outdated, but keeping it could hinder Parker’s roadmap for SAP ECC 6.0.
While it might look like an IT problem, this issue directly impacted the business. Distributors enjoyed the easy customer experience that the portal provided, and if Parker didn’t move fast to replicate that experience (and then improve it), customers would have to use phone, fax, and email to do business with Parker. In the digital age, that’s a lot of friction to throw at people—especially when they’re used to a self-service B2B portal.
Parker knew they couldn’t take a step backward. They needed to provide the high level of service that customers already enjoyed.
REQUIREMENTS
Real-Time SAP Integration To Drive Customer Personalization
Jane knew firsthand the importance of SAP integration. Parker’s distributors enjoyed a great experience in the old portal because everything they saw was personalized with SAP data.
Since Parker had already built out all that data and logic in SAP ERP, it made no sense to rebuild it in the new B2B portal (or in a separate integration platform).
If Parker Corporation was going to replace their old portal, the new solution had to include SAP integration.
“Our motto is, ‘If you can do it in SAP, that’s where it should stay’. We wanted our B2B portal to be a reflection of our SAP system, not a recreation of it. And we wanted a vendor that shared our philosophy.”
–Jane Mascia, Senior Staff Business Process Analyst
Cloud-Based Rather Than On-Premises Hosting
Having worked with on-premises solutions, Jane knew the challenges of this software delivery model. She made a firm commitment that the new B2B portal would be cloud-based. This would ensure that Parker didn’t have to worry about hosting, security, or version upgrades.
A Right-Sized Solution With A Fast Implementation
Parker wasn’t looking for bells and whistles (other than a robust SAP integration). They didn’t want to pay for unnecessary functionality, and they didn’t want to waste time in the project phase. Their ideal solution would provide only what their distributors needed—and it would launch fast.
The Search For A Vendor
Jane explained the company’s search for a solution. “Initially, we considered Hybris and several other solutions recommended by Gartner and Forrester, but all of them were overkill for what we needed. Plus, most of the options we found would have required significant website customizations to mimic, or duplicate, what we had already built in SAP.”
As Parker discovered, the market doesn’t offer many options for companies that need lean, powerful B2B portals with SAP integration. Since most B2B eCommerce platforms were originally built for B2C, they offer plenty of robust B2C functionality—but they struggle with the complexities of manufacturers’ transactions.
“All of the other solutions we reviewed required a huge dollar investment and more than a year to implement. We just couldn’t see the ROI with those other vendors. The projects were too long, too complex and too expensive.”
–Jane Mascia, Senior Staff Business Process Analyst
Why Parker Chose Corevist
Corevist Commerce Cloud was a perfect fit for Parker. Our prebuilt SAP integration, included in the platform, meant that Parker could maintain the high level of personalization that their distributors enjoyed in the old portal. It also meant the company could keep all business data and logic where it belonged—in SAP. Parker wouldn’t take on unnecessary technical debt.
“Corevist aligned with us on several different levels. Their SAP integration philosophy matched ours. They had the feature set and implementation timeframe we needed. And their sales people were easier to work with than the other vendors we evaluated.”
—Jane Mascia, Senior Staff Business Process Analyst
THE SOLUTION
Corevist Commerce Cloud For Deep Personalization Through SAP Integration
Jane chose Corevist Commerce Cloud to meet (and exceed) the bar the company had set with their old B2B portal. Corevist’s deep SAP integration supported the complexity of Parker’s transactions and provided the personalization that distributors needed. Every user got the price and availability information they required to complete transactions. And when it came to post-order care, every customer could see their entire order and invoice history, plus real-time status updates for individual orders, shipments, and invoices.
With Corevist Commerce Cloud, Parer leveraged their existing SAP business data and logic in the portal. This saved them from duplicating and supporting all that complexity in multiple systems. Because Corevist Commerce Cloud integrates with SAP directly (and real in time), the solution just “works.” It always shows the right information to each logged-in user.
THE RESULTS
$1.2M Per Week Processed In The B2B Portal
Just a few weeks after launching Corevist Commerce Cloud, Parker was processing over $1.2M per week through the new B2B portal. Customers are praising the solution and placing bigger orders than ever with the easy bulk upload feature. For both Parker and their distributors, Corevist Commerce Cloud has been a huge win.
A Trusted Partner Maintaining Data Integrity Through SAP Integration
Parker knew it didn’t make sense to duplicate their investment in SAP ERP in another system. Since Corevist Commerce Cloud includes direct, real-time SAP integration, Parker launched the B2B portal they needed without increasing technical debt. Corevist upgrades, manages, and supports the B2B portal architecture from top to bottom. This means Parker didn’t have to bring on additional IT resources to run the new solution. The company can focus on its core business while Corevist keeps the B2B portal working smoothly.
“I would recommend Corevist without a doubt. They took the time to listen to us, answer our questions, and understand our requirements.”
—Jane Mascia, Senior Staff Business Process Analyst
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