14 April 2015
hybris software, an SAP company, today announced it has partnered with Portaltech Reply, an ecommerce implementation and consulting specialist, part of Reply, to build a specialised omni-channel customer engagement and commerce solution for the airline industry. The SAP Hybris Airline Accelerator will support airlines to transition from existing proprietary or home-built ecommerce systems, to state-of-the-art, omni-channel Customer Engagement and Commerce (CEC) solutions allowing them to build stronger, lasting relationships with their passengers.
Airlines today face a number of unique challenges when it comes to engaging and selling to customers across online and offline channels. Passengers are increasingly using the web and mobile devices to research, book and pay for trips; the number of third parties - global distribution systems (GDSs), travel management companies (TMCs), hotels, insurance companies - involved in the customer journey makes orchestrating the process challenging; and the need to provide different bundles of ancillary services adds another layer of complexity. While airlines recognise the need to embrace omni-channel Customer Engagement and Commerce technologies, taking the first step can be a daunting process.
The SAP Hybris Airline Accelerator aims to simplify the adoption of these solutions by providing a set of pre-defined, pre-built data models, templates and processes specifically designed and optimised for the challenges of running an airline booking system. It will enable carriers everywhere to access the benefits of an omni-channel Customer Engagement and Commerce solution - customised bundles and offers, personalised marketing, real-time data analytics, all available across web, mobile, contact centre - significantly reducing time to market, as well as time and cost of future functional and business enhancements.
Moritz Zimmerman, Senior Vice President Pre-Sales & Industry, SAP Hybris and SAP Customer Engagement and Commerce commented: "Although airlines everywhere are conscious of the need to overhaul their approach to ecommerce in response to shifting customer expectations, the perceived cost and complexity associated with transformational IT projects of this nature can often dissuade decision makers from embarking on them. The SAP Hybris Airline Accelerator is specifically designed to reduce these risks, giving airlines the confidence to take their customer engagement and commerce strategy to the next level".
Nandakumar Balasubramanian, Partner at Portaltech Reply comments: "Portaltech Reply and SAP Hybris both understand that the airline industry faces challenges that are different to other market segments, and are developing the Airline Accelerator to address them head on. Together, we believe in the power of technology to realise the vision of a ‘connected airline’, and are excited to be part of innovating towards this goal".
hybris software, an SAP company, provides omni-channel customer engagement and commerce solutions that allow organizations to build up a contextual understanding of their customers in real-time, deliver a more impactful, relevant customer experience and sell more goods, services and digital content across every touch point, channel and device. Through its state-of-the-art customer data management, context driven marketing tools and unified commerce processes, hybris has helped some of the world’s leading organizations including 3M, ASICS, Bridgestone, EE, Galeries Lafayette, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Nestlé, Nespresso, Nikon, Rexel, Samsung Electronics, Ted Baker, Tommy Bahama and W.W. Grainger, to attract, retain, and grow a profitable customer base. SAP Hybris Commerce Suite and SAP Hybris Marketing sit right at the heart of SAP’s Customer Engagement and Commerce (CEC) suite of solutions, alongside SAP® Cloud for Sales, SAP Cloud for Service and SAP CRM. These provide organizations with the foundation, framework and business tools to create a holistic customer view across channels, simplify customer engagement and solve complex business problems. For more information, visit www.hybris.com.