Overview
In the spring of 2019, the venerable, family-owned French retailer opened a 4-story store, one-tenth the size of the retailer’s flagship space. Despite the continued international expansion, their desire was to create more intimate, relationship-oriented retail spaces. Growth is key, but the trends are shifting; a high-touch customer focus is key. A more robust rebates administration system was deployed providing a more foundational backend. This allows for attention and resources to the front end, which is what retailers today need.
This retailer recognized these specific challenges:
- An inability to manage 5 million IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that identify network computers
- The pressing need to replace a discontinued solution with a more comprehensive solution
- Ill-equipped IT and Finance departments could no longer follow business process evolution
- A desire to automate the time-consuming manual accounting processes (accrual and settlements)
Solution
The retailer determined that Vistex Solutions for SAP needed to be implemented to provide a comprehensive end-to-end solution for rebates management processes, avoiding any master data duplication. The customer now has continuous, real-time access to current financial and transactional data, a direct link to accounts receivable and accounts payable, and the ability to eliminate manual processes.
This included:
- Repository management that enabled automated contract retrieval, interface with the contract management tool, and management of upstream repositories
- A tool enabling proposed provisions, allowing reports to visualize the back margins at any given time to any supplier, and simulate options for future negotiations
- Billing, which applied contract terms, offered flexible calculations, and enabled a system for supplier data exchange
- A collection and dispute management application for contract terms, SAP interface for collection management, reconciliation of credit/invoice requests, dispute tracking, and accurate calculations
Results
Vistex Solutions for SAP provided key improvements to this retailer’s overall business practices:
- An extensive, intelligent contract management process spanning the entire lifecycle of the supplier relationship
- A complex program for rebates within a single, global system
- Automated, end-to-end approach
- Optimized incentive programs and revenue
