Knowledge Center

With the world still in the grip of a global pandemic, it’s clear that life as we know it has drastically changed. Covid-19 now looks like it will be with us for a long time. And the implications for the business world are only just starting to become clear.

In an unprecedented development… That's how so many news stories start these days, with every one a reminder of just how fast change can come — and how dramatically. And so many assumptions about the world previously considered safe or essential no longer hold true.

This is a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop innovating. The key is to avoid the expensive trap of replatforming and focus on smart spend strategies for innovation instead.

Imagine you run a major country and a pandemic hits. You move quickly and assemble the right experts. They develop a detailed plan for responding and you get all government agencies aligned. Then it’s time to instruct and convince the public. You give a convincing and honest speech on prime time TV. Newspapers report it and your call to action is trending on social media. To make sure citizens can find all necessary information, you provide a comprehensive digital guide, an app and multiple websites.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the global business landscape. Virtually overnight, nations around the world have closed shops and restaurants, curtailing every activity not considered “essential.”

And the impact on the world’s economy has been seismic. In the last few weeks alone, with millions of people around the world “sheltering in place,” more than 22 million American workers have filed for unemployment.

The world is in a state of shock. COVID-19 spread as quickly as it started and doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. Countries around the globe have instituted statewide (or even nationwide) quarantines and lockdowns, affecting every single industry – from healthcare to fitness to food.

The eCommerce market is evolving rapidly. SAP is keeping pace with the evolution to the cloud for eCommerce and digital customer experience solutions. By including the SAP C/4HANA modular Customer Experience Suite in the same cloud that includes SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP customers now have a complete technology platform to build custom, end-to-end omnichannel commerce experiences for their end customers. SAP Commerce Cloud is a comprehensive commerce solution that supports everything from back-office order management to advanced end user shopping experiences.

As someone who partners with organizations around the world, I’ve decided to take that opportunity to talk to today’s top leaders about their experience with business transformation: How they’ve transformed their organizations and how they see the business priorities in their industries changing in the future. This is the idea behind this interview series, “The Business of Transformation.”

I recently got back from DMEXCO – Europe's top trade show for digital marketing – where I had the chance to chat with top experts in the field.

Let’s talk about the future. Because we all have to live in it.

Without a doubt, things will be pretty different – not just different from today but also different from what we expect them to be.