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What is SAP CAR?
The use of SAP CAR (Customer Activity Repository) enables retailers to map a range of modern omnichannel and retail processes with just one system. These include real-time inventory information, delivery time and shipping optimization, AI-supported forecasting, high-performance sales data processing and optimized goods distribution and replenishment. The system can be used fully integrated in an SAP landscape with ready-made interfaces to S/4HANA, SAP Cloud Analytics and POS systems such as SAP by GK.
Thanks to almost real-time cash register data processing, the system is always up to date with regard to item stocks in stores. This information is essential for processes such as Click & Collect or Click & Reserve.
Based on historical sales data, the system can use machine learning to create very accurate forecasts of future sales figures.
Short- and medium-term planning can be taken to a new level with SAP CAR. Precise forecasting in conjunction with specifics of the respective sub-sector such as spoilage, best before date, intraday fresh items, textile seasonality/collections, textile distribution curves make it possible to get as close as possible to the ideal planning point.
Planning a product range is a complex process. SAP CAR offers the possibility of planning the entire product range of a retail company, both in terms of quantity and finances, and also of creating planning scenarios. Thanks to the integration of the components, the planning can then seamlessly transition into the planning/distribution of goods.
With SAP CAR, it is possible to plan and manage all promotions centrally. The system then automatically calculates the corresponding promotion prices for all promotions. This information can be distributed to all systems. This means that all sales channels are supplied with uniform promotions and prices centrally from one source.
By defining a supply network, you can determine, among other criteria, which source can deliver to a customer the fastest. The system can then automatically determine which branch or distribution center should ultimately deliver the goods. Scenarios such as same-day delivery or splitting orders by delivery date can be implemented in this way.
SAP CAR can recognize the frequency of sales and automatically identify unusual exceptions. If sales fail to materialize based on freely definable threshold values, the system automatically triggers a warning message. Store employees can then check the relevant shelf directly and make the goods available again.
We introduced SAP CAR for a leading German food retailer. All branches in Germany were connected to POS DTA. The challenge here was to create and refine a template together with the customer and then roll it out gradually. Our task included setting up, testing and ensuring that the cash register data was received correctly, as well as processing the cash register data correctly and transmitting it to SAP ERP.
The particular difficulty here was the enormous volume of transactions and the associated large variety of business transactions, all of which had to be processed cleanly and efficiently by the system.
On behalf of one of the leading hardware stores in Central Europe, we optimized the forecasts (and thus also the short and medium-term planning). This was achieved using UDF based on the POS DTA sales data. This project brought with it two major challenges. Firstly, the complete UDF forecast model had to be designed and set up for the full range of products. Secondly, after setting it up, there was an optimization phase lasting several months in which the forecasts and the forecast quality were fine-tuned based on actual sales.
As a basis for using UDF, the DDF interface had to be set up and put into operation beforehand.
Modern retail and omnichannel processes require fast, central data processing. SAP CAR offers a very efficient selection of functionalities and processes based on the very fast HANA in-memory database.
Mass data processing of cash register transactions, real-time inventory optimization, delivery time optimization in e-commerce & omnichannel, up to intraday consumption forecasts, intelligent goods distribution, precise assortment planning, optimized short and medium-term scheduling and out-of-shelf detection are just some of the highlights that the system delivers with its modular kit.
Regardless of whether a retailer uses the SAP ERP system or not, SAP CAR can be used standalone as a data hub and omnichannel enabler and accelerator. The necessary data basis for many processes (in addition to the basic master data such as product groups, articles, branches, etc.) is the sales data from the branches and, in the case of e-commerce support, the direct exchange with the e-commerce system (checkout status, reservations, shopping carts, rough stock indicator, etc.). In Europe, SAP CAR is now being used successfully by a large number of retailers from all areas of trade such as food, hardware stores, fashion and consumer goods - especially by medium-sized and large companies.
