MOVE2CLOUD WITH STRATEGY AND VISION
RINGFOTO EXCITES ITS MEMBERS WITH AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF CLOUD BASED FUNCTIONS AND A COMPREHENSIVE SUPPLY OF INFORMATION
With over 1000 members and 1600 sales outlets, the Ringfoto Group is probably the largest photo association in the world. In Europe, they have already secured the title.
As an association, the company offers its members numerous advantages. These include purchasing advantages, optimized conditions and central invoicing. Access to exclusive brands as well as high payouts and attractive bonuses also make membership worthwhile.
The Ringfoto Group generates around 98 percent of its warehouse sales through its B2B portal. SAP Commerce and SAP ERP have provided the system basis for this since 2017. By switching to a cloud solution, the group is paving the way to an even more attractive online presence and a customer experience to be proud of.
For the move to the cloud, Ringfoto has asked for professional support from the All for One Customer Experience who have already been servicing the SAP Commerce solution since 2017. Together, they do not only want to relocate the server, but also create an even better portal with optimized functions and promising growth opportunities. SAP ERP will remain on-premises, while SAP Commerce Cloud will be used for the portal. Both are connected via the Integration Suite of SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). The storefront is provided by SAP Spartacus. The headless design of the store interface thus enables quick adjustments without affecting the back end.
Nothing is lost with the move to the cloud – instead, the move offers the opportunity to optimize processes and expand functions. A major advantage of the cloud is the regular updates that keep the solution constantly on the cutting edge and meet high security standards. Scalability is also a major benefit. Ringfoto has decided to offer the most important services as quickly as possible via the B2B platform and to subsequently make all other offers available following the launch. It took a total of 15 months to get from the initial concept to the launch of the new B2B portal
The primary objective of the move, therefore, is to accelerate the pace of transformation.
The new B2B portal is called RIO 4.0 and has a lot to offer retailers and end customers. Users can access the portal via their browser on PC/laptop, tablet or mobile device. Notifications for sales such as cashback promotions and stock value compensation are conveniently submitted online and are sent collectively to the industry. In a subsequent step, Ringfoto returns the respective credits to the retailers. This reduces the administrative effort for everyone and ideally leads to better business conditions. Moreover, the association offers its members plenty of information through self-services in the cloud. Retailers also have the option of entering their own store data into the system. Receipts and documents can be downloaded via the portal as well.
Viewing documents, downloading data, adding information – for members, all processes run transparently and are traceable
- A lean start & steady expansion.
- Considering and leveraging standard solutions before individual adaptations are made.
- Consulting a partner with the necessary expertise.
THE GREATEST INNOVATION DOESN‘T MATTER IF THE USER FAILS TO UNDERSTAND IT.
OLIVER HACHMANN, CIO, RINGFOTO GMBH & CO. KG
Customer data
Sector
High Tech, Trade
The Fotoverbund Group has been using SAP ERP since 2017. The commerce solution for the B2B portal was initially hosted locally. In order to use new functions and benefit from the advantages of regular updates, the company opted for Move2Cloud. With the move to SAP Commerce Cloud, Ringfoto has succeeded not only in an elegant relaunch, but above all in a comprehensive upgrade of the portal.
