Marion Röthgen, Manager eBusiness EMEA, has worked at Axalta Coating Systems since 2016. Her responsibilities include product management, sales, training and technical service, color management, hotline, eBusiness and other digital projects. She specializes in Agile project management using the Scrum method, particularly for eCommerce and webshops.
These experiences gave Marion a great foundation to lead Axalta’s eBusiness program. But there were still many challenges ahead.
Axalta Coating Systems is a world leader in coatings for vehicles, industrial applications, and refinishing. The company has over 150 years of experience in the industry, and their 13,000 employees serve over 100,000 customers who purchase from 50+ brands. They began selling online in 1998 and were running their fourth eCommerce platform when they came to Corevist.
THE PROBLEM
Disconnected ECommerce Stores Were Getting Unmanageable
Axalta Coating Systems used a leading eCommerce platform for 12 standalone storefronts around the globe. None of the eCommerce stores was integrated with SAP ERP, which meant that customers couldn’t see real-time pricing or product availability. They also couldn’t track or trace their orders and invoices. With this critical data missing, 95% of customers in EMEA were placing and tracking orders by phone. This created a frustrating customer experience and unnecessary cost for Axalta.
Marion needed to scale up Axalta’s online business to support additional brands and languages, which would mean a total of 18-25 storefronts. She also needed to provide an integrated customer experience in each portal—one that provided all the real-time SAP data that was missing. But the IT organization, which was solely responsible for eCommerce, couldn’t possibly add that many storefronts and integrate them all to SAP. Doing so would require 18-25 separate SAP integrations, and the IT staff had enough on their plates already.
REQUIREMENTS
Lean Architecture That Could Support Multiple Portals, Experiences, And Languages
Marion needed a platform that would support multiple portals, brands, and languages without the need for several custom SAP integrations. This was the only way she could expand Axalta’s digital business around the globe without a massive increase in IT staffing requirements.
But more specifically, that scalable SAP integration needed to deliver a great customer experience. Axalta’s customers needed comprehensive B2B functionality driven by their personalized data in Axalta’s SAP system.
Digital product catalog in their language
Real-time pricing driven by contract rules in SAP
Real-time product availability
Real-time order placement following SAP business rules
Real-time order tracking and shipment tracking
Real-time credit status
Full order history from SAP (including orders placed by phone and other methods)
Full invoice history and status from SAP
“We Wanted To Make Ordering As Fast, Easy And Flexible As Possible For Our Customers.”
—Marion Röthgen, Manager eBusiness EMEA
Why Axalta Chose Corevist
Corevist Commerce Cloud was a perfect fit for Axalta Coating Systems. Our templatized SAP integration architecture meant that Marion could solve the SAP integration problem once, then reuse that investment in a limitless number of B2B portals.
With the SAP challenge eliminated, Axalta could present numerous B2B portals around the globe with unique branding. There was no need to build a custom SAP integration for each portal.
Marion put it this way:
“With this new self-service web shop, our refinish and powder customers will find all the product information they need in one place, with real-time price information.”
THE SOLUTION
25 Unique B2B Portals Running On A Single, SAP-Integrated Platform
Marion chose Corevist Commerce Cloud to consolidate Axalta’s 12 storefronts to one platform and expand the total to 25 storefronts. With our real-time SAP integration and fast-loading interface, Marion empowered customers all around the globe to do business online in numerous branded B2B portals that all run on Corevist Commerce Cloud.
While the solution was a huge win at the global level, it’s also delivering the micro-experiences that every customer needs in their own language. Every user in every portal gets the price and availability information they require to complete transactions. And when it comes to post-order care, every customer can see their entire order and invoice history, plus real-time status updates for individual orders, shipments, and invoices.
All this information lives in Axalta’s SAP ERP system, and Corevist Commerce Cloud delivers it in numerous storefronts with unique branding and different languages. Because Corevist’s integration is direct and real-time, Axalta’s IT team didn’t take on any significant new responsibility. The Corevist portals just “work,” and they always show the right information to each logged-in user.
THE RESULTS
An End To Phone Ordering
With these powerful digital portals in place, Axalta has all but eliminated phone orders. This means a much better experience for customers, and a lower cost of order processing for Axalta.
In fact, it’s a huge step forward. Reps no longer have to spend the majority of their time answering mundane inquiries. This means they can focus on value-added activities and building relationships with customers.
Digital Revenue Up 206% Since Launch
Axalta has seen a huge impact from Corevist Commerce Cloud. Digital revenue is soaring, as customers around the globe can interact with the right brand in their native language. Given Corevist’s friendly pricing model, the company can continue to scale revenue efficiently.
A Trusted Partner Handling SAP Integration And B2B Portal Support
Marion knew that Axalta couldn’t take on any additional IT burden, and Corevist has relieved the company of this responsibility. Axalta’s IT team continues to support SAP ERP, and Corevist’s managed portal platform (plus included SAP integration) always displays the right data to the right user. With Corevist on their side, Axalta didn’t have to become a technology company—they can simply focus on their core business while Corevist supports their digital channels. That’s a huge win for Axalta and their customers.
“The Corevist application is extremely performant and reliable, service is fast, and communication is very good.”
—Marion Röthgen, Manager eBusiness EMEA
SOLUTION USED:
Corevist Commerce Cloud
Your smart path to B2B eCommerce mastery.
Corevist B2B Ecommerce offers our most sophisticated capabilities.
- Rich product content in your catalog
- Self-service product configuration
- Credit card payment supported at checkout
- Support for robust third-party integrations
Since Corevist Commerce Cloud is a managed solution with deep, prebuilt SAP integration, your IT team can rest easy—both during the project, and after GoLive.
More Tips For B2B Success
How To End Outdated Ordering Processes
How do you give customers a digital portal without taking on a huge IT project? Here are 9 key steps to take.
Get Organizational Buy-In For Your B2B Portal
Projects go smoothly when everyone’s aligned. Here’s how to identify key stakeholders and build consensus.
