UK supermarket giant Asda has selected a new digital platform to improve customer experience and supply chain efficiencies

With the Covid-19 pandemic creating an exponential e-commerce growth and changing the role of the retail store as consumers shop in different ways, Asda was looking for a digital platform that would improve its understanding of changing customer behaviours, while also ensuring business continuity via improved response to rapidly fluctuating supply chain disruption.

Asda decided to move to RISE with SAP to provide it with an agile and single Digital Core platform to deliver automation and simplification of business processes in the cloud, enhanced (consumer-grade) user experience, real-time data and insights and near real-time sales, inventory and process visibility. This will enable the business to respond more adeptly to the needs and behaviours of its customers and the wider market.

With its adoption of SAP Ariba solutions for sourcing, buying and invoicing, contracts, spend analysis, supplier lifecycle and performance, supplier risk and commerce automation over Ariba Network, Asda will standardise and streamline its procurement processes across the organisation and expects to enhance data-driven intelligence, pricing optimisation and supply chain visibility. By improving supplier relationships and spend compliance, Asda aims to mitigate risk, reduce waste and achieve long-term resiliency against supply chain disruption.

Transformation

Following its acquisition by the Issa Brothers and TDR Capital from Walmart earlier this year, Asda is transitioning from its legacy solutions and embarking on an accelerated digital transformation strategy to better manage its end-to-end business operations. This includes commercial, procurement, supply chain, logistics and retail operations.

Carl Dawson, CIO at Asda, said: “We have chosen SAP as our Digital Core partner for its market leading real-time business platforms and proven experience in retail and delivery. Through RISE with SAP, we are looking forward to building on our strategic relationship and achieving Asda’s goals for now and the future in the dynamic retail industry.”