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Welcome back (again)!
The evolution of e-commerce has revolutionized retail, transforming from basic online storefronts to sophisticated, omnichannel ecosystems. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, pushing more consumers online and spurring innovations in digital engagement and customer experience. SAP Commerce Cloud has been a leader in this space, especially with its successful Black Friday campaigns that leverage advanced personalization and robust scalability to drive significant sales and customer satisfacti
Looking ahead, the future of e-commerce will be shaped by AI, machine learning, and integrated omnichannel strategies, promising even more personalized and efficient shopping experiences to meet the evolving demands of consumers
Together, SAP and it's customers will conquer the 2024 Holiday Season as well. This is why SAP launching again the Holiday Season Readiness Program (HSRP).
For first-time SAP users navigating their inaugural holiday season, this blog post offers essential information and an introduction to what you can expect from SAP and what we require from you. For our long-term customers and partners using SAP Commerce Cloud to drive sales events during the holiday season, this post is aimed to serve as an insightful resource.
All about the 2024 Holiday Season Readiness Program
As holiday shopping drives increased traffic to online stores, November and December are traditionally high-turnover months for SAP customers. With an enhanced focus on online business and heightened consumer expectations, early preparation for holiday sales promotions is crucial.
The 2024 Holiday Season Readiness Program (HSRP) is a strategic initiative designed to support our customers and their partners in preparing for this peak season. This program underscores SAP’s commitment to customer success by providing tailored support to ensure seamless operations during the busiest shopping months. Achieving success during the peak season is a collaborative effort, and SAP actively engages with customers during the preparation phase to enhance the overall customer experience during this critical period.
Given the large volume of holiday season promotions across all our commerce customers, SAP leverages the 2024 HSRP to maintain close contact with participating customers and drive mutual success. Building on the insights gained from previous years, we have retained the program's core structure while streamlining processes and enhancing our toolset to deliver an even better experience and superior results.
What holiday events/dates will be covered?
The program includes preparations for the following events and days:
- Singles’ Day: Nov 11, 2024
- Armistice Day: Nov 11, 2024
- El Buen Fin: Nov 15 – 18, 2024
- Black Friday / Cyber Monday: Nov 29 – Dec 02, 2024
- Christmas / Holidays: Dec 24 – 26, 2024
SAP is aware that many promotions also take place outside these official events during these high revenue months. These occasional promotions are not part of the HSRP and are treated by us like any other important customer event in the year. Have a look into the Surge Event Preparation Checklist and contact your CSP for further support options.
Who can participate?
The HSRP is aimed at all SAP Commerce Cloud customers who are planning to run promotions on their Commerce platform during the official covered event days (noted above).
Traditionally, this critical period mainly concerns SAP customers who are active in the B2C business. However, all customers in the B2B, B2C or B2B2C business who are planning sales events with their customers are welcome to participate in the program, too.
What do participating customers get with the program?
The 2024 Holiday Season Readiness Program (HSRP) is designed to help our customers prepare for a successful peak season. Customers participating in the HSRP can expect the following support from SAP:
Database/Platform Analysis and Preventive Temporary Scale-Up: In collaboration with customers and their partners, we will analyze your database and platform to identify any necessary temporary resource scale-ups.
Preparation Checklists: We provide comprehensive checklists detailing preparation activities to be conducted by the customer or partner.
Recommendations and Supporting Articles: Customers will receive a list of tailored recommendations and access to supporting SAP articles to guide their preparations.
Participation in the HSRP is free of charge and provides an added layer of security. While customers can choose to run sales events independently, we recommend enrolling in the program for enhanced support.
We also recommend continuously running load and spike tests to optimize performance. If you require expert assistance, consider our Performance Review Service. For more information, please check our dedicated support resources and check this blog post.
Why is the customer enrollment important for SAP?
Effective collaboration between SAP and our customers is crucial during peak holiday periods. SAP does not have visibility into all customers' promotion plans, making organized dialogue essential. Through the Holiday Season Readiness Program (HSRP), customer inputs regarding expected peaks and promotion events enable SAP to optimize services and deliver best-in-class customer experiences throughout the holiday season. This teamwork ensures that we can proactively address any potential challenges and support your business in achieving optimal performance during critical shopping periods.
What is the 2024 HSRP timeline?
Once enrolled, participating customers will receive information via email. Before any planned events, customers will of course be informed about their Upscaling and Downscaling processes and schedules. Individual follow-ups might take place, if required.
The following graphic shows the relevant 2024 HSRP phases on a high level:
2024 HSRP phases
How can customers enroll and what happens after the enrollment deadline?
Registration for the 2024 Holiday Season Readiness Program (HSRP) begins on June 24th, 2024, and remains open until August 30th, 2024. SAP will contact registered customers in September, providing guidance, recommendations, best practices, and additional opportunities to ensure optimal preparation for the holiday season.
FAQ
What if customers are not sure about their expected Holiday Season traffic?
It is important that customers sign up for the program, regardless of if they know exact numbers of expected traffic. SAP will share a tooling to determine forecasts and include a buffer for registered customers.
What if the Customer is still in the project phase but plans to go live before the Holiday Season?
The HSRP is primarily targeted at all live clients and all project clients who are planning to go live before the events.
If a customer registers but does not go live before the holiday season, this is not a problem for SAP.
What happens if a customer misses the registration cutoff or if customers are not sure if they will be running sales events with their customers before the deadline?
If clients have not enrolled for the HSRP but would still like to hold sales events with their customers, this is no problem. SAP has a standard process for surge events in place that must be followed (SAP Commerce Cloud Services Description; 5.5 Scalability). As a best practice, when the Customer is expecting an increase in traffic to its website, the Customer should notify SAP (via a support ticket) at least 3 Business Days in advance to ensure adequate resources are provisioned and to avoid performance lag.
In this case, the responsibility for the analysis and preparation lies exclusively with the customer.
During the events, each customer receives the identical best-in-class support from SAP. There is no support difference whether enrolled for HSRP or not (also read “How SAP detects a Business Down Situation in SAP Commerce Cloud”).
What if a customer plans to run a sales promotion the week before Singles Day or a week after Christmas?
If customer sales events differ from the official dates listed above, the event is out of HSRP scope. Individual sales events or promotions outside the official timelines must follow the standard process. Customers must inform SAP about their plans via a support ticket at least 3 days in advance by following the standard processes for surge events. However, being signed up for the HSRP is still recommended. The plans can be specified during the enrollment process or later via the SAP-HSRP inbox.
How will customers be informed about changes on their environments?
For Up and Downscaling activities, a customer facing ticket will be raised by SAP using the SOC S-user that is provided by the customer.
How can customers ask questions or give feedback?
Feedback should be passed on to the Customer Success Partners (CSPs). The HSRP management is in constant exchange with the CSPs and will take the feedback into account. Customers and partners can also contact the HSRP management directly by the SAP-HSRP inbox.
How can customers subscribe to receive notifications for their SAP Commerce Cloud solution?
To ensure customers and their organisation receive important Commerce Cloud system notifications, customers must ensure all team members subscribe to the SAP Cloud System Notification Subscription (CSNS) service and select preferred notifications by clicking here. For more information on the CSNS, including a help guide, please visit our Support Portal and check out the solution brief or user guide.
2023 Holiday Season Highlights
More Than Just the Numbers: Insights from 2023 Cyber Week
18% year-over-year growth in GMV powered by SAP Commerce Cloud
+35% YoY increase in the number of orders processed by SAP Commerce Cloud
+35% YoY growth in the number of orders and $110M+ peak GMV per minute by SAP Commerce Cloud
The Biggest Cyber Weekend Ever!
Disclaimer
There is no legal or contractual basis for SAP to deliver this Holiday Season Readiness Program. It is a voluntary initiative by SAP to achieve the best possible result together with its customers.
If customers wish a level of support for the holiday season preparation that exceeds the standard preparations of this program, they can get in touch with the SAP Commerce Cloud Services Team. The consultants can offer an all-around carefree package that is more tailored to the individual needs of individual clients.
