The Challenge of Configurable Products and Where Traditional Integrations Fail

Optimizing SAP Variant Configuration and CPQ for the Modern Manufacturer

Manufacturers of complex, configurable products are continually innovating and adapting to changing customer requirements. Quoting and selling these configurable products requires accessing information in both SAP and in front-end solutions–CRM, commerce portal, and CPQ solution. These integrations can become exceedingly complex for configurable products. Using real-time data virtualization to solve this integration challenge allows manufacturers to leverage the configuration logic specified in SAP to generate accurate quotes, eCommerce shopping cards, or traditional sales-transacted orders without ever leaving their front-end application.

Your organization has considerable time and effort already invested in configuring, pricing, and testing SAP variant configurations inside your ERP. Numerous business-critical applications need direct access to this information including, but not limited to your CRM, CPQ solution, MuleSoft iPaaS, and eCommerce portal.

Entire books have been written about implementing and configuring VC–and that’s just getting it working inside SAP–never mind extending it to other front-end systems. The esoteric, table-driven, German language inner workings of SAP require skills that are becoming more and more scarce–proving-in the need for a new framework for SAP integration.

VC + CPQ = Business Agility, Margin Preservation, and Customer Loyalty

Your commerce portal and CPQ solution must create 100% acceptable-to-SAP orders. Especially for complex, configurable products. Inaccurate quotes risk margins and customer satisfaction. Inaccurate product configurations risk production and delivery delays, pricing accuracy, and also customer satisfaction.

The key is leaning into the business, configuration, and pricing logic inside SAP–using a no-code solution to virtualize that data inside your front-end systems. Employees and customers get 100% accurate data without ever leaving the screen or platform they are in. And all orders, quotes, and shopping carts are 100% SAP-acceptable.

Data Virtualization Drives Elegant Variant Configuration Solutions

Maximizing the efficiency of SAP Variant Configuration means making the end-user experience simple (no matter if they are sales, customer service, or client/customer). In just four easy, code-free steps, Variant Configuration can come to life inside your CPQ or eCommerce solution. Real-time SAP data drives accurate configuration, pricing, and availability.

1. First, an end user in a commerce portal or a sales rep, selects a product inside the commerce or CRM solution that is mapped to an SAP Configurable Material. 
2. Next, the SAP Variant Configuration is rendered automatically to configure the product 
3. The product is then successfully configured and validated with SAP, accurately priced (based on SAP and/or CRM-based pricing and discounts. 
4. Finally, the product(s) are saved and added to the shopping cart or quote. Configuration data is saved to the Quote Line.

This is only possible because the configuration rules and options, along with associated availability and pricing, is maintained inside SAP at all times. No mapping, no redundant logic, no batch-updates when specifications change.

Let’s talk about how you can integrate the complex logic built into SAP Variant Configuration to drive simple, easy-to-use quoting and commerce solutions. Prebuilt integration processes mean faster time-to-value and the most agile way to improve the customer experience. Want to learn more? Check out our Variant Configuration solution or how Stanley Black & Decker overcame quoting complexity.