The Watches of Switzerland Groupa renowned retailer of luxury items, was able to work in collaboration with the SAP AppHaus network partner Bluestonex successfully migrate to the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). The company relied on a cloud model managed by its partner to enable the development of applications and set the course for digital innovations.

With the help of its long-standing and reliable partner Bluestonex, the Watches of Switzerland Group was also able to set up the SAP Integration Suite within just two weeks. The suite gave the company the ability to integrate insurance offerings into their processes.

As one of the leading retailers of luxury watches, the Watches of Switzerland Group is known for its high-quality and exclusive products. The company is active in Great Britain, the USA and parts of Europe and has enjoyed an excellent reputation in the world of luxury watches for decades with its diverse brand portfolio. To expand its operations and adapt to changing market dynamics, the Group is modernizing its technology infrastructure to increase scalability and efficiency and optimize processes worldwide.

Transitioning to SAP BTP using a partner-managed cloud model

At the start of the project, the England-based watch retailer used an enterprise architecture that included legacy systems such as on-premise SAP ECC 6.0 systems and self-developed middleware. Limited IT resources made it difficult to scale to meet business needs such as faster project delivery and the integration of modern technologies.

After acquiring SAP BTP credits, the company also had to address internal skills gaps and decide where to prioritize. Ultimately, Watches of Switzerland wanted to benefit from cloud-based technologies while remaining flexible when it came to decisions regarding future ERP systems – be it moving to SAP S/4HANA or using alternative platforms.

Added value through SAP BTP

With support from Bluestonex, Watches of Switzerland switched to a Partner managed cloud model – in this case the SAP BTP. Under this model, Bluestonex took responsibility for managing SAP BTP balances, resource allocation and infrastructure support. This allowed Watches of Switzerland Group to move from an internal, self-managed approach to an expertly managed environment that is always aligned with the retailer’s business objectives. Since switching to this model, the Watches of Switzerland Group has benefited from the following advantages:

• Added value through SAP BTP: The customer team no longer has to worry about credit management and technical configuration, but can concentrate entirely on business-critical projects.
• Optimized SAP Fiori applications: All SAP Fiori apps were successfully migrated to the cloud, improving performance and usability.
• More resilient IT landscape: With Bluestonex as a strategic partner, Watches of Switzerland has laid the foundation for future growth and innovation.
• Future-proof infrastructure: The independent functions of SAP BTP ensure that the integration framework remains relevant no matter which ERP platform is used in the future.

Bluestonex Innovation Factory

With the groundwork in place, Watches of Switzerland decided to introduce more SAP BTP services, integrate more business processes and scale globally. This required the group to identify its core business processes and identify where there was room or need for improvement in order to provide superior customer service, be successful and keep pace with new trends in the luxury retail segment.

“The partnership with Bluestonex is not just about technology,” said Glenn Bamford, Head of Business Systems at Watches of Switzerland Group. “Bluestonex acts as part of our extended team and brings the innovation and expertise that we lack internally. With this support, we can take strategic steps towards modernizing our systems while remaining future-ready.”

Thorough research can provide reliable answers and a solid foundation for innovation to address business requirements and understand the needs of users and customers. Based on one user-oriented approach to the development of innovations The Bluestonex Innovation Factory team therefore conducted field research and visited six of the Swiss group’s showrooms, spoke to employees and observed the various processes in purchasing as well as customer inquiries, deliveries and the awarding of orders.

After visiting the various showrooms, the team concluded that requirements varied greatly depending on location and customer profiles. At some locations, the main focus was to sell mid-priced watches and serve several customers at the same time; Elsewhere, employees were focused on serving individual customers with very specific needs when purchasing a very expensive and unique item.

Integration of insurance options using the SAP Integration Suite

Despite all the differences, the research team identified one requirement that came up in all customer interactions: the desire for an appropriate insurance option for the watch purchased. Watches of Switzerland and Bluestonex therefore decided to integrate an insurance option into all service processes within the SAP Integration Suite.

Within just two weeks, the insurance integration could be used productively as planned, allowing the group to meet important requirements without having to forego quality or functionality. With the SAP Integration Suite, the Watches of Switzerland Group is now able to further modernize its technology landscape in line with its strategic vision. This scalable solution can be adapted to future needs, including a possible move to SAP S/4HANA.

“This project demonstrates the value of Bluestonex as a strategic partner,” said Bamford. “Not only did they complete the integration under high pressure, but they also brought important expertise. The SAP Integration Suite, launched with support from Bluestonex, paves the way for greater flexibility and scalability as we advance our digital transformation.”

At the annual SAP BTP Strategy Day at Bluestonex’s AppHaus in Shropshire, the Watches of Switzerland Group identified specific business objectives and discussed how they could use technology to achieve these objectives both for themselves and for Bluestonex as their partner. Using proven practical methods for prioritizing and aligning different solutions to these goals, team members were able to work together to develop goals and short- and medium-term actions.

Richard Henry, Commercial Director at Bluestonex, summarized: “Our partnership with Watches of Switzerland is based on our roots in the SAP AppHaus and our focus on providing a satisfactory user experience within SAP BTP applications. As a niche partner of SAP, we have the right skills and take a user-oriented approach to the development of Innovations. This allows us to support the Watches of Switzerland Group with its digital SAP strategy.”

Having unlocked the value that the SAP Integration Suite offers, Watches of Switzerland Group and Bluestonex are now looking for further enterprise-wide integration projects. Thanks to its flexible and secure cloud-first approach, the group can adapt to changing market conditions and continue to provide the best possible customer service.

Into the future with AI: Use cases SAP Business AI

Both teams are particularly interested in making progress in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The Bluestonex team is always looking for use cases that leverage the functionality of SAP Business AI can be improved. The Watches of Switzerland Group team also wants to understand how they can best use AI in their own company. Bluestonex presented several solutions, including the document process application developed in just 10 days as part of the Next Level program, as well as the integration of the AI-powered SAP assistant Joule in the flagship product Maextroa data governance tool.

The customer and partner are currently planning one Workshop to familiarize yourself with SAP Business AI and all the possibilities it offers. The aim is to identify use cases that could be improved with the help of AI. As stated above, thorough research and trusting collaboration are essential to staying viable and maintaining a leading position in the luxury retail segment.

Imke Vierjahn is Communications Lead at SAP AppHaus.