SAP Ariba Snap: The Heart of Centralized Procurement
The digital economy is global – meaning you will likely deal with suppliers and customers who operate in different time zones, use different currencies, and have different processes. To keep pace and establish lasting business relationships, you need a centralized procurement platform. In this blog post, we will look at how SAP Ariba Snap forms the core of centralized procurement.
What would the online shopping experience be like without websites like Amazon offering different products from different vendors? You’d have to continuously flit from website to website to buy different items. This would certainly slow the process down and disrupt the connection between customers and sellers. Likewise, what if you needed different platforms and sites to organize purchase and delivery? It just wouldn’t work. While Amazon and eBay may have been trendsetters in the B2C world, the challenges and expectations in the B2B scene are no different. If you’re part of a procurement team, having a central overview of your suppliers and procurement processes is the key to quick and simple procurement.
Show Me the Suppliers
There might be some great suppliers out there offering great deals. But what use are they if you can’t find the best prices and discounts? In the digital economy, transparency is vital to success. If you don’t have the information you need when you need it, you’re likely to miss out on offers or good deals. This is where SAP Ariba Snap really shines. The solution provides access to a large online marketplace. The Ariba Network is the world’s largest digital marketplace for contacting suppliers, with over 3.5 million connected companies transacting online. The opportunity to leverage the Ariba Network is available to the SMEs as well by using the SAP Ariba Snap variant – exactly like large enterprises using the standard SAP Ariba solution. This level of clarity over costs and suppliers puts your company in a strong position for negotiating as you can compare prices with the competition. This is the first step on your path to centralized procurement.
Every Procurement Process in a Single Platform
The next step for making procurement more efficient once you’re part of a centralized marketplace is consolidating your procurement processes in a single platform. By combining your processes, such as ordering and paying, you remove tedious manual tasks so you can focus on what’s important: finding the right supplier for your needs. What’s more, you are always aware of which orders are ongoing, meaning you never lose sight of the bigger picture. SAP Ariba Snap enables you to integrate all of this in an intuitive, easy-to-use system.
Build Lasting Relationships for Sustainable Success
Centralization acts as the catalyst for streamlined procurement, but it doesn’t stop there. Once you can manage your suppliers and procurements processes from a single system, the focus shifts to building long-term business relationships. SAP Ariba Snap enables you to integrate your suppliers directly into your procurement processes. You are able to discuss performance targets or ways to optimize products and services. This leads to stronger collaboration and enables you to build up a rapport with the supplier – as you’re both on the same page and understand each other’s needs.
Discuss Your Targets with an Expert Partner
Overall, centralizing all aspects of procurement builds solid foundations for generating new business and strengthening relationships with existing partners. You and your supplier are always up to date and have all the information you need to find the best deal. If you’re looking to achieve centralized procurement for the digital economy, get in touch with NTT DATA Business Solutions today. We have three decades of experience in helping companies with their digital transformation throughout the world.
Take a look at our infographic: Digitize Procurement in a Snap! SAP Ariba Snap: Out-of-the-Box Procurement Software for SMEs
In the final part of this series on SAP Ariba Snap, we will look at how an expert partner in procurement enables you to add real value and eliminate tasks that are slowing you down.
Jan Ammann, Global Head of Public Cloud Solutions (SaaS), NTT DATA Business Solutions AG
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Barnali Chaliha, Director – Ariba Practice & Delivery, NTT DATA Business Solutions India Software Solutions Ltd.
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