Salesforce previously led the market in the CRM space, and so this acquisition was a step in the right direction to help SAP to grow in this online sector, a move that was started when the company acquired SuccessFactors, commented Dennis Pombriant from Beagle Research. The Financial Times wrote that this acquisition is a big coup for the company, who need to improve at online, an important source of future growth. ComputerWorld UK concurred, writing that this acquisition means that, SAP will be able to flesh out its multi-channel eCommerce offering, and will be able to deliver enhanced customer insight and engagement across all channels.
The consumer angle was also noted in V3, who wrote that this acquisition fits in with this push towards consumer engagement, further allowing SAP to be both a B2B and B2C player. Holger Mueller at Constellation Research also noted that, Hybris offers an added benefit by providing a sizable customer base that has minimal overlap with many of SAP's existing clients.
The Hybris acquisition is clearly intended as a step towards becoming a more serious player in the CRM marketplace, as well as being a move intended to penetrate new consumer markets. CRM will again be a big focus at this years User Group conference so make sure you have signed up to take advantage of our early bird rate!
