Abstract

Intelligent Selling Services for SAP Commerce Cloud (also known as ISS) is a cloud-native system that can capture and analyze contextual and behavioural data across customer journey with SAP Commerce Cloud systems, then provides real-time customer experience merchandising and personalization. A brief introduction to ISS can be found here.

In this blog post, I will walk you through the necessary steps to connect a SAP Commerce Cloud instance to an Intelligent Selling Services (for SAP Commerce Cloud, aka ISS) tenant.

Prerequisite

you should have:

a provisioned ISS tenant with admin role access.
a SAP Commerce Cloud running instant with a storefront (In this blog post, we use the standard accelerator as an example).

Set up a site

Please log into your provisioned ISS tenant and navigate to Administration | Site Management. (Please note, Admin role is required to perform this step)

navigate to Site Management

Click on the “Create Site” button to create a new site. Fill in the necessary information according to the requirement.

Create a Site Wizard

Hit Create and the site is now created and being initialized (displayed as “Initializing…”). Wait until the initialization is done and the site’s status displays as “Active” like the other sites (if any). This usually takes 1-2 minutes, you can refresh the page to see the status change.

Site created and being initialized

Connect a SAP Commerce Cloud instance

In the Administration | Site Management workspace, on the row of the created site, click on “SAP Commerce Cloud Configuration”.

ready to configure SAP Commerce Cloud

Now you should be switched over to the SAP Commerce Cloud Configuration workspace, where 4 steps are required for the configuration:

4 steps to configure the SAP Commerce Cloud Connection

Step 1: checking the SAP Commerce Cloud required modules.

You will need 2 modules to be installed on your SAP Commerce Cloud:

the Foundation module: captures all customer interactions and behaviors to create and enrich a continually evolving contextual profile.
the Merchandising module: provides features related to the integration configuration.

There are 2 ways to install the required modules

either install the standard cx recipe (recipe introduction here, and simple how-to install: here), it already contains the 2 modules’ extensions.
or manually install the following extensions:don’t forget to install the 2 listed addons: profiletagaddon and merchandisingaddon to your storefront.

Step 2: Create Integration Client

step 2: create integration client

We’ll navigate to Clients workspace, and click on the Create Client button on the top right, and fill in the necessary information:

Create an Integration Client

ID: unique client identifier without empty space, will be used later for configuration settings.
Name: descriptive name for the integration client.

After clicking on Add, a window is popped up and contains very important information:

Please note down the client ID and Secret

As indicated by the message, please copy the value of the client id and client secret, this will be used as authentication data by SAP Commerce Cloud later in step 4. Especially the secret cannot be accessed again if the window is closed.

After creating the client, navigate back to the SAP Commerce Cloud Configuration workspace and continue with the step 3.

Step 3: Profile Tag configuration

tenant specific profiletag

The profile tag is tenant specific, if you are using accelerator storefront, the value is already included automatically in the ImpEx file in step 4 (we will cover this next).

Please note:

the value only works for accelerator storefront.
for Spartacus, the configuration is a bit different and will be described in a different blog post or a microlearning video later.
for custom storefront, please make sure to read here and here, to configure your storefront to push appropriate objects to the Intelligent Selling Services event layer.

Step 4: Configure SAP Commerce Cloud

Step 4: Configuration SAP Commerce Cloud

Click the “Click here to expand the ImpEx template” to see an automatically generated ImpEx template. We will need to adjust it to contain the specific values of your ISS tenant as well as the SAP Commerce Cloud instance.

Within the ImpEx, the parts that need to be adjusted are usually the macro definitions as shown below:

ImpEx Template to be adjusted

where:

$clientid is the exact client id value in step 2
$clientsecret is the exact client secret value in step 2
$region is the server location code of the ISS tenant, e.g. “stage”, “eu”, etc. If you are not sure which region code you should use, take a look at the part <2> of the url of your ISS tenant:
$lang is the language iso code of the content to be fetched from SAP Commerce Cloud and imported into ISS later, e.g. “en”
$tenant is the ISS tenant id, is also the part <1> of the url of your ISS tenant (e.g. in above image)
$siteis the unique site id when setting up the site in ISS
$profiletagconfigurl is the automatically included value from step 3, please leave it as is.
$basesite is the site id of your storefront, e.g. “electronics”
$currency is the currency acronym, e.g. “USD”
$solrIndexedType is the id of the solr indexed type, e.g. “electronicsProductType” (default in standard electronics accelerator store)
$productCatalog is the id of the product catalog, e.g. “electronicsProductCatalog“
$contentCatalog is the id of the content catalog, e.g. “electronicsContentCatalog”, for relating to the cms components of the storefront.
$imageUrlPrefix is the prefix of the url pointing to images, i.e. the root/homepage url without the encoded attributes (in standard accelerator storefront):

e.g. https://electronics.abc-public.model-t.cc.commerce.ondemand.com/ (of a commerce cloud instance)

$sitePreviewUrl is the root/homepage/url with the encoded attributes (if any), e.g. “$siteBaseUrl/$basesite/en/$currency”

e.g. https://electronics.abc-public.model-t.cc.commerce.ondemand.com/electronics/en (of a commerce cloud instance, please note, here we don’t have currency as an encoded attribute, therefore it’s not needed)

After adjusting the ImpEx, go to your SAP Commerce cloud instance:

import the adjusted ImpEx, e.g. in hac
synchronize your product catalog and content catalog (the ones you specified in your ImpEx script)

Validate the events being collected

to check whether the connection is established, please following the steps below:

open the storefront in your browser, grant the ISS tracking consent:
open the developer tool of your browser (e.g. in Firefox | Tools | Browser Tools | Web developer Tools), switch to Network tab:
perform any action that triggers sending data to ISS, e.g. click on a product to load the product detail page. Look for the POST request with the file name “clickstreamEvents”, and you should see the 201 created response, i.e. the data is successfully sent to ISS tenant.

Last but not least

The blog post introduces how to connect SAP Commerce Cloud to Intelligent Selling Services, so that data can be sent from your SAP Commerce Cloud storefront to your ISS tenant.

Further blog posts will be conducted to describe how to use the collected data and configure the various recommendation possibilities on ISS as well as SAP Commerce Cloud.

If you want to know more?

Please take a look at the portal page of ISS:

https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/INTELLIGENT_SELLING_SERVICES/ 

Also pay attention to the up-coming blog post (e.g to follow me on SAP Community) and planned live session on SAP Learning Hub about ISS.

That’s it and thanks for reading

Returns are given top priority.

The truth is that ecommerce is fast developing, and when we looked into the processes, we realized that returns are becoming a growing problem. There is a kind of bullwhip effect, as the rise is due to an increase in ecommerce and an increase in returns. Our surprise was that certain customers saw their return rate grow from 50% to 60%, which astonished us. Furthermore, we’ve discovered that many retailers optimize only a piece of the process and don’t follow a consistent strategy.

The fact that returned goods commonly end up in landfills is another sign of inefficiency! In order to increase efficiency and build new business models, we have given specific attention to this part of the process. Returns and sustainability go hand-in-hand; we believe there’s a lot of progress to be made.

Empathy for the consumer and the Retailer

Consumers and retailers were surveyed extensively during our research. Over 30 return management professionals were interviewed for this, as well as a sizable number of consumers. This was critical to our comprehension. As a result, we divided the entire process into four sections.

The first area is the start of the returns process, or more specifically, the customer experience. It is critical at this point to provide the customer with options. Simply including the return voucher with the parcel no longer appears to be a viable option. For our retailers, making a dynamic decision based on the cause for the return as well as the customer’s location was critical. Returning to the store, the direct return to the supplier or even a shipment to a specific location are practices that they would like to establish.

Second, the dispositions handling allows to classify returns and make appropriate decisions! This can subsequently result in a product being resold directly, having to be refurbished, having to be repaired, or even being recycled in the most extreme case scenario.

The third area is reporting, which our customers have specifically mentioned to us because they do not currently have this capability. On the one hand, an examination of returns can lead to the improvement of the product description in order to reduce the number of returns, and on the other hand, the detection of a fraud!

The fourth aspect is the new opportunities brought about by the adoption of a mature returns procedure. Repair services, product rentals, and trade-ins are some of the examples highlighted by our interviewees.

Expectations of Consumers

As promptly as feasible, customers should be able to return items. There should be no difficulty locating information on how to return an item, as impulse purchases are more likely when a merchant is more friendly to returns.

 Clarity in strategy and speed in reimbursement are key. The consumer should also be made aware of the environmental impact of his behavior, and how he may lessen his carbon footprint is an important consideration. An item exchange can be sent to a store, or products from multiple orders can be returned together.

Benefits using a SAP’s returns solution

Retailers we’ve spoken with are eager to cut costs first. They are aware that they must be extremely tolerant of the issue, but the problem has grown so large that they wish/need to take action.

We developed the solution in collaboration with five customers from the apparel, luxury, and home improvement markets. We were able to validate our assumptions and developments very rapidly by evaluating the progress every two to four weeks. Of course, this is fantastic for agile development!

We have had important discussions about the possible disposition of items in the warehouse, the store, or at an external partner, as well as the accompanying best next steps to be taken. For example the precise classification and efficient configuration of the possible follow-up processes allow for a positive margin contribution in the case of product resale.

Keeping an eye on the four areas and offering as much technical assistance as possible is what we’ll be doing for this purpose. As a company, you want to make sure that your customers have a nice experience and, of course, that return logistics go smoothly because there is still a lot of space for positive margin contribution. SAP has a lot to offer check out our SAP Intelligent Returns Management and have a look to the end to end demo !

Hi and welcome to my blog illustrating the key highlights for SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2202 in the area of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). In addition to my last blog covering the GRC highlights for SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2111, this time I have great news for International Trade with trade compliance checks for purchase requisitions and updates for Intrastat. In addition, SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance can now be integrated with SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing.

Watch my video to get a quick overview of our SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2202 highlights for Governance, Risk, and Compliance:

This blog covers the following topics:

International Trade Management

Trade Compliance Checks for Purchase Requisitions
Intrastat Changes

SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance

Integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Advanced Financial Closing

International Trade Management

For International Trade Management, for the 2202 release, there are two topics that I would like to touch upon: Trade compliance checks for purchase requisitions and the changes regarding Intrastat.

Trade Compliance Checks for Purchase Requisitions

The first GRC highlight with the 2202 release that I would like to illustrate is from International Trade Management. As you know, we offer tree kinds of checks when it comes to trade compliance: embargo, legal control, and SAP Watch List Screening checks. In addition to the already available integration in the import side, we support trade compliance checks with purchase orders, purchasing contracts, and purchasing scheduling agreements. On the import side, we support e.g. sales orders, sales orders without charge, sales contracts, and sales scheduling agreements. Now with the 2202 release, trade compliance specialists can take advantage of an additional document type to be included in their compliance checks on the import side: purchase requisitions.

Thanks to the embargo check, you can prevent activities with embargoed countries. With the SAP Watch List Screening integration, you can check your purchase requisitions for addresses of business partners who are part of a denied-party list and consequently block the corresponding transactions. In addition, via the legal control checks, you can check controlled goods in your purchase requisitions.

In the ‘Analyze and Resolve Blocked Documents’ app, you can identify blocked purchase requisitions in the system and process them as needed – e.g. by assigning missing licenses or classifications. In the ‘Manage Documents’ app, you can check the embargo, legal control, and sanctioned-party list screening status of the respective trade compliance documents and confirm or release trade compliance blocks.

Video 1: With the 2202 release, trade compliance specialists benefit from trade compliance checks for purchase requisitions.

Please note:
Purchasing requisitions can only be considered by trade compliance checks if a supplier has been entered. Otherwise, the checks cannot be carried out. This can be either the fixed or the desired supplier. In case that both has been entered, the system takes the fixed supplier into account for its trade compliance checks.

More Information

SAP Help Portal: International Trade Compliance

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Intrastat Changes

The second topic from International Trade Management is about Intrastat. As you know, there have been some legal changes in a number of European countries which took effect on January 1, 2022 and have been incorporated in the system.

First of all, there are two additional fields which are required to be sent in Intrastat dispatch declarations: partner VAT registration number and country of origin. This change is relevant for: Austria, Czechia, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
In Austria and the United Kingdom, the new CSV file format (instead of EDIFACT) must now be used for Intrastat declarations.
There are now some default values when it comes to sales to private consumers in Intrastat declarations: Business transaction type, procedure, and movement code. The business transaction type is a default value for all countries while the procedure is only mandatory for France and the Republic of Cyprus and movement code only for the Czech Republic.
The declaration level for simplified Intrastat declarations is now available in Romania. Information providers who don’t need to report the Statistical Value in Intrastat declarations can use this declaration level.

More Information

SAP Help Portal: Intrastat

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SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance

Integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Advanced Financial Closing

The next highlight is from SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance, our access management solution for the intelligent enterprise which integrates with various applications and as a hub solution allows you to manage user access and to ensure access compliance while providing access to users via the Access Request service and the Risk Analysis service.

With the 2202 release, we are proud to announce the integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing. Via fully auditable workflows in the ‘Access Request Service’ of SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance, users in SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing can initiate self-service access requests for user onboarding or for extending already existing assignments.

In SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance, access requests can then be reviewed in order to be approved or rejected as needed. After approval, user access is auto-provisioned to SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing. Using the ‘Access Analysis service’ of SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance, you can analyze user access risks for SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing with real-time visualizations in the Access Analysis Dashboard to make sure that there is not inherent risk when the user is granted the respective access. In addition, you can refine user assignments, and mitigate risks as needed.

Video 2: With the 2202 release, SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance supports integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud for advanced financial closing for automated access management

For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, check out the following links:

GRC Collection Blog (roadmap, quarterly release highlights, microlearnings) here
SAP S/4HANA Cloud release info: http://www.sap.com/s4-cloudrelease
Latest SAP S/4HANA Cloud Release Blogs here and previous release highlights here
Product videos on our SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA YouTube playlist
SAP S/4HANA PSCC Digital Enablement Wheel here
Early Release Webinar Series here
Inside SAP S/4HANA Podcast here
openSAP Microlearnings for SAP S/4HANA for Finance and GRC here
Best practices for SAP S/4HANA Cloud here
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Customer Community for Finance here
Feature Scope Description here
Help Portal Product Page here
Implementation Portal here

Follow us via @SAP and #S4HANA, or myself via LinkedIn or @DeissnerKatrin