Artdeco: Benefitting From Digital Transformation

Brands like Artdeco, Make-up Factory, Anny, PLCC or Malu Wilz are well known in the cosmetics industry and have made a name for themselves worldwide. Furthermore, the Munich-based firm and its subsidiaries are market leaders in highly specialized cosmetics distribution in Germany. Innovative branding concepts as well as individual sales strategies are key to its success.

The firm operates in 78 countries around the globe. Its numerous products are categorized in different price segments and target groups (e.g. based on age) and are sold through a number of distribution channels (omnichannel). The firm serves specialized stores, studios, drug stores, warehouses, cosmetics and retail stores, duty-free shops as well as its online Artdeco shop and other online stores.

Digital transformation is not just a buzzword for the cosmetics firm – it’s a philosophy. Without digitalization, its various branding concepts and sales strategies worldwide would never have been as comprehensive or as successful.

Artdeco leveraging Business Integration Suite

Seeburger’s Business Integration Suite (BIS) is at the heart of all of the cosmetics firm’s digitalization activities and initiatives.

“Almost all data and communication processes, both internal and external, are handled by integration platform BIS. It takes care of B2B as well as B2C integration, EDI communication, webservices with different systems, seamless information and data integration in SAP ERP systems including integrating PIM, API/EAI and connectors,” explains Gottwald Meister, IT/EDI Manager at Artdeco Cosmetics.

The firm has been consistently building on past successes with Business Integration Suite. For example, Artdeco already switched to EDI for all international orders in 2000 with Seeburger’s support. From then on out, distribution channels with some retail companies and drug stores were digitized and numerous small perfumeries and cosmetics shops were integrated in Artdeco’s business network.

For some time now, Artdeco’s sales and distribution teams have been working with mobile devices including specialized order software to be able to e.g. post orders via SOAP webservices in SAP as iDocs in real time. This has been made possible by using Business Integration Suite as an integration platform.

B2B and B2C integration

Artdeco and Seeburger reached a crucial digitalization milestone roughly six years ago with the launch of its own multilingual online shops for both B2B and B2C transactions. BIS took care of integrating different SAP ERP systems. With this important step, Artdeco was able to expand its market reach (adding 40 countries) as well as deepen its customers’ loyalty.

IT/EDI Manager Meister emphasizes, “Seeburger’s Business Integration Suite acts as Artdeco’s central integration platform for all digital distribution channels – a real omnichannel integration, so to speak.” As an example of this comprehensive integration he cites order processing of B2B and B2C customers through the shop, integrated in SAP through BIS. It includes creating inventory checks as well as taking care of delivery to end and retail customers through BIS’ API/EAI solution component as well as AS2 Connect.

Furthermore, business processes of cosmetics brand Malu Wilz (luxury segment) have been handled internally and completely independently for years – from product data management and distribution to handpicked and authorized cosmetics stores through sales teams to the Malu Wilz B2B online shop and delivery from its own inventory. SAP integration is realized through a beneficial real-time application via XML files as BIS API/EAI solution.

Cost reduction potential

IT/EDI Manager Meister explains, “By leveraging Business Integration Suite, we have uncovered enormous cost reduction potential. Furthermore, we can flexibly and quickly implement new functionalities if need be.”

Consequently, Artdeco not only benefits from digitalized order processing with all important business partners worldwide based on integration platform BIS (which also takes care of SAP integration of customer and order data which leads to advantageous monitoring and tracking of all products and revenue streams), but also from being able to calculate special B2B customer prices including discount calculations based on extracted SAP data.

Furthermore, Artdeco is able to quickly and easily integrate mobile data devices in order processes in e.g. collaborations with business partners for ad-hoc orders. With Business Integration Suite, Artdeco also ensures that through integrating product information management (PIM) systems, products are marketed effectively and profitably in B2B and B2C online shops.

What is more, through digitalization and faster, more efficient processes thanks to the BIS platform, Artdeco has freed up new capacities, which can be used for further optimization of logistics processes and consequently uncover even more cost reduction potential.

In conclusion, everyone benefits from this digital restructuring. Customers benefit from comprehensive product information with easy and cost-efficient order processes; the firm profits from more customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

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