Implementing an ERP system: Steps to a successful go-live in 30 days

Home Page Are you looking to introduce an Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP system for short) to future-proof your e-commerce business? Most companies know from experience that an ERP implementation involves months of work for both management and the project team. After all, they have to set up a complex IT infrastructure. Or is there a quicker way? Spoiler: There is! We’ll reveal which new ERP systems make this possible. In the following sections, you’ll get an overview of the topic and learn, step by step, how to set up your ERP project. With the right approach and the right ERP provider, nothing stands in the way of going live with the system in just one month! Key points at a glance With a cloud-based ERP system, you avoid the hassle of setting up infrastructure, reduce the workload and can often go live within 30 days. The solution also offers further benefits such as flexibility and lower costs. To implement it, you’ll need to put together an interdisciplinary team and involve senior management. Carry out an analysis of the current situation, define your requirements, select a provider and train your staff. When selecting a provider, take particular care to ensure that they fully meet your requirements for an ERP system and provide you with transparent criteria for comparison. Key success factors for an ERP system implementation include, amongst others: effective change management, sufficient project resources (e.g. within the IT department), clean data and the involvement of all stakeholders. Can an ERP system really be implemented in just one month? Yes, the roll-out of an ERP system can indeed go through all phases, from planning to go-live, in just 30 days. This is made possible by digitalisation and the associated new cloud-based ERP solutions. Thanks to cloud migration, there is no need for time-consuming changes or adaptations to the IT infrastructure. Instead, the provider can roll out the system immediately after adapting it to the company’s requirements. However, there are various ERP systems from different providers to choose from, and with most of them, several months elapse between preparation and installation. The reason? These are often on-premises software solutions that require time-consuming adaptation to the company’s existing systems. This significantly delays the implementation process. So, are you looking to implement an ERP system quickly? Then, when selecting a system, pay attention to the deployment model and opt for a cloud ERP rather than an on-premises solution. Incidentally: according to the Digital Office Index 2024, 98 % of companies already rely on ERP solutions. However, it is often worth checking whether it might be time for a new system that better meets your requirements. The costs of implementing a new ERP system are often lower with a cloud ERP solution than with an on-premises solution. It also adapts better to a company’s growth. Companies should consider all these aspects when planning the project and making their selection. How do you go about implementing an ERP system? To ensure the project’s success, you should put together a project team. You must also assess the current state of your business processes, define functional requirements and secure support for the ERP roll-out. Take a look at the flowchart below, which illustrates the various phases of the project. Step 1: Who is driving the ERP project forward? In addition to management, a team comprising various employees from across the organisation is crucial to the project’s success. You should also involve a project manager and several key users in all aspects of the project. As a study has shown, even the best 30-day plan can fail without clear lines of responsibility. The authors Leyh & Faruga (2024) investigated „Critical success factors as the basis for successful ERP projects“. To this end, they scrutinised 65 specialist articles and identified 33 success factors. Their study revealed that team composition ranked ninth, accounting for 40 %. Consequently, the following roles and their responsibilities are a crucial part of planning and preparation: Management: Management secures the budget to cover costs. It also makes strategic decisions and removes obstacles or challenges that could limit the team’s productivity. This ensures the project remains business-critical and that approvals are granted swiftly, so that nothing stands in the way of the ERP system’s roll-out. Full-time project manager: This member of staff ensures that the project stays on track during the ERP implementation. They plan tasks, facilitate daily stand-ups and keep an eye on processes, costs, risks and all other aspects of the project. It is also important to identify risks and errors that could jeopardise the project’s success. Core team of key users: Secure the support of staff from different departments. After all, the implementation of an ERP system affects logistics, accounts and customer service in equal measure. This ensures that the requirements of different stakeholders are incorporated into the project plan, guaranteeing that the ERP system truly provides all the necessary functions. Step 2: How do you assess the current situation within the company? Before you decide on modules, licences or functions for the ERP system, you should first determine where your e-commerce operations really stand today. This analysis of the current situation forms the foundation for every subsequent project step. Ask yourself the following questions, amongst others: What software and systems are currently in use within the company? What interfaces exist? Where do data inconsistencies, duplicate records and other errors occur? What data do the various departments work with? How do you protect the data and ensure its quality? What end-to-end processes do orders and purchase orders go through? Which key performance indicators look good within the company, and which do you need to improve? These questions will help you find the best solution for the project during the next phases of planning and ERP implementation. Step 3: What requirements does your company have for the ERP solution? This point is particularly important. After all, how well you assess all aspects, processes and requirements determines how quickly the ERP implementation progresses. The Trovarit AG study „ERP in Practice“ from 2024/2025 confirms this. In practice, this leads to numerous system customisations in 20 % of cases. This is an issue that can often be avoided through careful planning prior to the ERP roll-out. Companies should therefore not underestimate the role of requirements specifications in ensuring smooth ERP implementations. These documents summarise, in a solution-neutral manner, everything your future ERP system is expected to deliver and why – in other words, they originate from your company. In them, you describe business objectives, target processes, ‘must-have’, ‘should-have’ and ‘could-have’ functions, as well as all relevant interfaces

Automating orders in e-commerce

Home / Automating Orders in E-commerce Monday morning, 8 am – and a pile of unprocessed orders from the weekend is already waiting. What initially took just a few clicks quickly becomes a real challenge as the business grows. Welcome to the day-to-day reality of a growing e-commerce business. Every order goes through numerous stages: order entry, stock availability, credit checks, payment processing. And with every step, the risk of errors increases. A tick in the wrong box, an overlooked address or an incorrectly recorded payment method is enough to upset a customer – even before the parcel has even been dispatched. As volumes rise, these challenges intensify. That initial „we’ll sort it out“ spirit stops working at the very latest when 50 orders a day suddenly turn into 500. Without scalable processes, the Christmas rush or the next sales peak will quickly become a bottleneck. Growth turns into overload. The solution? Automation. Not as some cold, tech-driven fad, but as a genuine breath of fresh air: for your team, for your processes – and for your customers„ satisfaction. In this article, we’ll show you how to automate your e-commerce order processes and why it pays off faster than you might think. Key points at a glance: Less chaos, more clarity: Automated order processes reduce manual intervention to a minimum Fewer errors, fewer returns: Savings of up to 30–40 % thanks to lower error and return rates Faster dispatch: Process times drop from hours to minutes – boosting customer satisfaction Scalability without extra costs: You won’t need extra staff, even during peak periods Seamless processes with ERP: Integrated systems such as collana diva now link sales, warehousing, accounts and dispatch Future-proof with AI: Artificial intelligence recognises patterns, learns as it goes – and automatically optimises over time ROI analysis: Why automating orders makes good business sense. “Time is money” – this principle takes on a new meaning in the dynamic world of e-commerce. Whilst competitors are still entering order data manually, an automated system has long since completed the entire ordering process: from data entry through to confirmation, payment and dispatch authorisation. The time saved is significant: for your business, your team and your customers. However, order automation is not a sure-fire success. It first requires investment in software (ERP systems), interfaces and change management. The key question is: is it worth it, and how quickly will the investment pay for itself? Costs versus benefits: what matters. The costs include: licence and set-up costs for the ERP system; costs for interface integration (e.g. with marketplaces or shop systems); Training for staff and admin teams Time spent analysing existing business processes. On the other hand, there is considerable potential for savings – both in terms of quantity and quality. Three reasons why automation pays off. 1. Reduction in manual errors & returns Automation significantly reduces sources of error in the ordering process. Incorrectly entered addresses, duplicate invoices or forgotten items are a thing of the past. Successful projects report up to 40 % fewer returns thanks to improved accuracy in order entry and management. 2. Faster dispatch, higher customer satisfaction Through automated tasks such as credit checks, payment confirmation or pick-pack-dispatch, processing times are reduced to just a few minutes. This means more orders are processed per day – and significantly more efficiently. The result: Shorter waiting times for customers, better reviews, higher conversion rates. 3. Scalability without the need for additional staff With the right solution, even large volumes of order requests can be handled – without having to increase staff numbers proportionally. Growing businesses in particular benefit from systems that scale with volume whilst keeping processes stable. Conclusion: Automation pays off – for everyone involved. Whether in procurement, the warehouse, dispatch or the finance teams – by automating your order processing, you not only take the pressure off your team but also improve the efficiency of your entire business processes. Intelligently automating ordering processes – what options are available? If you want to automate your ordering processes, you need more than just a few workflows – you need a system that intelligently links all processes together. It is only through the combination of real-time data, dynamic rules and cross-channel interface logic that an automated order process is created which is efficient, reliable and scalable. Below, we outline the key building blocks for successful automation in e-commerce and how businesses can use them to significantly boost their efficiency. Omnichannel order processing: A comprehensive view of all sales channels. Today, e-commerce takes place across many channels simultaneously – from your own online shop to marketplaces and brick-and-mortar POS. A good system consolidates all order requirements into a central workflow: Centralised data capture: All orders – whether from Shopify, Amazon, your own shop or the POS – are automatically routed to the ERP system Real-time synchronisation: Stock levels are continuously reconciled to prevent double sales and stock discrepancies Channel-specific workflows: Dispatch and invoicing processes can be individually automated depending on the platform Cross-channel functionalities: Automatically support hybrid models such as click & collect or in-store collection. This means you always have a clear overview of all orders. Without Excel chaos or manual imports. Intelligent validation routines: Real-time quality assurance. After being entered, all orders automatically undergo a series of checks. This ensures accuracy and saves a huge amount of time: Address validation: Automatic comparison with reference databases Credit check: Real-time risk assessment – controllable via a set of rules Stock check: Comparison with real-time data from the warehouse Plausibility check: Early detection of suspicious patterns (e.g. in cases of suspected fraud) Once manual, now automated: These checks are an integral part of a modern ERP system such as collana diva now – and are completed in seconds rather than minutes. Rule-based order management: Automation that thinks for itself Not every order is the same. That is why flexible control is needed: Prioritisation by customer status, payment method or delivery time Exceptions such as queries or special cases are automatically flagged for review Workflows adapt according to content and channel – without any manual intervention AI-supported rules learn and continuously improve processes This results in intelligent task management that adapts to your reality. Payment integration: Seamless payment processing Payment is more than just the final step in the ordering process – it is crucial for efficiency, liquidity and customer satisfaction: Multi-payment management: Manage all payment methods on a single platform – e.g. via collana pay Automated dunning: Incoming payments, chargebacks, escalation levels Process-dependent workflows: e.g. dispatch only after receipt of payment for prepayment Link to accounts: Data transfer via an interface to your financial system – e.g. DATEV A good ERP system combines ordering, payment and invoicing in a seamless process. Intelligent stock management: the basis for reliable delivery commitments. Without up-to-date stock levels, there can be no reliable order processing. These points are essential: Real-time stock management: Centralised

Effective demand forecasting: an explanation of the methods and their application.

Home / Effective demand forecasting: methods and their application explained. Any company that manufactures goods and requires materials to produce its end products must address the issue of demand volumes. What are the respective material requirements, and what demand for products, spare parts and saleable semi-finished goods can you expect in the future? Accuracy is essential here to ensure that production does not come to a standstill. The solution lies in demand forecasting, for which various mathematical and statistical methods are also used. Which types of demand are necessary and appropriate, what methods of demand forecasting are available, and how can you apply them in practice? We provide key definitions and clarify these questions in our article. The most important points at a glance: By carrying out demand forecasting, you ensure that you always order the correct quantity of parts and materials. This helps you avoid both shortages and surpluses. You can distinguish between different types of demand. These include primary, secondary, tertiary, gross and net demand. Various approaches are available for demand planning. Among the most important are programme-based and consumption-based demand planning. With an ERP system such as collana diva now, you can optimise demand planning and materials management. What is demand planning? By definition, demand planning is a business management process that companies carry out to determine their requirements. In materials management, demand planning is one of the most important methods, as it ensures the company’s supply of materials and identifies future material requirements. By definition, demand planning is also known as demand quantity planning, material requirements planning and procurement planning. Why is demand planning so important for companies? Because it helps to optimise costs and storage space. In materials procurement, accuracy is essential to avoid both overstocking and stockouts. This applies equally to goods, spare parts, saleable semi-finished products or assemblies, and production materials. In other words: demand forecasting forms the basis for all procurement strategies. It is not only procurement that benefits from this analysis, but also production. What raw materials, semi-finished products, assemblies and individual parts do you need to complete orders or keep production running? Here’s an example: a company manufactures wooden garden benches. It makes a significant difference whether the requirement is for 2 tonnes of wood, 12,000 screws and 30 litres of oil, or whether you only need 1 tonne of wood and 4,000 screws. An order for 4 tonnes of timber and 16,000 screws would, in fact, be an over-order, which incurs storage costs and ties up capital. An order that is too small, on the other hand, causes supply bottlenecks. Demand determination: Classification according to the following types of demand Before we look at the methods for determining demand, it is first necessary to classify demand according to the following types: Primary demand: Primary demand refers to end products and services that you sell directly to customers. These include, for example, finished cars, pyjamas, spare parts or wooden benches. Secondary requirements: This category covers all raw materials and components required for the manufacture of primary requirements or to fulfil firm customer orders. For example, car tyres or windscreens for cars, buttons for pyjamas, and wooden slats for the wooden bench. Tertiary requirements: Although these materials do not go directly into the end product or the primary requirements, you do need them to produce the product. These include operating and auxiliary materials (e.g. lubricants for machinery). This distinction between primary, secondary and tertiary requirements is based on the materials you need at each stage of production. In addition, you can distinguish between two further types of requirements: Gross requirements: This figure is obtained by adding together the secondary and tertiary requirements. This therefore represents the total requirements needed to manufacture the product. Net requirements: This, on the other hand, refers to material that you still need to procure through purchasing or production. The figure is calculated by subtracting the available stock from the gross requirements. Available stock = Stock + Reserved material + Open purchase orders and production orders – Safety stock Net requirements = Gross requirements – available stock Overview: Methods of requirements calculation There are various procedures used amongst the methods of requirements calculation. In addition to estimates, you can, for example, obtain some values directly from ERP software. Various mathematical and statistical methods are also used. The following methods are available for demand planning: 1. Programme-based demand planning (deterministic method) This method is based on current production plans and bills of materials. Primary requirements are determined by existing orders and plans. With the help of these, you can then plan secondary and tertiary requirements, calculate the necessary auxiliary materials and resources, and determine the gross and net requirements. 2. Consumption-based demand planning (stochastic demand planning) In the consumption-based (stochastic) method, future demand is determined by analogy with past consumption levels. An example? For July and August, the method calculates a quantity based on previous consumption and possible forecasts. Mathematical statistical methods (stochastics) are applied, which allow you to optimise the results. These are particularly useful when sales volumes fluctuate. The key factor is the demand pattern, which may be constant, trend-based, seasonal, sporadic or highly volatile. 3. Rule-based demand forecasting Put simply, rule-based demand forecasting involves an ‘if-then’ scenario. If a specific scenario occurs, a particular material requirement arises. For example, if a customer orders a car with special specifications, this results in a requirement for specific parts and accessories (e.g. leather in an unusual colour, on-board computer, etc.). 4. Subjective estimation (heuristic demand forecasting) If only limited historical data is available, you can estimate the expected demand. The estimate should then be based on experience and a certain level of expertise. However, this method is not recommended if another method is better suited to demand forecasting. Advantages and disadvantages of demand forecasting methods Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which you should weigh up. We have therefore compiled an overview of the key arguments below. Method Advantages Disadvantages Programme-oriented demand planning Lower stock levels, as production is based on customer orders Lower availability, as production only begins once an order is received High accuracy of demand planning based on bills of materials Increased lead times due to procurement lead times Consumption-based demand planning High delivery readiness and short lead times, as products are already in stock Higher stock utilisation, as production is for the market Low effort as calculations are based on historical values Inaccurate stock levels due to historical data Rule-based demand planning High cost-efficiency due to standardised processes Low flexibility, as seasonal changes or market fluctuations are not taken into account Good predictability due to fixed parameters Low adaptability Subjective estimation Low effort,

Online shops vs. high-street retail: What young e-commerce brands need to know

Home E-commerce is booming, and turnover figures are breaking new records virtually every year. Does this mean that online retail is triumphing over high-street retail, and that local shops are no longer an option for growth? Contrary to what many people think, the battle is far from over. In this article, we’ll explain the advantages of each sales channel and whether online retailers should be considering opening a physical shop. We’ll take a look at potential synergies and provide you with some practical tips to take away! At a glance: The most important points in brief Online retail is growing and achieving higher sales growth than brick-and-mortar retail. Nevertheless, at around 16 %, it accounts for only a small share of the total retail market. The biggest advantages of online retail for customers lie in convenience, the ability to compare products and prices, flexibility and choice. Online retailers gain a better understanding of purchasing behaviour, can grow more easily and have lower costs. The main advantages of high-street retail for customers lie in the shopping experience, personal advice, the availability of staff to speak to, and immediate product availability. Retailers can build stronger customer loyalty, create jobs and benefit from walk-in customers. A multi-channel sales approach harnesses the strengths of both sales models and opens up new opportunities such as improved service, click-and-collect, showrooms and stock availability checks. Brick-and-mortar retail does not make sense for every e-commerce business. It also depends on the type of goods, the financial resources available and the location. It is also usually associated with higher costs. By carrying out a location analysis, implementing process management via an ERP system and adopting a multi-channel strategy, businesses can lay solid foundations for growth. Are online shops replacing high-street retail? The statistics show that e-commerce is booming and experiencing incredible growth. A look at the figures reveals just how well business is actually going. Whilst online sales stood at around 42 billion euros in 2015, by 2024 they had already risen to over 80 billion euros. Let us now compare the trend in turnover growth for online and high-street retail from 2019 to 2022. According to the Federal Statistical Office, high-street retailers are performing significantly worse in this respect. Whilst e-commerce has achieved growth of 31.2 %, brick-and-mortar retail has seen growth of just 3 %. Does this trend prove that growth opportunities lie solely on the internet? To ensure we do not lose sight of reality, another statistical figure is crucial. If we consider the retail sector as a whole, online retail accounts for only 16 % of it. Depending on the statistics and survey, some institutes even arrive at lower figures such as 13.2 %. This means that local high-street shops are still the main drivers of turnover. Even though the global and German markets expect even stronger growth in online retail in the future. Online shopping has its advantages, but so does a physical presence. Young retailers in particular, whose businesses are still in the growth phase, are often faced with a strategic question: Should the focus be on expanding online retail – or is it also worth having a physical shop? Both models offer advantages – for you as a business and for your customers. The strengths of one channel are often the weaknesses of the other. That is why we have clearly set out the key benefits of both sales channels side by side below: Advantages of online retail Advantages of high-street retail Convenience: Customers can shop at any time and from anywhere – without having to search for a parking space or queue. Delivery is made straight to their doorstep. Personal advice: Many customers value having a knowledgeable member of staff on hand to answer questions, offer recommendations and demonstrate products in person. Price and product comparison: Users can compare products and prices directly within the shop – or get a quick overview of the market. Well-structured product pages with images and descriptions help customers make purchasing decisions. Shopping experience: Shopping becomes an event – browsing with friends, touching products, trying them out and comparing them directly. This sensory experience is hardly possible online. Open round the clock: An online shop has no opening hours. Your customers can shop whenever suits them best – even at night or at the weekend. Trust & loyalty: Personal contact fosters a sense of closeness and trust, and strengthens customer relationships in the long term. Customer data & insights: Through customer profiles and analytics, you get to know your target audience better. This data helps you to develop your product range and marketing strategy in a targeted manner. Immediate availability: Anyone who needs a product straight away can take it with them straight away – with no delivery time. Wide product selection: Whilst space is limited in-store, online you can theoretically offer an unlimited number of items. The only factors that come into play are your stock and delivery conditions. On-site staff: Whether it’s exchanges, returns or enquiries – in brick-and-mortar retail, help is available immediately, without the need for emails or helplines. Lower fixed costs: Without the rent or staff costs associated with a physical shop, your cost structure remains leaner. Local jobs: By running a physical shop, you create additional jobs and strengthen the regional economy. Customer reviews: Reviews allow buyers to get an idea of what others think about the products. You, on the other hand, can use them to improve your products and services. Walk-in customers: Unlike an online shop, which customers have to actively seek out, a high-street shop also attracts spontaneous visitors – thereby generating additional turnover. Scalability: Your shop is easier to expand than a high-street shop – allowing you to tap into new products, target markets or channels with greater flexibility. Good to know: So-called ‘advice theft’ is often cited as a disadvantage of high-street retail. This refers to customers seeking advice in-store but then buying the same items more cheaply online. Whilst this behaviour does occur, it only happens in around 10 % of cases. Interestingly, this effect is now also evident in e-commerce: around a third of customers first browse the online shop but then complete their purchase in a physical shop. Does it make sense to have a physical shop as a complement to online retail? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you, as an online retailer, should open a physical shop as well – as the decision depends heavily on your products, your target audience and your growth strategy. One thing is clear: an additional sales channel