German enterprise software solution provider SAP has confirmed its latest acquisition. This deal will put SAP in the select list of enterprises offering cloud-based paid media solutions.
Marketing attribution ecosystem is shrinking in population as big tech innovators and solution providers continue to acquire smaller independent firms. The latest attribution solution provider to be acquired is Abakus.
SAP will take Abakus under its Hybris umbrella in Q1 of 2017. According to SAP Hybris, its latest acquisition will help marketers get close to customers through end-to-end marketing attribution. It will allow the marketers to attribute content consumed across various devices and channels in a single unified window.
Abakus offers unique, web-based UI insights on media purchases and optimizations, assisting CMOs and CFOs to attribute customer interactions across all devices and assess the incremental value of marketing on business results.
In addition to automated content planning and management, personalization and optimization, bringing Abakus in Hybris’ fold will boost sales revenue based on advanced analytics attribution model.
Abakus’ attribution model is unique by virtue of it utilizing Game Theory to forecast conditions that influence media buying and optimization along customer journey. It attributes upper as well as lower sales funnel activities using ‘Split-funnel’ attribution. Marketers gain clearer picture on what drives customers towards their brands based on split-funnel attribution analytics.
SAP may be a new entrant in paid media channel. However, things have changed rapidly for the enterprise software provider since it revealed SAP Exchange Media (XM). Owing to Abaklus’ strong footing in ad tech, SAP intends to synergize XM and Hybris Marketing Cloud with its latest inclusion.
Abakus founder, Alex Saldanha revealed how two companies are committed to provide customer-centric marketing analytics using a real-time software. Convergence of SAP Hybris, XM and Abakus is definitely on cards.
Ad tech is seen as a major ROI churner for marketing cloud companies that largely restricted their focus on 1:1 martech channels like email automation. Ground-breaking events like Oracle buying Blue Kai and Datalogix in 2014 and Adobe acquiring TubeMogul have expanded the scope of B2B martech solution. In June 2016, Salesforce extended its CRM platform into digital commerce by signing a definitive agreement with Demandware.
With Abakus now part of SAP Hybris, customers can claim to benefit from their enhanced ability to do high-volume audience segmentation in real time. Currently, Abakus will be offered as a stand-alone product in SAP Hybris package. SAP Hybris-Abakus is expected to churn valuable ideas for marketers on how optimal mix of marketing channels and messages can drive sales effectively.