SAP has joined the Retail Innovation Tech Aliance (RITA)

SAP has become a technology partner of the Retail Innovation Tech Aliance (RITA), which includes the largest companies in Russia: X5 Group, M.VideoEldorado Group, Hoff and Beeline. The main goal of the initiative is to help Russian companies find and implement the best innovative solutions from all over the world.

During the cooperation, the partners are going to hold special pitch sessions where SAP will present to RITA startups from SAP® Store - the online marketplace for SAP and its trusted partners solutions. With the companies that have passed the selection, RITA participants will be implementing pilot projects with the possibility of further productive operation of the systems. All of the startups presented in SAP® Store are working IT projects that have proven their effectiveness. For example, a retail data collection solution, a designer for launching interactive AR campaigns, a price tag management system, an AI image recognition platform, etc.

SAP also will provide support to startups with which RITA works directly. These companies will have access to SAP industrial platforms and services for further scaling, as well as the opportunity to get into SAP® Store and enter the international market. In addition, the cooperation involves coaching and mentoring sessions, at which SAP experts will tell how startups can enter global markets.

"The world is changing, large corporations are becoming more dynamic and flexible, cooperating with small startups and implementing their initiatives into their business processes. Last year showed that it is very important to be open, cooperate and look for the best innovations together. In the modern world, all interesting solutions are at the interface of different industries, companies and their interests. And we hope that our technological cooperation with SAP will soon bear fruit and will allow alliance companies to expand their digital portfolio with innovative scenarios for working in all key areas," said Ivan Melnik, Director of Innovation at X5 Group.

"SAP, in addition to promoting its own solutions, is systematically engaged in the development of the digital ecosystem at the global level. We are a «magnet» for the best startups at different stages of their development. SAP regularly reviews and selects projects that expand and complement our IT products. And the important thing is that this allows us to form a comprehensive offer for our customers that covers all their needs," commented Dmitry Krasyukov, Chief Digital Officer at SAP CIS.

"The expansion of the alliance and the involvement of IT industry leaders in scouting will allow us to analyze the international technology market even more deeply. Solutions that have been selected in SAP® Store from all over the world have a high level of maturity and good potential. M.VideoEldorado has been cooperating with SAP for many years, often implementing unique products, for example, a solution for managing a warehouse yard, as well as solutions for the operational closure of accounting periods and labeling of products. Together we adapt them to the tasks of our business and thereby expand the expertise of colleagues in the retail industry. As part of the partnership, SAP and RITA held a pitch day, where 15 companies from the USA, Germany, Canada, France and Russia presented their projects. Some of the solutions were selected by the members of the alliance for further study," said Feodor Saveliev,Head of Strategy, Digital Transformation Office at M.VideoEldorado.

"SAP is an important player in the field of software solutions for business, and startups are very interested in its ecosystem. For us, this is a classic example of a win-win strategy, when every participant benefits from partnership, especially since we see that SAP supports startups without strict binding to its own solutions. It gives additional opportunities for companies that are at an early stage of cooperation with SAP products," commented Konstantin Peshekhonov, CIO at Hoff Russia.

"The partnership with SAP will allow Beeline to find solutions for the formation of an innovative product portfolio for our current and future customers, to focus on startups with ready-made working solutions that have proven their effectiveness. In turn, the startup from SAP® Store benefits from the partnership with Beeline in the form of additional business scaling due to our sales tools, promotion, infrastructure, expertise and customer knowledge," said Nikolay Evchenko, Innovation Director at Beeline Russia.