Communiqué de presse

With eCommerce sales expected by PROS survey respondents to triple in the next five years, providing a coordinated experience across channels is a top priority for organizations

HOUSTON, le 2 octobre 2018 - PROS^® (NYSE: PRO), a provider of AI-powered solutions that optimize selling in the digital economy, today announced the findings of its global survey into digital buying and selling trends. “The Future is Now: Technologies Shaping Commerce” examines how digitalization is changing the buying experience and sellers’ perceptions of technologies that are enabling it. The global study, conducted by Hanover Research on behalf of PROS, examines the expectations and digital initiatives of more than 700 companies. The respondents work for B2B businesses that sell to buyers across a variety of industries, including discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, wholesale distributors and services.

“The digital economy has created a changing marketplace that’s put more power into buyers’ hands,” said PROS Chief Marketing Officer Celia Fleischaker. “Customers now have greater expectations of their vendors, including transparency and frictionless buying experiences.

“As part of the digital transformation initiatives that 58 percent of responding organizations have already started, eCommerce and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving significant changes in how organizations operate,” Fleischaker noted. “Although the majority see these technologies as advantageous, mastering personalized customer experiences and offering real-time dynamic pricing across channels will be key to unlock their revenue-generating potential.”

Rethinking Technology Initiatives

Businesses are in the process of transforming to meet the requirements of the new digital economy. With 41 percent of responding companies planning future digital transformation projects in addition to the majority of respondents that have projects in progress, transformation will be underway within the next few years for almost all responding businesses – leaving less than one percent of respondents without any planned initiatives.

Participating organizations recognized the importance of digital transformation, as at least seven-in-ten respondents think that each element of digital strategy is either very or extremely important. Two-thirds to three-quarters of these companies believe their organization is above average or excellent in their use of technology. However, the majority of respondents have not yet implemented all of the technologies they feel are necessary, indicating that those organizations may not be as far along in their transformation journey as they believe.

Charting a New Path Forward with eCommerce

eCommerce is an increasingly important channel for businesses, as it serves customer needs by providing a self-service buying experience, while also enabling organizations to more easily scale. According to the study, there is almost universal agreement among participants that eCommerce provides a competitive advantage, as 72 percent of respondents perceive it as advantageous. In fact, 62 percent of responding businesses believe more than half of their sales will come from eCommerce within the next five years, tripling the 20 percent achieved at present by respondents.

Although the opportunities created by eCommerce are significant, responding organizations have concerns that must be addressed as they adjust to the new normal. Maintaining competitive pricing and protecting price attainment are the top two concerns that responding companies expressed, which coincides with the most frequently cited pain points by respondents of maintaining consistent customer experiences and coordinating pricing across channels.

AI Enhancing Connections with Customers

Companies are also considering new digital options, including AI, as evidenced by nearly half – a full 48 percent — of respondents indicating they need to invest more in the technology.

One of the most intriguing use cases for AI lies in marketing and sales, where its value is rapidly accelerating. Respondents consider the ability of AI to predict customer needs as the most important way that it will impact sales, followed by automating orders and optimizing pricing for buying scenarios. As a result of its impact, 73 percent of respondents believe AI will be a high priority for marketing and sales activities within two years, compared to 48 percent of respondents who view it as a high priority today.

The full “The Future is Now: Technologies Shaping Commerce” report is available for download here.

À propos de PROS

PROS Holdings, Inc. (NYSE : PRO) fournit des solutions alimentées par l'IA qui optimisent la vente dans l'économie numérique. Les solutions PROS permettent aux entreprises de fixer les prix, de configurer et de vendre leurs produits et services dans un environnement omnicanal avec rapidité, précision et cohérence. Nos clients, qui sont des leaders sur leurs marchés, bénéficient de décennies d'expertise en science des données infusées dans nos solutions sectorielles.

 Déclarations prospectives

Ce communiqué de presse contient des déclarations prospectives, y compris des déclarations sur les fonctionnalités et les avantages des solutions basées sur l'IA pour les organisations en général, ainsi que sur les fonctionnalités et les avantages des produits logiciels de PROS. Les déclarations prospectives contenues dans ce communiqué de presse sont basées sur l'expérience historique de PROS en matière de solutions basées sur l'IA et sur ses attentes actuelles concernant les avantages des solutions basées sur l'IA pour les organisations qui mettent en œuvre et utilisent ces logiciels. Parmi les facteurs susceptibles d'entraîner une différence matérielle entre les résultats réels et ceux décrits dans le présent document figurent la capacité d'une organisation à répondre à ses besoins en matière de solutions basées sur l'IA, les risques associés au développement et à l'amélioration par PROS de produits dotés des fonctionnalités nécessaires pour obtenir les résultats escomptés, ainsi que les risques associés à la mise en œuvre et à la maintenance complexes de solutions basées sur l'IA, telles que les produits logiciels de PROS. Les documents déposés par PROS auprès de la Securities and Exchange Commission contiennent des informations supplémentaires sur les incertitudes qui pèsent sur les activités de PROS. Ces déclarations prospectives représentent les attentes de PROS à la date du présent communiqué de presse. Des événements ultérieurs peuvent modifier ces attentes, et PROS décline toute obligation de mettre à jour ou de modifier ces déclarations prévisionnelles à l'avenir, que ce soit à la suite de nouvelles informations, d'événements futurs ou autres.