How Does SAP Help the Publication Industry

  • 07 August 2015
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Books, music and other forms of publications are something that most people access in their day-to-day life. Publication industry is growing each day; at the same time it is experiencing dramatic changes. Pages of a hardcover or a paperback novel have given way to digital pages, CD’s and cassettes have been replaced by digital audio & video.

Publication industry is not easy to manage. According to SAP partners in India, there are numerous factors that need to be handled efficiently at different stages. It is not as simple as putting printing machines together and printing out one page after the other or clicking the upload button to publish some content. SAP can assist in speeding up different stages, maintaining accuracy and addresses crucial aspects that may otherwise be overlooked or forgotten when done manually.

Focusing just on digital publications, SAP B1 partners say the industry can benefit in the following ways with an ERP in place:

–          Digital subscriptions and warehousing can be easily integrated. A log of all the subscribers is maintained automatically, and timely emails will be sent to them thus ensuring that customers will never miss out on a subscribed newsletter, audio/video ever again.

–          If a book or a novel is being released, SAP Publication allows publishers to release teasers. They can release a chapter, an excerpt, audio/video bit or even some illustrations before the actual launch, just to give the audience a preview. Since most writers and artists include teasers as a part of their marketing and pre-launch campaign, this would be made simpler through SAP.

–          Digital supply chain is handled efficiently and is kept quite transparent. Any form of digital media, be it newsletters, books, music or video that is distributed online can be tracked accurately from the originator to the final customer. Any error in the supply chain can be traced immediately and can be rectified. Detailed, comprehensible reports of the same can be generated to figure what went wrongso that the same mistakes can be avoided in the future.

–          SAP partners in India say that this software manages contracts and intellectual property/rights with ease. In any publication business, it is extremely important for writers and artists to maintain contracts within the concerned parties so that there are no discrepancies in the publication process. Even the rights and royalties have to be managed with care. The relationship between publishers, content and IP owners, supply chain partners and customers can get quite complex; if not managed properly, it can even lead to legal issues. An ERP can eliminate the complexity of such relationships and ensure a smooth operation overall.

–          It uses metadata of the existing consumers and understands their interests and frequented requests through their searches and subscriptions. This assists publishers in targeted offerings for their customers. In case there is no print inventory or the stock of requested titles has run out, SAP suggests similar titles that the customers can access. With targeted marketing, both the publishers and content providers can benefit greatly since the audience becomes more receptive to new content as well.

SAP B1 partners believe that numerous publication companies can use SAP with extremely positive results. Many businesses apart from music and entertainment, such as education, corporate, trade and niche industries are also using publishing services these days. SAP Publication solution works well for all them and is designed to manage various processes involved in each of them.

The solution is also equipped to handle the ever-changing dynamics of publishing industry. With print and digital world experiencing drastic changes, it is better to be prepared to face those changes in a positive manner rather than sitting clueless and lost in a corner. If you are a publication company, then you know what to do to improve your processes and increase the overall efficiency.

Nidhi Batra

About the author

Nidhi Batra is a marketing and brand communication professional with 10 years of experience working in the dynamic B2B marketing environment. She strategizes, writes, reviews a variety of content for demand generation and sales support activities. Having a Master’s in English from Delhi University, she knows how to navigate her readers on insightful journeys with her SAP published blogs and thought leadership content.