Transforming Product Management Workflows for a Global Medical Device Manufacturer

Turning complex Backoffice routines into a simpler product management experience for global business teams.

Quick Insights

Streamlined product operations

by moving business workflows beyond the limits of standard SAP Commerce Backoffice.

One-click automation

for validation, synchronization, indexing, and notifications across connected workflows.

Lower entry threshold

by reducing the need for deep SAP Commerce expertise in day-to-day operations.

Self-service reporting

through API-enabled access to product change data directly from the interface.

Client

The client is an international leader in medical technology, specializing in the manufacturing of medical devices and healthcare solutions for professionals and organizations worldwide.

Client Need

The client relied on SAP Commerce Backoffice for day-to-day product management, but for business users, this approach had become increasingly inefficient. The interface was too heavy and complex for routine operations: simple product updates required multiple manual steps, took more time than they should, and increased the risk of errors. As more teams used the system, the complexity also made onboarding slower and created friction in everyday work across regions.

The client needed a more accessible way to manage product data without disrupting the existing SAP Commerce core. Just as importantly, the solution had to reduce users’ dependence on deep SAP Commerce expertise, broadening the pool of specialists who could work with the system.

Technical Requirements

While addressing the client’s operational challenges, there were several technical requirements the solution had to meet:

preserve SAP Commerce Cloud as the existing back-end foundation without disrupting core product management processes,
enable product operations beyond the limits of the standard Backoffice through custom logic, APIs, and integrations,
support interaction across multiple enterprise systems involved in product data workflows,
automate key actions such as product updates, validation, synchronization, indexing, and notifications while maintaining data consistency and process control,
remain reliable and scalable for global teams working across multiple regions.

Given these constraints, Expert Soft concluded that customizing the existing SAP Commerce Cloud Backoffice solution alone would not solve the client’s challenges. Instead, we proposed a more comprehensive approach: introducing a separate product management layer that simplified day-to-day operations for business users while keeping SAP Commerce as the core back-end system.

Solution

As a custom ecommerce development company, Expert Soft built a product management layer on top of SAP Commerce that provided business users with a simpler way to work with product data. To achieve this, the user-facing interaction layer was moved into a separate interface, while SAP Commerce remained the core back-end system and source of truth for product data.

The solution architecture included the following components:

SAP Commerce database as the central storage for product data,
Sitecore-based interface as the employee-facing UI designed to simplify everyday product management operations,
API-based communication layer connecting the interface with the back-end and enabling custom workflows and integrations,
Java-based back-end integrated with SAP Commerce to handle business logic, product operations, and interactions with connected systems,
SSO integration to provide secure and convenient access through the client’s existing authentication system.

Features implemented

In addition to supporting core product operations, such as product updates, validation, synchronization, indexing, and notifications, we implemented several features that further expanded the system’s value for business users:

Features

Product deactivation workflows

Product deactivation previously required multiple manual actions in SAP Commerce Backoffice, including changes affecting regional visibility and Solr search indexes. The new workflow reduced this to just a few clicks in the product management layer. Behind the interface, API services update product status, apply global or region-specific deactivation rules, remove products from Solr indexes, and block access even through previously saved direct links.

Attribute copying

Product teams often had to recreate similar attribute sets manually, which slowed down content preparation and increased the risk of inconsistencies. To speed up this process, the system allows users to copy selected attributes between products, including in a specific language context. Since each attribute required its own copying strategy, the API design was built to support future expansion without reworking the feature.

SSO and enterprise integrations

Product-related workflows depended on several connected systems, which made execution more fragmented. The solution was integrated with the client’s enterprise environment, including SSO for secure access through the existing authentication flow. It also supported connected workflows for validation, synchronization, indexing, and notifications, making product operations more consistent across systems.

Promotion-related handling

Business users needed to manage date-based promotions linked to products within the same workflow. Standard SAP Commerce CMS functionality was reviewed, but didn’t fit the internal process and added synchronization complexity. A separate custom promotion model was therefore used, with its own fields, date handling, DTOs, and API-based delivery to the front end.

Favorite products filtering

Many users regularly worked with only a limited subset of products, but the full product list available made navigation slower. To simplify access, the system allowed users to mark products as favorites and filter the list accordingly. The feature reused and adapted the SAP Commerce wishlist model for internal product management needs.

Reporting and сhange tracking

The solution also included a reporting feature that gave business users visibility into product changes based on modification data stored in SAP Commerce. What initially started as a Groovy script running as a cron job was later extended through APIs and connected to the product management layer, allowing users to generate reports directly from the interface by specifying parameters such as region, date, and employee name. This reduced dependence on support teams and made access to change history faster and more convenient.

Solution Expansion

Initially launched for a limited number of regions, the solution quickly demonstrated its value in daily product operations and was later rolled out more broadly across the client’s international teams. Over time, the same workflow was extended to 10+ additional regions.

New region onboarding was handled mainly through configuration rather than major back-end changes, including region-specific catalogs, access rules, synchronization jobs, and localized attributes. This made the solution easier to scale while keeping each market’s localized data isolated.

Results

More Intuitive Product Management

Business users gained a simpler way to handle routine product operations without relying on the heavy SAP Commerce Backoffice.

Faster Onboarding for New Employees

The more accessible interface reduced the learning curve for new employees involved in product management workflows.

Lower Support Costs

Because day-to-day support no longer depended as heavily on deep SAP Commerce expertise, the client gained a more sustainable and cost-efficient support model.

Reduced Operational Risk

Automation of validation, synchronization, indexing, and notifications helped minimize manual errors and improve consistency.

Scalable Regional Growth

The solution supported business growth by making it easier to extend product management workflows to new regions without disrupting the core platform.

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Conclusion

By introducing a dedicated product management layer on top of SAP Commerce, Expert Soft simplified day-to-day product operations without disrupting the client’s existing platform foundation. The solution made product workflows more practical for business users, easier to support, and ready to scale as the client expanded across regions. Rather than replacing SAP Commerce, it made the platform work better for the teams who rely on it every day.