The electronic marketplace is growing rapidly. To cater for this, SAP AG, the world's leading inter-enterprise business solutions company, has invested in MarketFirst Software Inc., a top provider of e-marketing solutions for e-business.
US-based MarketFirst provides software that helps companies leverage the Internet to plan, design and execute one-to-one marketing campaigns more effectively, while improving communication with target markets and increasing marketing results.
"The Internet has redefined how people conduct business, communicate with each other, and purchase goods and services. These changes require companies to adopt innovative, Web-centric marketing strategies enabled by sophisticated software solutions," says Simon Carpenter, general manager: New Dimension Applications, SAP Southern Africa.
"Our investment equity in MarketFirst is yet another example of how committed SAP is to bringing the mySAP.com initiative to our customers as rapidly and effectively as possible."
mySAP.com is the unifying environment tying together all SAP products, including R/3, industry solutions, outward-facing offerings, and other key initiatives. mySAP.com also extends beyond the boundaries of SAP products to leverage content, services, and software from other companies.
"In the age of the digital economy the concept of mass customisation is what will set winners apart. The concept involves serving a 'market of one' based on unique criteria rather than a homogenous segment. The MarketFirst product set enables SAP's users to focus on that individual customer, and develop a specific value proposition which can then be fulfilled via tight integration with the back office environment."
"We are delighted that SAP is supporting MarketFirst as we prepare to deliver the next-generation of our eMarketing solution," says Pete Tierney, MarketFirst president and CEO. "The investment from the prestigious SAP Venture Fund is further validation that marketing automation is an essential part of every successful e-business strategy."
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SAP Venture Fund
The purpose of the SAP Venture Fund is to provide funding to companies with promising technologies that are expected to further the state of the art for enterprise computing. The funding is by definition a venture investment and does not represent a commitment of further business development initiatives by SAP.
MarketFirst Software
MarketFirst Software is the first company to deliver a comprehensive, closed-loop, e-marketing solution that is designed to be fully integrated into the enterprise information architecture or delivered as a Web-hosted service.
Marketing departments can now deliver new and unique marketing campaigns that leverage the Internet and deliver measurable value to the enterprise. The platform integrates a marketing knowledge base, process design and execution technology, workgroup collaboration, real-time media management, and robust reporting into one electronic, Web-centric enterprise system.