As UK and Ireland user survey suggests awareness of 4-year-old S/4HANA finally on the up
German giant SAP has slurped up «experience management» biz Qualtrics for a cool €8bn cash after reportedly persuading the firm not to IPO.
The acquisition comes as the US-based biz was out on its roadshow with would-be investors ahead of an expected IPO that could have seen it valued at $4.8bn.
The move is part of SAP’s recent push to boost its customer-facing business, having historically been known for its back-office functions.
Speaking at the UK and Ireland SAP User Group conference in Birmingham today, executive board member and global customer operations lead Adaire Fox-Martin said that the buyout was a «step in the reimagination of customer experience».
Qualtrics sells market research and survey software, sucking up what is known as «experience data» on customers, employees, products and services, and brings with it some 9,000 customers.
Fox-Martin said the aim was to «win in the customer experience battlefield» by allowing customers to mix this data with the operational data that is SAP’s bread and butter, slapping the cheesy badge «XO» (experience plus ops, rather than kisses and hugs) on the division that will house their combined efforts.
