Sonak Disrupts With Unified Retail Bet
In the age of digital transformation and rapid e-commerce advancements, Southeast Asia’s retail industry is ripe for disruption. With governments in the region pushing for greater digital inclusion and a growing middle class, the stage is set for Southeast Asian businesses to lead the way in unified retail.
Sonak Group, a regional distributor and retailer of sporting goods across Southeast Asia, is partnering with Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, to transform its existing e-commerce platform into a unified retail ecosystem. It is creating a platform where brands and consumers interact through multiple sales channels.
Established in 1966, Sonak is a global trading business in the Philippines and Singapore, supplying sporting goods and equipment from brands like Molten, Mikasa, Asics, and Onitsuka Tiger.
Sonak's goal is to provide customers with a multichannel e-commerce platform where they can interact according to their specific needs and preferences. Using data and analytics, Sonak also aims to empower their store teams with a single source of truth about their customer — allowing them to serve each shopper better.
With Salesforce's MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, an enterprise API and integration platform, Sonak has created a digital infrastructure that brings together customer service management, customer loyalty programs, omnichannel selling and fulfillment capabilities.
The platform also enabled Sonak to expand rapidly into new eCommerce channels, onboard new customers, and achieve customer and brand-level personalization without requiring extensive hours or resources.
“In today’s fast-evolving digital environment, customer demands are constantly changing. Real-time APIs and data connectivity are essential in ensuring we can adapt to these changes and deliver on customer expectations quickly,” said Kabir Buxani, chief technology officer at SONAK Group of Companies.
“MuleSoft enterprise integration solutions have enabled us to implement technologies like an omnichannel eCommerce platform and a multi-brand loyalty program with these objectives in mind,” Buxani explained.
Sonak has engaged with MuleSoft’s Professional Services team since 2019 to revamp their legacy systems into a full-scale digital infrastructure. The company has used the Anypoint Platform and Salesforce Service Cloud to integrate new systems that have improved employee productivity and operational efficiency.
“Digital agility is a critical factor for businesses to navigate economic uncertainties and increasingly complex digital landscapes. With an API-led approach, companies can deliver more agile and resilient business outcomes by creating packaged capabilities in a modern API that can be re-organized rapidly,” said Brian Kealey, vice president and general manager of MuleSoft Asia.
Image credit: iStockphoto/SunnyVMD
