Search Has Fragmented. Here's How to Stay Visible.

 

Last week I ran a workshop at Meet Magento Florida. The room was supposed to hold 50 people. They kept bringing in more chairs. By the time we started, people were standing along the back wall.

The topic was AI-ready visibility for e-commerce stores.

Your customers are not searching the way they used to.

Ten years ago, twenty years ago, SEO meant one thing: rank on Google. That was the game. If you showed up on page one, you won.

That game is over.

Today, your customers are searching on Google, yes. But also ChatGPT. Perplexity. TikTok. Instagram. YouTube. Reddit. Each platform has its own algorithm, its own content format, its own rules for what gets surfaced.

40% of Gen Z uses TikTok and Instagram as their primary search engine. Not Google. They are searching "best running shoes" on TikTok and watching videos instead of reading blog posts.

This is not a trend. This is the new reality.

The problem for e-commerce brands

Most stores are still optimizing for one channel. They have an SEO person doing keyword research for Google. Maybe some social posts. But no strategy for showing up where customers are looking.

The result: you are invisible on the platforms where your customers spend their time.

What works now

After running workshops on this topic, here is what I keep coming back to:

1. Understand the old model first.

Google still matters. Traditional SEO is not dead. The fundamentals (quality content, fast load times, mobile-friendly design, proper meta tags) still drive organic traffic. Most stores I work with still get 40-60% of their traffic from Google.

But Google is no longer the only game. Ten years ago, you could build an entire business on SEO alone. Today, that same strategy leaves you invisible to half your potential customers.

You need to master the old model before you can expand beyond it. If your site is slow, your pages are thin, and your product descriptions are copied from the manufacturer, fix that first.

2. Accept that discovery is fragmented.

Your customers are searching on Google, yes. But also ChatGPT, Perplexity, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit. Each platform has its own algorithm, its own content format, its own rules for what gets surfaced.

This is not going to consolidate. It is going to fragment further. New platforms will emerge. AI assistants will get more sophisticated. The stores that win will be the ones that show up everywhere their customers are looking.

The practical implication: you cannot create content for one platform and expect it to work everywhere. You need a strategy for each channel, which leads to point six.

3. Treat social media as a search engine.

40% of Gen Z uses TikTok and Instagram as their primary search engine. They are not Googling "best running shoes." They are typing it into TikTok and watching videos.

That means rethinking how you create content. Text-based blog posts do not show up on TikTok. You need video. You need short-form content. You need to understand how each platform's algorithm decides what to surface.

If you sell to anyone under 35, social search is not optional. It is primary.

4. Build for technical discovery.

Before you worry about content, make sure your technical foundation is solid. Site speed matters. Structured data matters. Mobile experience matters. Crawlability matters.

AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity pull information from sources they can parse. If your site is slow, cluttered with JavaScript, or missing structured data, you will not get cited. Run your homepage through PageSpeed Insights. If your mobile score is below 50, fix that before you invest more in content.

The technical stuff is not glamorous, but it determines whether anyone can find your content in the first place.

5. Make your pages answer-ready.

AI assistants pull answers from content that directly answers questions. If your product page says "premium quality materials" instead of answering "what is this made of," you will not get cited.

Structure your PDPs, FAQs, and blog posts so the first sentence answers the question. Then expand with details. This is the opposite of how most people write, where they build up to the answer. Put the answer first.

Include E-E-A-T signals throughout: experience (first-hand knowledge), expertise (credentials), authoritativeness (citations and links), trustworthiness (transparent about who you are). Google cares about this. AI assistants care about this even more because they are trying to figure out who to trust.

6. Create a content flywheel.

Here is where the fragmentation problem gets solved. One piece of content becomes many.

Write a blog post. Pull three key points for a LinkedIn post. Turn the hook into a TikTok script. Use the data for a Twitter thread. Send the summary in your newsletter. Each platform gets content in its native format, but you only had to think through the topic once.

This is not about being lazy. It is about being efficient. Your customers are everywhere. Your content needs to travel to reach them.

7. Follow a 30-day gameplan.

All of this can feel overwhelming. Where do you start?

Pick four pillar topics for your business. These are the core themes that matter to your customers. For a running shoe store, it might be: training plans, injury prevention, gear reviews, race preparation.

Write one blog post per week, rotating through your four pillars. Repurpose each post into social content using the flywheel from point six. Do this every week without fail.

The compounding effect kicks in around month six. You will have 24 posts. Your domain authority will start climbing. Your social following will grow. The flywheel starts spinning on its own.

Most people quit at month three. The ones who make it to month six see results. Consistency beats volume every time.

The 30-day version

I put together a 30-day gameplan that breaks this down into weekly actions. It starts around page 38 of the deck from our AI-Ready workshop at Meet Magento Florida.

If you want the full deck (46 pages covering search fragmentation, technical foundations, content flywheels, and the gameplan), you can download it here:

https://www.contentcucumber.com/ai-ready-plan/

No pitch, just the resource.

ERP And SAP

 

SAP, an acronym for Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing), is a multinational software corporation headquartered in Walldorf, Germany. SAP is widely known for its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and solutions.

History and Founders:

SAP was founded in 1972 by five former IBM employees: Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Claus Wellenreuther, Klaus Tschira, and Hans-Werner Hector. They initially aimed to develop standard software for real-time data processing, focusing on business applications. The company's first product, called SAP R/1 (Real-Time Data Processing System), was released in 1973 and ran on IBM mainframes.

Over the years, SAP experienced significant growth and introduced new versions of its software, such as SAP R/2 and SAP R/3. The introduction of SAP R/3 in 1992 marked a turning point for the company, as it transitioned from a mainframe-based system to a client-server architecture, making it more flexible and adaptable.

What does SAP do?

SAP is primarily known for its ERP software, which integrates various business processes and functions into a single system, providing organizations with a comprehensive view of their operations. ERP systems help streamline and optimize business activities, including finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain management, customer relationship management, and more.

SAP's ERP software enables companies to manage their operations efficiently, improve decision-making, and enhance collaboration across departments. It provides a centralized platform where organizations can store and analyze their data, automate processes, and gain actionable insights.

ERP and SAP Modules: Within SAP's ERP software, different modules are designed to address specific functional areas of an organization. These modules can be implemented individually or integrated together based on the specific needs of a company. Some of the commonly known SAP modules include:

1. Financial Accounting (FI): Manages financial transactions, general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, asset accounting, and financial reporting.
2. Controlling (CO): Provides tools for cost accounting, budgeting, profitability analysis, and internal reporting.
3. Sales and Distribution (SD): Handles sales processes, order management, pricing, shipping, and billing.
4. Materials Management (MM): Deals with procurement, inventory management, goods receipt, and material valuation.
5. Production Planning (PP): Controls manufacturing processes, including capacity planning, bill of materials, work orders, and shop floor control.
6. Human Capital Management (HCM): Manages employee data, payroll, time management, recruitment, training, and organizational management.
7. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Supports customer-centric processes, including sales, marketing, service, and customer analytics.
8. Supply Chain Management (SCM): Optimizes supply chain operations, including demand planning, logistics, warehouse management, and supplier collaboration.

These are just a few examples of SAP modules, and the company offers many more to cater to various industry-specific requirements.

SAP's continuous innovation and expansion into cloud-based solutions have further diversified its product portfolio, offering solutions for analytics, business intelligence, mobility, database management, and more. Today, SAP is one of the world's largest software companies, serving customers across industries and empowering organizations to thrive in the digital age.

I hope this post finds you all in good health and high spirits. Today, I am excited to announce the creation of the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group, a platform aimed at fostering collaboration, networking, and knowledge sharing within the SAP community.

As the creator of this group, I firmly believe in the power of collective intelligence and the immense value it can bring to individuals and organizations alike. In today's fast-paced world, staying up-to-date with the latest trends, industry insights, and best practices is essential for professionals working with SAP technologies. This group aims to bridge the gap between industry experts, consultants, developers, and enthusiasts, enabling them to connect, learn, and grow together.

So, what makes the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group unique? Let's explore some key features and benefits:

1. Open to All SAP Professionals: Whether you are an experienced SAP consultant, a skilled developer, a product manager, a business analyst, or an aspiring professional seeking insights into the world of SAP, this group welcomes you. By bringing together a diverse range of individuals, we create a vibrant community that thrives on shared expertise.
2. Knowledge Sharing and Problem Solving: One of the primary objectives of this group is to provide a platform for knowledge sharing. Members can discuss SAP-related topics, seek advice, and share their own experiences. From troubleshooting technical issues to brainstorming innovative solutions, our collective wisdom will help drive success in SAP projects.
3. Networking Opportunities: Networking plays a crucial role in professional growth. By joining the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group, you gain access to a vast network of like-minded individuals, potential mentors, and industry leaders. Expand your professional connections, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities.
4. Stay Updated with Industry Trends: The SAP ecosystem is constantly evolving, and staying on top of the latest trends is vital. Group members will benefit from curated updates on SAP news, product releases, upcoming events, and relevant insights. Engage in meaningful discussions around these topics and discover how they impact your work.
5. Exclusive Learning Resources: Learning never stops, and this group aims to foster continuous professional development. Discover and share valuable learning resources such as blogs, articles, tutorials, webinars, and online courses related to SAP technologies. Together, we can enhance our skills and stay ahead in this dynamic field.

To join the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group, simply follow these steps:

1. Send a direct message to me, stating your interest in joining the group. We as a SAP community will validate your profile and share the group link.
2. Provide a brief introduction, including your professional background and your motivation for joining.
3. Please ensure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date to help us maintain the quality and professionalism of the group.

A word of caution: This group is for professionals genuinely interested in SAP and committed to contributing positively. It is important to maintain a respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment for everyone.

I am excited about the endless possibilities that this WhatsApp group holds for all of us. Let us embrace this opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share knowledge, ultimately empowering ourselves and the SAP community as a whole.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the group, please feel free to reach out. I look forward to welcoming you to the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group and witnessing the incredible impact we can create together!

Introducing the SAP Professionals WhatsApp Group: Unlocking Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is used to manage a company's day-to-day operations.

Accounting, human resources (HR), procurement, customer connections (CRM), supply chain, manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, projects, service, and other functions are aided by it. An ERP solution combines the functions listed above into a single piece of software, ensuring that the business runs as efficiently as possible and giving the organization with a single source of truth for better decision-making. In a nutshell, ERP software is a collection of tools that integrates an organization's value chain into a unified environment.

Difference between ERP and SAP

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and it’s a business process management system which automates and integrates all the core business processes of an organization into a shared database in order to streamline processes and information across the organization. SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) can be referred to as the products offered by the company SAP AG. SAP is one of the largest providers of ERP software in the world.

2023 News:At its annual Sapphire conference, SAP is announcing innovations to modernize ERP. AI plays an important role in this, but what else on the roadmap? In any case, SAP promises that the innovations will give enterprise organizations “the tools they need to tackle the future with confidence.”

Looking at what is most important to SAP users right now, we can see that it is whether or not they are upgrading to the more modern ERP S/4HANA. Official recent numbers are not available, however the market indicates that a considerable percentage of users continue to use the older ERP system ECC. However, this method is based on outdated market standards and will be obsolete in a few years. Overall, SAP has lately made two significant advances to make modernization more appealing. First, RISE with SAP, a software package that assists businesses in modernizing their business processes. It includes tools for redesigning and migrating business processes to a modular software environment. It means that your organization creates processes to fulfill the market standards set and built by SAP for your industry. A variety of services to host SAP workloads on the cloud and apply process mining to optimize processes are also included in the bundle.

Following up from RISE with SAP, the ERP behemoth has released GROW with SAP. The distinction lies in the target audience and the services tailored to them; RISE with SAP is intended at enterprise organizations, whilst GROW with SAP is focused at midsize businesses. According to SAPPHIRE news, of these solutions, RISE with SAP will receive enhancements. This is because ERP announcements specifically target very large enterprises.

AI Built for Business

At the dawn of a new AI era, SAP is strengthening its commitment to embed powerful AI capabilities across its portfolio to help customers solve business-critical problems in the flow of work.

Customers can use SAP Business AI with confidence because it is built responsibly. Today, SAP is announcing a raft of advancements to SAP Business AI, including innovations that personalize customer engagement, make procurement more productive and expand organizations’ abilities to find and develop critical talent across their entire workforce.

SAP also draws on the strength of its rich ecosystem to benefit customers. Yesterday SAP announced the next step in its long-standing partnership with Microsoft. The companies will collaborate on integrating SAP SuccessFactors solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot in Viva Learning as well as with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to access powerful language models that analyze and generate natural language. The integrations will enable new experiences designed to improve how organizations attract, retain and skill their people.

Reference from: https://news.sap.com/2023/05/sap-sapphire-future-proofed-business-age-of-ai/

https://news.sap.com/2023/05/sap-sapphire-icertis/

SAP and contract intelligence pioneer Icertis are delivering a new integration that connects AI-driven contract intelligence with SAP S/4HANA in order to enable more profitable and compliant procurement operations.

Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) for SAP S/4HANA (purchase side) is the next step in SAP and Icertis' combined product roadmap, as the businesses continue to change contract-driven operations by combining contract intelligence with SAP solutions.

Contract intelligence enables SAP S/4HANA procurement teams to streamline sourcing, negotiate better commercial terms, and increase compliance with regulatory and corporate regulations. By automatically recommending terms based on prior business interactions and tracking commitments to guarantee the goal of all agreements is completely realized, the ICI platform accelerates value and increases savings both pre- and post-signature. Artificial intelligence (AI) built in the ICI platform also reduces risk by detecting deviations from conventional terms, while specified norms and templates further decrease liability via contract self-generation capabilities that enable procurement teams to play a more strategic role in driving business performance.

Benefits and Advantages of ERP Tools

1. Data Security : Data has become a prized possession for businesses because it’s so critical to making the best possible decisions, and ERP software can help protect that asset. The fact that all this data is in one place, rather than spread across multiple systems with varying levels of security, increases the level of protection. It replaces spreadsheets and other documents sitting on employees’ desktops and being passed around via email. With a cloud ERP system, your information is typically distributed across multiple remote servers to establish redundancies and protect against a single point of failure, adding another layer of security. This is especially important if your company handles a lot of sensitive customer data. In another sense, an ERP system can increase data security by limiting who can view and edit data. Most systems have permissions that are easy to control, ensuring employees only see the information they need to and reducing opportunities for fraud or other nefarious activities.
2. Centralized Data : Much of the benefit of ERP can be attributed to the fact that all information from all departments is maintained in a single location. Without such a system, data is frequently dispersed across a business in numerous apps and spreadsheets, making it difficult for personnel to find what they need. Furthermore, this strategy frequently results in duplicate data in inconsistent forms, adding to the difficulties. An ERP system can also help with this by standardizing all of your vital data. Because it's all in one system, everything will be in the same format, so you won't have any problems running reports or analytics. Standardized data enables you to obtain all of the insights you require to make more educated decisions.
3. Compliance : Having accurate, up-to-date records that are easy to find and searchable can really reduce the work required to comply with any regulations your company must adhere to. Customizable reporting tools within the software also make it far easier to track compliance and adjust as necessary. This makes you much more auditable, as well, because all the information an auditor might need to review is easily accessible. Certain ERP systems can even support specific financial standards like GAAP or regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).
4. Increased Productivity : There are countless ways an ERP system can give a major boost to productivity. One way is that it automates many basic, repetitive tasks, freeing up employees to work on other projects that bring more value to the organization.
5. Visibility : Visibility is another one of the broad, fundamental benefits of ERP — everyone having visibility into various aspects of the business is a powerful thing. It enables faster and better decisions because managers have all relevant context that can assist them. For example, if the purchasing team can see the status of in-transit purchase orders that have not yet reached the warehouse, they can factor that into the orders they’re about to submit to avoid excess or insufficient stock.
6. Collaboration : So many of the benefits we’ve already covered here facilitate collaboration. Visibility into the way other teams work and what information they’re looking at makes it far easier to work hand-in-hand and for staff to reach out proactively when they see an opportunity to help colleagues. No longer are teams operating on an island and using applications that only they have access to and that aren’t integrated with other back-end systems.
7. Accurate Forecasting : Your business can only be prepared for what’s coming if it knows what to expect. That’s where forecasting comes in: it uses a wide range of historical data and sometimes other inputs to predict future demand, revenue, expenses and other numbers. Forecasts are much more accurate once you’re running an ERP system because they’re based on more accurate and comprehensive information, since all that data is now in one place. More accurate forecasts mean you can make the appropriate preparations for what is likely to happen. If sales are expected to climb 30%, you can strategically purchase more inventory or, if you’re a services business, hire more employees with the skills where you expect increased demand.