“Iguatemi has been studying the integration of online and offline experiences for many years, and with the launch of Iguatemi 365, has leveraged its omnichannel positioning. With the restrictions caused by the crisis, we faced an increase in demand for the platform, which grew its customer and brand base. The project was driven and guided by the business focus of our IT department.”

– Valdemar Castilho, IT Operations Manager, Iguatemi Empresa de Shopping Centers S.A.

A solid and resilient company, Iguatemi Empresa de Shopping Centers is also a pioneer in the sector and was responsible for introducing the first mall to the country and to Latin America — Iguatemi São Paulo.

In 2016, Iguatemi’s executive team launched parallel initiatives to optimize its IT budget and drive innovation through the acquisition of new technologies. This breakthrough vision, coupled with the anticipation underpinning these projects, has strengthened the company and allowed the organization to reorganize itself to get through the unprecedented crisis with agility.

Digital Delight

Innovation is part of Iguatemi’s DNA, and the company keeps coming up with new ideas and implementing improvements. These projects include Iguatemi ONE, the company’s relationship and loyalty program, which serves customers from all over Brazil, including various shopping malls and e-commerce platform customers. In addition, Iguatemi launched an internal mobility platform to facilitate and streamline the flow of project approvals by executives. Finally, the company created Iguatemi Labs in 2016 to provide a comprehensive testing environment for exploring new technologies.

In 2019, the company reached a key milestone in its quest for digital advancement with the launch of 365 — its premium e-commerce platform — which brings the Iguatemi experience to all of Brazil, with more than 400 national and international brands.

Taking Stock by Simplifying the IT Service Delivery and Support Model

Iguatemi replaced SAP support and began its relationship with third-party support, aiming at a support alternative that would guarantee coverage proportional to the needs and expectations of the company’s business. “After making the decision to move to Rimini Street, we were really satisfied with the service model and the differentiated advantages it gave us,” recalled Castilho.

“The savings generated by this migration were actually much greater than the 50% cost cut related to the annual support contract, because now we don’t need other suppliers to support the large number of customizations we have made, as this service is part of the Rimini Street scope,” he explained.

The measure saved the company millions of Brazilian Reais and made it possible to achieve greater efficiency in tax, legal, and regulatory updates to maintain compliance. Over time, Iguatemi also decided to change its application management services (AMS) provider, and Rimini Street offered the full scope of services that were required. The relationship has evolved to include Application Management Services for SAP — which supports incident management, service requests, and minor improvements. This meant fewer hand-offs among multiple suppliers and reduced backlogs.

Rimini Street Bargain: Doing Much More for Less

Choosing Rimini Street as its third-party support provider and its  Application Management Services for SAP provider generates benefits for Iguatemi that go far beyond financial savings. Rimini Street AMS offers high-quality service delivery, reducing complexity and improving the operational efficiency of the IT department. This is because of Rimini Street’s troubleshooting capabilities and focus on identifying root causes — to prevent problems from recurring.

With Rimini Street as a single source to support and run mission-critical systems, Iguatemi has managed to direct many investments toward innovation. The partnership with Rimini Street has made it possible to do much more with fewer resources, in addition to allowing Iguatemi’s IT department to focus on initiatives that bring competitive advantages to the business.

“Being able to redirect IT resources to carry out a series of innovative projects was a fundamental triumph for us.”