Protecting the Customer Journey, Against Tight Deadlines, with SAP Integration Suite

As part of their global growth journey, Watches of Switzerland set out to modernise their IT landscape by reducing reliance on custom-built middleware and embracing scalable cloud technologies. A crucial milestone was the integration of Zillion, an insurance agency, into their SAP environment. But with just two weeks to deliver, limited internal resources, and the need to minimise disruption, Watches of Switzerland required an expert partner to deploy SAP Integration Suite quickly and effectively.

About the Client

Client: Watches of Switzerland
Industry: Luxury retail
Headquarters: Leicester, UK
Showrooms: 195 across the UK, US, and Europe

Watches of Switzerland is a leading luxury watch retailer, known for quality, exclusivity, and outstanding customer service. With operations spanning multiple countries, the business continues to expand while modernising its technology to ensure scalability, resilience, and seamless integration between systems.

Business Challenges

Watches of Switzerland had traditionally relied on custom in-house middleware to manage integrations, but this approach lacked scalability and created unnecessary risk. When the business needed to integrate Zillion into their SAP landscape within an extremely tight two-week timeframe, the challenges became clear:

• Limited availability of internal team members and project leads.

• A delivery window with no margin for error.

• The need to connect Zillion seamlessly to both the POS system and SAP ECC6, while maintaining stability in core operations.

The stakes were high. Any disruption to the integration risked delays in the insurance process, which forms a critical part of protecting luxury watch purchases. For customers, even small issues at the point of sale could undermine confidence in the buying experience. In the luxury retail sector, where trust and service are inseparable from the product, any loss of confidence can directly impact sales and brand reputation.

Engagement and Solution Journey

To overcome these challenges, Watches of Switzerland partnered with Bluestonex, leveraging the SAP BTP Support as part of their BTP Innovation Factory service. During this, the following engagement occured:

• Rapid Deployment: SAP Integration Suite was implemented in development and production environments in record time, enabling configuration and testing within days.

• Custom Data Mapping: Bluestonex tailored the integration output to Zillion’s requirements, creating an iDoc that connected seamlessly to SAP and mapping the data to the necessary JSON format.

• Seamless Legacy Integration: The integration was designed to work with Watches of Switzerland’s on-premises SAP ECC6 system, avoiding costly overhauls while reducing disruption and risk.

This agile approach ensured that, despite tight timelines, the solution was robust, compliant, and future-ready.

Real Impact Across the Business

By deploying SAP Integration Suite with Bluestonex, Watches of Switzerland achieved a successful go-live for the Zillion integration in under two weeks without disruption to operations. This meant customers could access the insurance service at the point of sale exactly as expected, with no delays or complications. For a luxury retailer, delivering that seamless experience is essential: customers purchasing high-value timepieces want complete peace of mind that their purchase is protected immediately.

Beyond the immediate benefit of safeguarding the buying experience, the project laid the foundation for broader transformation. With SAP Integration Suite now in place, Watches of Switzerland is no longer dependent on rigid, in-house middleware. Instead, they have a scalable, flexible integration layer that can support future initiatives, from new customer services to their eventual migration to SAP S/4HANA.

Measuring Impact

The Zillion integration delivered tangible results for Watches of Switzerland within an exceptionally short timeframe:

• Go-live in under 2 weeks: Critical customer-facing insurance service launched on time, with no disruption.

• Zero downtime for customers: Ensured uninterrupted service at the point of purchase, protecting high-value sales and brand trust.

• Improved customer experience: Insurance was available instantly at the moment of transaction, providing reassurance and strengthening loyalty.

• Foundation for future integrations: SAP Integration Suite is now embedded, enabling faster, lower-risk connections to new systems and services.

• Reduced reliance on legacy middleware: Decreased operational risk and freed the IT team from maintaining custom-built integrations.

Together, these results not only addressed the immediate challenge but also positioned Watches of Switzerland to modernise its IT landscape with confidence, knowing that future projects can be delivered faster and with less disruption.

Looking Ahead

Encouraged by the success of this project, Watches of Switzerland plan to extend SAP Integration Suite across the business. With Bluestonex as a trusted partner, the company is set to accelerate its integration roadmap, connecting both on-premises and cloud-based systems to support future innovation and growth.