In Germany, representatives who handle sales of all four Gillette brands are equipped with Fujitu Stylistic 3400 mobile computers and make direct sales calls on retailers. The sales representative inputs orders into the mobile system. The use of SAP's CRM will be expanded to Benelux, Scandinavia, and Iberia by the end of the year, and to Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom next year. In the United States, Gillette uses the SAP CRM software in a different way. The company makes few direct calls for the purpose of selling stock, such as razor blades or batteries.
Retailers generally place orders using electronic data interchange, or by phone and fax.
However, retailers want control of how Gillette products are displayed in their stores, and in its U.S. operation, Gillette uses features of mySAP that let sales reps and retailers design store displays. For example, one large retailer might want a display that will fit on the end of an aisle, while another might want a display that can stand near a cash register.