Recent reports show SAP’s ecosystem accelerating toward cloud, automation, and warehouse modernization. Companies are no longer debating if to adopt solutions like SAP EWM or migrate from ECC—they’re determining how fast. Insights from SAP’s Q2 2025 financials, Gartner, and industry partners reveal the trends, challenges, and numbers behind this shift.
Key Recent Data & Trends
| Trend / Metric | Statistic / Finding | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud ERP Suite revenue YoY growth | ~30% up, and ~34% at constant currencies | SAP Q2 2025 Results SAP News Center+1 |
| ECC customers still yet to migrate to S/4HANA | ~61% of ECC clients have not yet moved | theregister.com |
| Number of new SAP jobs / hiring activity (Q1 2025) | Highest since mid-2022, driven by S/4HANA / ECC migration demand | bluewaveselect.com |
| New features in EWM + customer-driven enhancements | 46 new features in EWM in S/4HANA 2023; many based on Customer Influence Program (~11 improvement requests) | VESLOG |
| Order-processing efficiency gains from advanced warehouse systems | +23% improvement in order processing efficiency; inventory accuracy rates up to ~99.5% in some studies | ijsat.org |
What This Means: EWM & Migration Landscape
1. SAP EWM Advances
- Enhanced features & user feedback: The release of SAP EWM in S/4HANA 2023 brought in 46 new features, many from direct customer-improvement requests.
- Cloud / deployment flexibility: EWM is increasingly offered in cloud-hosted or embedded options within S/4HANA. Companies are choosing between embedded vs decentralized according to scale and complexity.
- Performance gains: Studies (e.g. IJSAT) show that EWM implementations can deliver inventory holding cost reductions up to 25%, order fulfillment improvements ~18-23%, space utilization gains, and massive reductions in errors and manual data entry.
2. Migration from ECC → S/4HANA
- Slow but steady adoption: ~39% of ECC customers globally have licensed or begun their transition to S/4HANA; ~61% have not yet started, per Gartner as cited by The Register.
- Support extension & transition options: SAP has offered “ECC private edition / transition option” to allow some large customers to extend ECC use until 2033. This gives more flexibility but underscores that migration remains a pressing and expensive undertaking.
3. Integration & Workforce Demand
- Hiring surge: The market sees strong demand for SAP professionals, specifically for roles related to S/4HANA migration, EWM, cloud ERP. Q1 2025 had the highest number of SAP-related new roles / hires since mid-2022.
- Cloud and AI growth: SAP’s cloud ERP revenue and backlog are growing (e.g. cloud backlog €18.1B, up ~22-28%) which reflects both customers’ desire for cloud-native operations and the need for integration and modernization.
Implications & Strategic Recommendations
Based on these data points, companies should consider:
- Evaluate EWM if you’re using SAP WM or older WMS: The replacement is not only inevitable (WM is being phased out) but the performance gains, cost savings, and compliance improvements make it a high ROI move.
- Plan ECC → S/4HANA migration carefully, not just quickly: Given that many customers are delaying, the risk of cost overruns or “legacy debt” is real. Use tools like SAP’s transition option if needed, but build a roadmap.
- Focus on integration from Day 1: Whether EWM, ECC migration, or cloud adoption—integrations (e.g. with existing systems, 3PLs, analytics, AI) will make or break success.
- Invest in skills & change management: The hiring data shows the demand for experts is rising. Organizations that build internal capabilities and partner strategically will navigate migration more smoothly.
Case Snapshot: What Success Looks Like
Here’s a hypothetical composite profile, based on recent trends:
| Area | Before | After EWM / S/4HANA Migration |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory Holding Cost | High due to overstock, delays, manual checks | Reduced by ~20-25% thanks to better visibility and automation (per IJSAT) ijsat.org |
| Order Accuracy / Fulfillment | Errors, delays in processing orders | +18-23% efficiency, higher order accuracy (per same sources) ijsat.org |
| Time to Realize Cloud ERP Benefits | Delayed / stalled migrations | Faster deployments tied to RISE with SAP and cloud-backlog growth SAP News Center |
| Cost of Migration Risk | Unknown, high upfront cost | Mitigated via phased migration, support extension options, ROI modeling |
Conclusion
Emerging data from 2025 makes clear that SAP EWM, ECC → S/4HANA migration, and strong integration aren’t optional. They are now central to staying competitive in logistics, supply chain, ERP modernization, and AI-enabled operations.
Organizations that move early, plan deliberately, and integrate intelligently will reap not only cost savings but operational resilience, speed, and innovation.
Sources:
“What’s New with SAP EWM? Innovations and Updates” — BCTG bullcitytalent.com
“Let’s Talk 2024: High Performance in the Warehouse with SAP EWM in the Cloud” — SSI Schaefer ssi-schaefer.com
“Legacy SAP ERP customers still foot-dragging move to S/4HANA” — The Register theregister.com
“SAP Report Q2 2025 — SAP Jobs & Hiring Activity” — bluewaveSELECT PDF bluewaveselect.com
“SAP EWM: Transforming Modern Logistics Operations” — IJSAT Study ijsat.org