Case Study: Stage Stores achieves 15.5% cost savings and faster sourcing with SAP Ariba (Ariba Discovery)

Centralized Procurement Strategy Achieves Cost Savings

Stage Stores, a niche retail merchandiser, shifted from a decentralized, labor-intensive sourcing model to a centralized procurement program to secure better prices through online sourcing. The prior process required individual departments to locate and qualify vendors, issue RFPs and verify bids, so the transition demanded new technology and procedural changes.

A dedicated procurement team implemented Ariba Discovery and the Ariba Network to automatically identify and invite qualified suppliers, selectively hand-pick bidders, and achieve 100% vendor registration. The centralized, automated approach cut sourcing cycles from 45+ days to 3–5 business days, doubled participation on a lighting RFP (yielding a 14% per-store saving), and produced 15.5% overall savings across a wide range of products and services, with plans to expand companywide.

Stage Stores

Chris Uriarte

Sourcing Manager