Introduction
Activating 6.7 Million Customers:
The Maxima Digital Journey
A strategic alignment between SAP and Maxima Grupė's SAP landscape, Baltic growth ambitions, and customer-first transformation.
Strategic Context
The Maxima Moment - Why Now?
Three converging forces make this the defining moment for customer engagement at Maxima. The company has refined its strategic focus, embraced marketing-led leadership, and faces the profitability pressures that demand smarter customer activation.
Baltic Pivot
Stokrotka (Poland) and T Market (Bulgaria) divested December 2025 to PARETAS B.V. Maxima is now a pure-play Baltic grocer generating approximately €4 billion in revenue. Growth must come from deepening wallet share per customer, not geographic expansion.
New Leadership
Kristupas Buzys (former marketing director) appointed CEO of Maxima LT; Tomas Bazys appointed CEO of FRANMAX in October 2025. Marketing-oriented leadership signals appetite for CX investment and customer-centric strategy.
Profitability Pressure
H1 2025: revenue +3.5% but EBITDA margin under pressure from rising labour costs; like-for-like growth just 2.3%. Efficiency-led growth requires smarter customer engagement, not just more stores.
"Intense competition among retail chains pushed us to focus even more on customer expectations and introduce attractive offers that would encourage customers to choose our stores." - Maxima 2024 Annual Report

When you can't grow wider, you grow deeper. Customer lifetime value becomes the primary growth lever.
Current State
Maxima Today
The Business at a Glance
A retail powerhouse with impressive scale, rich customer data, and robust infrastructure. Maxima's recent strategic focus on the Baltics creates a strong foundation for enhanced customer engagement.
1,611
Stores
Across 3 Baltic countries post-restructuring
1.6M
Daily Customers
In-store footfall every single day
6.7M
Loyalty Members
AČIŪ programme (up from 6.2M in 2023)
3.0M
E-commerce Orders
Via Barbora in 2024
Operational Excellence
  • €6.1 billion total revenue (2024)
  • 4,268 self-service checkout units (up 29% YoY)
  • 85% of Baltic stores now format-standardised
Technology Foundation
FRANMAX - 100+ IT professionals, SAP expertise since 2001. The technical capability to integrate advanced customer engagement platforms already exists in-house.
Foundation
The SAP Foundation - Maxima is Already 70% There
Maxima doesn't need to build a customer data foundation - it already has one. The missing piece is activation. Every transaction, every loyalty interaction, every e-commerce order already flows through SAP infrastructure.
The Gap
The Customer Engagement Gap
Maxima has built a strong foundation in customer data. The opportunity now is to unlock deeper engagement - helping customers discover more, visit more often, and build lasting loyalty. - The gap between data collection and customer activation represents millions in untapped revenue.
Current Foundation
  • Customer view: Fragmented - AČIŪ loyalty data, Barbora e-commerce data, POS data in SAP CAR sit in separate silos
  • Segmentation: Basic - loyalty tier, geography, card vs. app
  • Campaign execution: Manual offers, limited automation, country-by-country approach
  • Personalisation: Generic loyalty discounts (1% cashback for all)
  • Channel coverage: In-store receipts, basic email, app notifications
  • Revenue attribution: No direct link between marketing activity and revenue
Enhanced Capabilities
  • Customer view: Unified Single Customer View - CAR Connector merges all transaction, loyalty, and digital behaviour into one profile
  • Segmentation: AI-powered dynamic segments - lifecycle stage, purchase probability, churn risk, affinity clusters
  • Campaign execution: 100+ pre-built tactics deployed in clicks - abandoned cart, win-back, birthday, loyalty expiry, replenishment
  • Personalisation: 1:1 personalisation - product recommendations based on individual purchase history, preferred categories, basket composition
  • Channel coverage: Omnichannel orchestration - email, SMS, push, in-app, web personalisation, digital ads, mobile wallet
  • Revenue attribution: Strategic Dashboard - campaign-level and tactic-level revenue attribution, customer lifecycle reporting
Use Cases
Use Case 1 - AČIŪ Loyalty Lifecycle Automation
6.7 million members is an asset. But only if you talk to them at the right moment, with the right message. Currently, Maxima reactively warns customers about expiring points - a brand-damaging approach that costs engagement.
The Problem
In January 2026, Maxima publicly warned thousands of customers that their AČIŪ loyalty points would expire on 28 February 2026. Customers lose value. Maxima loses engagement. This reactive communication damages brand trust.
The Emarsys Solution: Points Expiry Prevention
1
60 Days Before
Email: "You have X points - here's what they're worth"
2
45 Days Before
Push notification: "Your points expire soon - redeem in-store or on Barbora"
3
30 Days Before
SMS: "Last chance! X points = €Y off your next shop"
4
14 Days Before
In-app banner + email: "Expiring this month - use or lose"
5
Post-Redemption
"Thank you" email with personalised product recommendations
Additional AČIŪ Journeys
Welcome Onboarding
Triggered by new AČIŪ registration (card or app). Multi-channel education on benefits drives first point-earning purchase within 7 days.
Birthday Celebration
7 days before birthday. Personalised discount on customer's favourite category, driving emotional connection and store visit.
Anniversary Reward
12-month membership milestone. Exclusive offer celebrating loyalty drives repeat store visit and reinforces programme value.
Tier Progression Nudge
Within 10% of next tier threshold. "You're €X away from Gold - shop this week to unlock" creates urgency and increases basket size.
Inactive Member Win-back
No purchase in 60 days. Declining engagement sequence with escalating incentive prevents churn before it becomes permanent.
App Download Prompt
Loyalty card-only members. "Get your offers faster - download the MAXIMA app" increases push notification reach.
Projected Outcomes
60%
Points Redemption Rate
Increase from estimated ~40% baseline with lifecycle automation
+15%
Purchase Frequency
For engaged loyalty members (IDC benchmark: 25% increase in omnichannel campaigns)
+34%
First-to-Second Purchase
Conversion improvement (benchmarked from Contorion's Emarsys implementation)
+20%
App Adoption
Migration from physical card to app, increasing push notification reach
Use Cases
Use Case 2 - Barbora E-Grocery Engagement Engine
Barbora's 3 million orders are a starting point. The question is: how many of those customers come back - and how often? E-grocery has notoriously low retention without lifecycle automation.
The Challenge
Barbora Baltic gross revenue grew 7% in 2024 and 4% in H1 2025. However, the annual report explicitly states the need to "optimise picking and delivery processes and improve user experience." E-grocery faces high customer acquisition costs - making retention the critical metric.
Emarsys Journey A: Grocery Replenishment Reminder
This journey automates reminders based on individual purchase patterns.

Why This Works
Grocery shopping is habitual. Emarsys AI learns individual purchase cycles and automates reminders before the customer even thinks about it. Convenience drives loyalty.
Additional Barbora Journeys
Abandoned Cart Recovery Journey

Industry benchmark: 10-14% conversion rate (Emarsys client Replacements achieved 14%).
First-Time Barbora Buyer from In-Store Journey
Projected Outcomes
12%
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Conversion rate from automated email sequences
10%
Order Frequency Increase
Orders per active customer per quarter via replenishment automation
4%
Cross-Sell Conversion
In-store-only customers placing first Barbora order within 90 days
18%
Retention Improvement
90-day customer retention through lifecycle nurturing
Levi's achieved 30%+ of online sales from Emarsys automations in the first six months. Barbora can replicate this success.
Use Cases
Use Case 3
Private Label "Well Done" Growth Engine
Private label is Maxima's highest-margin product line. Emarsys turns it into a personalised recommendation engine. "Well Done" and "Well Done Premium" ranges represent strategic investment - now it's time to drive trial and repeat purchase.
The Strategic Opportunity
Maxima heavily invested in the "Well Done" and "Well Done Premium" private label ranges in 2023-2024. These are margin-accretive products, but driving trial and repeat purchase requires targeted communication - not just shelf placement.
The Emarsys Journey: Private Label Discovery
1
1
Purchase History Analysis
Customer regularly buys branded pasta sauce - high affinity for Italian category identified by Emarsys AI
2
2
Personalised Recommendation
Email: "Have you tried Well Done Italian pasta sauce?
Same quality, better price" with product image and recipe inspiration
3
3
First Purchase Celebration
Customer buys Well Done product for first time. Push notification: "Loved the pasta sauce? Here are 5 more Well Done products in your favourite categories"
4
4
Category Expansion
30 days later, email: "Well Done Premium - try our Christmas range" (seasonal campaign with premium positioning)
Why Private Label Matters
Private label products deliver higher margins than branded equivalents. Every percentage point increase in private label share of basket directly improves profitability - especially critical given H1 2025 margin pressure.
Personalisation is key: Generic "try our products" messaging fails. Emarsys uses SAP CAR purchase history to recommend Well Done products in categories customers already buy, dramatically increasing trial rates.
Projected Business Impact
+7% Trial Rate
Increase in private label trial among targeted segments (from baseline ~20% to 27%+)
+3pp Basket Share
Private label share of basket for engaged segments (from ~25% toward 28%+)
+1.8% Margin
Average basket margin improvement per transaction when private label share increases
Measurable Attribution
Well Done Premium awareness tracked via Emarsys Strategic Dashboard with campaign-level ROI
Use Cases
Use Case 4
Store Format Experience & Self-Checkout Adoption
85% of stores are reformatted. Now make the in-store experience as smart as the store layout. Maxima invested heavily in infrastructure - customer adoption needs a strategic nudge.
The Challenge
Maxima invested heavily in store format standardisation (85% complete) and self-checkout expansion (4,268 units, +29% YoY). But self-checkout usage actually declined from 40.8% to 38.5% in 2024. The technology is there - the customer adoption strategy is missing.
Scan&Go Adoption Drive
AČIŪ member who has never used Scan&Go receives in-app tutorial: "Skip the queue - how Scan&Go works in 30 seconds." Next store visit via geofence trigger: push notification "Try Scan&Go today - earn 5x AČIŪ points." First usage: email "You did it! Here's €2 off your next Scan&Go shop."
Store Reopening Geofence Campaign
Store renovation completed in customer's postcode area. Email + push: "Your Maxima XX has a brand new look - visit this week for exclusive offers." When geofenced within 1km of store: mobile wallet offer "Welcome back - 10% off fresh produce today only."
Expected Results
42%+ Usage Rate
Self-checkout adoption reverses decline through incentivised onboarding (from 38.5% baseline)
+6% Footfall
Store visit frequency post-renovation in first 30 days for targeted customers
20% Engagement
Open rate on geofenced push notifications (industry benchmark for proximity-triggered messages)
Use Cases
Use Case 5 - Defecting Customer Win-Back
In a market where every competitor fights for the same 5 million Baltic households, losing a customer is twice as expensive as keeping one. Emarsys AI predicts churn before it happens.
The Win-Back Journey
Technical Architecture
The Data Architecture
How It All Connects
One diagram. Zero new databases. Full customer activation. The technical integration leverages infrastructure Maxima already owns - no rip-and-replace, no complex middleware, no duplicate data stores.
Technical Integration Highlights
1
No New Data Warehouse Required
SAP CAR already aggregates POS and customer data across all 1,611 stores. Purchase history, promotional impact, customer behaviour - all captured today.
2
BTP-Native Integration
The CAR Connector uses BTP Integration Suite i-flows for smooth, automated data transfer. No external middleware. No manual exports. Real-time synchronisation.
3
Online + Offline Sync
Barbora e-commerce data and in-store POS data merge into unified customer profiles. Single customer view across all touchpoints.
4
Real-Time Triggers
Purchase events in CAR trigger Emarsys automations. Post-purchase cross-sell within hours, not days. Abandoned cart recovery within minutes.
5
Loyalty Financial Integration
Emarsys Loyalty module integrates with SAP S/4HANA for closed-loop financial posting of points accrual and redemption. Accounting accuracy maintained.

Implementation timeframe: Weeks to live deployment, not months. The CAR Connector is pre-built, BTP-certified, and retail-ready.
Business Impact
Projected Business Impact Summary
Conservative estimates, grounded in Emarsys benchmarks and Maxima's actual data. Every metric is traceable to documented case studies or IDC research.
Every metric is conservative. These are not aspirational projections - they are benchmarks from retailers who have implemented SAP Emarsys on similar infrastructure.
Proof Points
Comparable Success Stories
Retailers like you, on SAP, solving the same challenges. These are not hypothetical examples - they are documented implementations with measurable results.
Contorion - B2C E-commerce
Challenge: Low repeat purchase, no loyalty programme.
SAP Emarsys Result:
  • +34% first-to-second buyer conversion
  • +62% repeat purchases
  • +12.7% average order value
  • Loyalty programme built entirely on Emarsys platform.
Levi's - Fashion Retail
Challenge: Generic emails, no personalisation, no first-party data strategy.
SAP Emarsys Result:
  • 30%+ of online sales from automations in 6 months
  • Email open rates increased 40%
  • Click-through rates doubled
Krispy Kreme - Food Retail
Challenge: Fragmented customer data, small marketing team, no automation.
SAP Emarsys Result:
  • +53% lead generation
  • 6 automation programmes bridging online and offline
  • Small team managing enterprise-scale campaigns
Ferrara Candy - FMCG
Challenge: Legacy tech, costly third-party data, limited omnichannel.
SAP Emarsys Result:
  • Unified first-party data via SAP Emarsys + SAP CDP.
  • Personalised omnichannel experiences across digital and retail channels
Salling Group - Retail
Challenge: Diverse retail formats, fragmented customer data, need for unified engagement.
SAP Emarsys Result:
  • +35% Revenue from automated product recommendations
  • +30% Open rate
  • +25% Revenue within 5 weeks
  • Unified customer profiles across all formats
  • Increased customer engagement through personalised campaigns
  • Streamlined operations with integrated data insights
Relevance to Maxima: Krispy Kreme, Ferrara, and Salling Group are the closest analogues - food-oriented businesses (and diverse retail formats for Salling Group) with physical + digital presence, small-to-mid-sized marketing teams, and a need to unify fragmented customer data into actionable engagement. Salling Group's achievement of a +25% revenue increase within five weeks demonstrates the rapid impact Maxima can expect. Maxima can replicate and exceed these results with its superior data foundation.
Implementation
Implementation Roadmap
Phased, low-risk, high-impact - built to work with FRANMAX's SAP team. This is not a disruptive transformation. It's an incremental activation of existing infrastructure.
1
Phase 1: Foundation
Timeline: Months 1-3
Scope: SAP CAR -> Emarsys connector deployment on BTP; data mapping; AČIŪ loyalty data integration; email channel activation
Outcome: Unified customer profiles; first automated campaigns live
2
Phase 2: Quick Wins
Timeline: Months 3-6
Scope: Deploy 6 core pre-built tactics: Welcome, Birthday, Points Expiry, Abandoned Cart (Barbora), Post-Purchase, Win-back
Outcome: Immediate revenue attribution; marketing team upskilled on Emarsys platform
3
Phase 3: Omnichannel Scale
Timeline: Months 6-12
Scope: Add SMS, push, in-app, web personalisation channels; geofencing for store campaigns; Barbora replenishment automation; private label recommendation engine
Outcome: Full omnichannel orchestration across all Baltic markets
4
Phase 4: AI Optimisation
Timeline: Months 12-18
Scope: AI-powered send-time optimisation; predictive churn scoring; advanced segmentation; Emarsys Loyalty Wallet for AČIŪ programme; SAP CDP integration for enriched profiles
5
Outcome:
Self-optimising customer engagement engine; measurable CLTV growth
FRANMAX Role
Co-implementation partner. FRANMAX's SAP expertise since 2001, existing SAP CAR/UDF knowledge, and Azure/HANA data architecture experience make them the ideal internal team to own the technical integration.
This approach reduces external SI dependency and accelerates time-to-value. FRANMAX retains ownership and control.
Risk Mitigation
Phased deployment means early wins fund later phases. Phase 2 generates measurable revenue within 90 days - building internal momentum and executive confidence.
Competitive Analysis
Why SAP Emarsys Over Alternatives?
This isn't about choosing the best marketing platform. It's about choosing the one that works with what you already have. Integration complexity is where most CDP projects fail - SAP Emarsys eliminates that risk.
The strategic advantage: SAP Emarsys is the only customer engagement platform that treats SAP infrastructure as an asset, not a legacy system to work around.
Next Steps
Proposed Next Steps
Not a contract. A conversation. Five low-friction steps to validate the business case and scope a pilot programme with measurable outcomes.
1
Discovery Workshop with FRANMAX
2-hour session to map Maxima's SAP CAR data model, AČIŪ loyalty data structure, and Barbora e-commerce event schema to Emarsys requirements. Identify technical dependencies and integration timeline.
2
AČIŪ Loyalty Audit
Assess current personalisation maturity, points redemption rates, and member lifecycle gaps to quantify the loyalty automation opportunity. Benchmark against industry standards.
3
Barbora Pilot Scoping
Define a 90-day Barbora e-commerce automation pilot (abandoned cart + replenishment + welcome series) with clear KPIs and revenue attribution. Success metrics agreed upfront.
4
Executive Briefing
Present tailored business case to Jolanta Bivainytė (CEO) and Tomas Bazys (FRANMAX CEO) with projected ROI based on Maxima's actual customer data volumes. Show, don't tell.
5
SAP Partnership Review
Engage SAP account team to align Emarsys with Maxima's existing SAP licensing, BTP entitlements, and long-term SAP roadmap. Ensure strategic alignment.
Timeline: Steps 1–3 can be completed in 4 weeks. Executive briefing in week 5. SAP partnership review in week 6. Decision point: 6 weeks from today.
Conclusion
The Data Is Here. The Infrastructure Is Ready. The Customers Are Waiting.
This is not a technology project. It's a strategic activation of assets Maxima already owns. Every transaction, every loyalty interaction, every e-commerce order - already flowing through SAP infrastructure. The only missing piece is the engagement layer.
6.7 Million Loyalty Members
Generating billions of transactions through SAP CAR. Today, that data drives demand forecasting. Tomorrow, it drives customer relationships.
CAR Connector Ready
This isn't a 12-month integration project - it's a weeks-to-live deployment on infrastructure Maxima already owns.
The Only Sustainable Differentiation
In a Baltic market where every competitor fights on price, personalised engagement is the only path to margin protection and growth. SAP Emarsys makes it possible - natively, within Maxima's SAP ecosystem.
"Intense competition among retail chains pushed us to focus even more on customer expectations." - Maxima 2024 Annual Report
The question isn't whether to activate customer engagement. The question is: how quickly can we start?
Why Now
Three Reasons This Works Now
1. Timing
Post-divestiture focus on Baltic markets creates strategic clarity. Marketing-oriented leadership (Kristupas Buzys) signals appetite for CX investment. H1 2025 profitability pressure demands efficiency-led revenue growth.
2. Foundation
SAP CAR is live. AČIŪ has 6.7M members. Barbora generates 3M orders. FRANMAX has 100+ SAP professionals. The infrastructure exists - activation is the missing piece.
3. Proof
IDC study: 385% 3-year ROI. Contorion: +62% repeat purchase rate. Levi's Brazil: 30% of revenue from automations in 6 months. Results are documented, not hypothetical.
385%
3-Year ROI
IDC Business Value Study benchmark
6-12
Weeks to Live
Implementation timeline with CAR Connector
100+
Pre-Built Tactics
Retail-specific automations ready to deploy
€6.1B
Revenue Base
Every percentage point improvement scales massively
Maxima has everything required to become the Baltic leader in personalised customer engagement. SAP Emarsys is the bridge between data and action.