Acumatica’s recent 2024 R2 release represents a significant leap forward in the ERP landscape, blending cutting-edge AI capabilities with customer-driven enhancements. With over 350 updates tailored to meet the evolving needs of SMBs across industries, this release underscores Acumatica’s commitment to innovation, usability, and customer satisfaction.
In an exclusive Q&A with ERPNews, Jeremy Larsen, Vice President of Product Management at Acumatica, provides valuable insights into the motivations behind the 2024 R2 update, its groundbreaking features, and the company’s strategic vision for the future. From AI-powered reporting to enhanced integrations with Amazon and Shopify, discover how Acumatica is shaping the ERP market and empowering businesses to succeed in a competitive digital era.
- What specific customer feedback drove the development of the 2024 R2 update, and how did it shape the new features?
- 2024 R2 is a direct reflection of the insights and requests we’ve gathered from our customer base. With over 350 enhancements, our development process was guided by feedback from our 26,000+ community members which includes customers and partners. Our customers consistently voiced a need for greater automation, enhanced user experience, and more robust integrations. This feedback influenced major features like our new AI engine to power advanced reporting and analytics and deeper integrations with popular e-commerce platforms. Additionally, the growing need for tailored ERP solutions for Professional Services companies spurred the development of our new Professional Services Edition.
- How does the new AI engine enhance your reporting and analytics capabilities, and what advantages does it bring to data management?
- The new AI engine is powering the new anomaly detection capability in our General Inquiry that helps users quickly identify irregularities in data without manual oversight. This feature scans through large datasets, flags potential discrepancies and alerts users to outliers or patterns that might require further investigation. The advantage lies in time-saving and precision—by proactively surfacing anomalies, teams can manage their data more effectively, reduce errors and focus on higher-value tasks instead of spending time on routine checks.
- Could you elaborate on the new Amazon and Shopify integrations, and how they benefit SMBs in retail and distribution?
- The Amazon and Shopify integrations provide small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in retail and distribution with seamless connectivity between their e-commerce platforms and Acumatica. Our new release brings more to businesses looking to expand their eCommerce capabilities. Users can now streamline Amazon returns, exchanges and refunds and improve competitive positioning with volume pricing and quantity rules for Shopify. Ultimately, this allows SMBs to scale efficiently, effectively manage multiple sales channels and deliver a better customer experience.
- How does the updated user interface improve personalization, and what impact does this have on team collaboration?
- Our new, modern user interface offers enhanced personalization options, allowing users to tailor their dashboards, workflows and reports based on their specific needs and roles. This level of customization fosters better collaboration by enabling teams to access and share the most relevant information quickly. Teams can now collaborate more effectively by working within a unified platform that’s tailored to their unique roles, ensuring that the right data is accessible at the right time.
- What industry-specific enhancements were introduced, and which sectors stand to benefit the most from these updates?
- The 2024 R2 update introduces key enhancements across several industries, including construction, manufacturing, distribution and retail. For instance, construction firms benefit from efficiency-boosting capabilities that accelerate time to payment like on-demand pro forma invoice creation. Meanwhile, distributors can now manage operations more seamlessly, optimize returns and streamline procure-to-pay activities with sales order anomaly detection. Manufacturers experience new features that enhance cost-efficiency such as a new estimate worksheet to create competitive quotes by amortizing one-time costs across multiple quantities.
- How does Acumatica balance advanced functionality with user-friendliness, especially with the 2024 R2 enhancements?
- Acumatica has always prioritized delivering powerful features without compromising on usability. In the 2024 R2 release, we’ve maintained this balance by offering advanced capabilities—like AI-driven insights and industry-specific integrations—through an intuitive interface. Our new user interface includes features like a personalized dashboard that allows users to access sophisticated functionality while maintaining a user-friendly experience that requires minimal training or technical expertise.
- Are there any unique challenges in construction, manufacturing, or distribution that the new features address?
- Yes, the 2024 R2 release addresses several industry-specific challenges. In construction, streamlined billing processes and improved field services appointment editing enhance collaboration between field teams and back-office staff. For manufacturers, streamlined purchase order processing helps optimize workflow, and distributors benefit from two-step receiving verification for improved quality and receipt error reduction. These product enhancements were created to address the real-world needs of our customers.
- How does this release enhance Acumatica’s competitive positioning in the ERP market?
- The 2024 R2 release further cements Acumatica’s position as a leading ERP solution, especially for SMBs. By incorporating hundreds of customer-driven enhancements, AI-powered capabilities, and expanded integrations, we offer impressive flexibility, scalability,y and value. This release highlights our commitment to innovation while ensuring that our solution remains accessible and practical for growing businesses, giving us a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.
- What has been the response from early adopters of the 2024 R2 release, particularly concerning the AI and UI updates?
- Early adopters of the 2024 R2 release have been highly positive. Customers are excited about the new AI engine for making data management more efficient and proactive. The enhanced UI has also received great feedback for improving workflow customization and team collaboration. The overall sentiment is that the new features are intuitive, user-friendly, and add real value to their day-to-day operations.
- What future trends or customer needs is Acumatica considering as it plans for upcoming updates?
- As we plan for future updates, we’re focused on continuing to deliver solutions that address our community’s unique business goals and challenges. Customer needs continue to evolve around scalability, ease of use, and industry-specific functionality. We will also evolve our solution to anticipate what’s possible 3-5 years from now when ERP technology will be more assistive, intuitive, and human-like based on technical advancements in AI and machine learning. Our goal is to not only meet current challenges but also anticipate future needs and possibilities in a way that allows us to continue to provide innovative, customer-driven solutions that empower businesses to succeed and grow on their own terms.
