The appointment marks a new milestone in the integration of SAP and Emarsys, the company SAP acquired earlier, reinforcing Hungary’s leading role within SAP’s global Customer Experience and marketing automation development portfolio.

Emarsys, originally founded as an Austrian startup, became internationally recognized among companies developing multichannel customer experience platforms, and today its solutions are used in more than 150 countries as a leading provider in digital marketing. SAP acquired the company in 2020, and it has since become one of the most important pillars of the German software giant’s customer experience portfolio. Emarsys Technology Hungary Kft., headquartered in Budapest, currently employs more than 250 developers, making it the world’s largest Emarsys development center.

The company develops an AI-based marketing automation platform that supports more than 15,000 businesses — including premium cosmetic and fashion brands — in strengthening customer loyalty through personalized, omnichannel communication. The new AI features support not only marketing automation, but also backend processes — for example, forecasting campaign resource needs or optimizing inventory management.

“Today’s marketing is not about mass messages but about real connections, achieved through personalized communication,” said Markus Hilken. “Emarsys aims to equip marketers with intelligent tools that help build lasting loyalty. By integrating Emarsys seamlessly with other SAP ecosystem business solutions, our customers can build truly data-driven relationships with their consumers. Every interaction becomes faster, more personal and more valuable for business.”

The Emarsys platform now enables access to more than 1.5 billion customer profiles while continuously increasing its channel-level efficiency. Although email communication still makes up the largest share, mobile and in-app channels have grown by 70%, while predictive recommendation systems reached a conversion rate of more than 38% in 2025.

Although the latest Black Friday season results are not yet known, 2024 brought the strongest performance in the platform’s history: customer campaign sends exceeded 1.8 billion, email open rates grew by an average of 22%, and click-through rates by 17% year-on-year. Real-time personalization algorithms on the platform recommended relevant offers 40% faster than in 2023, significantly boosting conversion rates in the retail sector.

Connecting Online and Offline Experiences

The business value of personalization — and the way artificial intelligence can become the creative business engine even for traditional brands — is well illustrated by the example of the renowned Gibson guitar brand. Although the brand carries strong subcultural significance, with Emarsys it managed to increase email-induced revenue by 120% and double user engagement. Thanks to automated, data-driven marketing communication — which by 2024 accounted for nearly half of total revenue (46%), compared with 36% two years earlier — the brand was able to react in real time to customer interest, ensuring that no guitar-seeking customer was left without a relevant offer.

Previously relying mainly on resellers, Gibson has now placed the strengthening of online sales channels and the connection of digital and physical experiences at the center of its strategy. The company has opened two experience-focused flagship stores in Nashville and London, and has launched a dedicated learning app for aspiring guitarists.

“When someone walks through the door of a Gibson Garage, it means they are truly passionate about the brand. With SAP Emarsys, we are able to continue that conversation even after they leave the store — whether through personalized emails, wishlist updates or the learning paths available in the app,” emphasized Martin Martz, CRM Manager at Gibson.

Integration and Growth Within SAP

Emarsys Hungary continues to operate as an independent CX development unit, with the Budapest team expanding the SAP CX portfolio through next-generation function development. AI-driven recommendation systems, automated inventory and order forecasting, and unified UX surfaces are all central to development efforts, with direct use of global experience.

Alongside his new role, Markus Hilken will continue to lead SAP Labs CEE Hungary, headquartered in Budapest, which also serves as the center of SAP’s Central and Eastern European R&D operations thanks to its size and broad development portfolio. The SAP Labs network encompasses 19 development centers worldwide and is gradually transitioning to a regional HUB structure. In the CEE region, in addition to the largest center in Budapest, Gliwice, Brno, Prague and Bratislava also play important roles in development activities.

Hilken joined SAP in 1999 and has lived and worked in Hungary for more than thirteen years. He previously held leadership positions in Germany, Luxembourg and Austria. In addition to his R&D and management experience at SAP, he has also worked in a startup environment, making him an ideal leader for the cultural transformation associated with the Emarsys integration.

“With Markus Hilken, Emarsys is led by an executive capable of preserving the company’s innovative, startup-minded identity while ensuring the stability and quality standards of large-scale corporate operations,” said Péter Hidvégi, managing director of SAP Hungary. “I believe true innovation is born where developers and customer-facing colleagues think together. My goal is to make this connection even stronger within SAP Hungary. Sharing knowledge and experience is key to creating truly customer-centric solutions.”