SaaS Savings: How a Retail Group Saved €400K in 12 Months

Introduction

Retail groups manage complex infrastructures: multiple locations, distributed teams, and a proliferation of SaaS tools. Without centralized visibility, costs and redundancies accumulate. This case study shows how Avanoo enabled a retail group to save €400,000 in 12 months through granular usage and spending analysis.

Context

The group operated a fragmented SaaS environment: approximately 300 applications identified or suspected, purchases made at subsidiary or team level, and licenses rarely audited. The IT department lacked the visibility to manage costs and rationalize the landscape.

Actions Taken

Avanoo was deployed to map all SaaS applications in use, compare subscribed licenses against actual usage, and identify duplicates and uncontrolled purchases. The analysis led to three main workstreams:

1. Unused license reduction: Identification of accounts with no login or very low activity.
2. Platform consolidation: Merging redundant applications onto single solutions.
3. Card purchase elimination: Centralizing IT purchases and removing subscriptions taken outside official processes.

Results

• €400,000 in savings in the first year
• €240,000 recovered from unused licenses
• €130,000 through platform consolidation
• €30,000 by eliminating uncontrolled card purchases
• Reduction from 300 to 112 applications in the managed catalog

The group not only reduced costs but also simplified its environment and strengthened SaaS governance.

Conclusion

Optimizing SaaS spending requires granular visibility into actual usage. Avanoo provided the data needed to identify and exploit savings opportunities. In 12 months, the retail group achieved €400,000 in savings while significantly simplifying its application landscape.