Epicor wants to innovate in ways that are practical, scalable, valuable, especially for the industries that it serves. Innovation is not about doing more, it is about doing the right things, consistently, and doing them well. That means building systems and embedding intelligence in ways that help customers operate more effectively and not overwhelm them.
Kerrie Jordan’s current role as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Product, is fundamentally about connection – connecting what Epicor builds with the real value it creates for customers.
Coming from a product management background – Jordan was previously Epicor’s Group Vice President of Product Management – that transition feels natural to Jordan. Product management teaches discipline, how to define real problems, how to listen deeply to customers, and how to stay focused on outcomes rather than activity. Marketing builds on that same foundation.
At its best, marketing is not about amplification, it is about clear dialogue. It is about helping customers, partners, and Epicor’s own teams understand why what Epicor is building matters, how it helps them run their businesses better, and how to continuously innovate and evolve products and services as a trusted technology partner.
“Across both roles, to me, the common thread is simple and non‑negotiable: everything starts with the customer. Whether we are prioritising a roadmap, designing an experience, or shaping a message, the questions we discuss as a team are always the same: does this solve a real problem, and does it create measurable value?
That mindset has guided my transition and continues to shape how I approach the role today,” says Jordan.
Moving ahead, after having transitioned from driving Epicor’s product innovation to managing global marketing at present, what are Jordan’s expectations from the Epicor product team?
“I expect our product and innovation teams to stay focused on outcomes, not just ideas. Innovation requires bold thinking, but it also demands disciplined execution. Both matter, and neither works without a deep understanding of real customer needs.”
That means building systems that are resilient and trusted, and embedding intelligence in ways that genuinely help customers operate more effectively and not overwhelm them.
Epicor wants to innovate in ways that are practical, scalable, and valuable, especially for the industries that it serves. Innovation is not about doing more, it is about doing the right things, consistently, and doing them well.
High, low points of product development
For Jordan, the most rewarding moments as head of product were always when teams came together to solve meaningful customer challenges, particularly the complex, hard problems that do not have obvious answers. Those moments require persistence, trust, and close collaboration across functions, and when they work, the impact for customers is real and lasting.
The hardest part of the role was managing competing priorities.
In enterprise software, there is always more demand than time, more ideas, more opportunities, more urgency. Learning where to stay disciplined, and where to push harder, is one of the most important leadership skills in product management. Product managers are known for having empathy for the customer, but they also must have empathy for each other.
Great product leadership is not about reacting to the loudest voice or chasing every trend. It is about resilience, consistency, and making thoughtful, data-driven trade‑offs over time.
“Those lessons continue to inform how I think about leadership today,” reflects Jordan.
Customer pain points and innovation
“What customers tell us very clearly is that innovation only matters if it fits naturally into how work actually gets done. We spend a lot of time listening to customers, and three needs come through consistently,” she says.
- First, they want simplicity in increasingly complex environments.
- Second, they need trust: in their data, their systems, and the partners they rely on.
- Third, they need the ability to adapt and grow as conditions change.
New capabilities must integrate into real workflows, not sit alongside them. That is why Epicor’s focus is on strong ERP foundations, embedded intelligence, and reducing operational friction rather than adding complexity.
The best ideas for Epicor come from customers, either in direct conversations, site visits, customer advisory board sessions, or even submitted online into Epicor’s ideas portal. Clear dialogue is important; it is how meaningful innovation happens.
Product resilience
Resilience is critical. Epicor’s customers are operating in markets defined by uncertainty — economic pressure, geopolitical conflict, supply chain disruption, and workforce challenges. Epicor’s role is to help them continue operating with confidence, even when conditions are fluctuating.
That starts with building systems that are secure, adaptable, and designed to absorb disruption. But resilience is not only technical. It is operational and organisational as well. It requires planning ahead, staying agile, and having the confidence to act when conditions change.
Resilience is built through preparation and operational discipline. Epicor has carefully designed into its cloud infrastructure the controls, visibility, and intelligence to ensure stability, security, and scale. Epicor runs SaaS solutions in partnership with the world’s largest public cloud providers and offers availability in all major regions around the world.
When designing a cloud strategy, the best practices include considering regulatory and operational requirements, continuously testing and validating recovery processes, leveraging self-service tools for flexibly managing administrative tasks, and accessing transparency offerings like availability dashboards to remain in control of your cloud environments.
“Technology is a critical enabler, but it is only part of the equation. Execution, readiness, and governance are what ultimately make resilience effective. Customers do not just need systems that are designed well, they need confidence that those systems will perform when it matters most,” stresses Jordan.
Epicor’s AI strategy
Epicor’s approach to AI is grounded in practical value. The vendor is embedding AI directly into ERP workflows through Epicor Prism, enabling connected, agent-driven experiences that help customers make faster, better-informed decisions built on trusted data, strong governance, and secure systems.
Over time, this intelligence becomes part of the everyday operating model, moving beyond isolated use cases to deliver measurable outcomes across the business.
With new innovations being rolled out over the upcoming months, Epicor is enabling scalable, governed AI that transforms ERP from a system of record into a system of action and outcomes.
“The goal is not AI for its own sake, it is intelligence that reduces friction, enhances decision-making, and frees people to focus on higher-value work,” points out Jordan.
Epicor’s market differentiation comes from combining practical innovation with industry expertise learnt over the last 50 years. Epicor focuses on solving operational challenges, not just showcasing what is technically possible.
By staying close to its customers and understanding how their businesses actually operate, Epicor is able to build solutions that scale with them and reflect the realities they face every day.
“Customer proximity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is what allows us to innovate with purpose,” says Jordan.
Managing today’s conflicts
In today’s environment, resilience and adaptability are essential. Epicor encourages customers to invest in visibility, strengthen access to trusted data, and build flexibility into their operations and supply chains.
But technology alone is not enough.
Organisations also need the ability to respond quickly, make informed decisions under pressure, and adapt as conditions change. The businesses that combine strong systems with strong decision‑making will be far better positioned for long‑term resilience, regardless of what challenges emerge next.
Key takeaways
Innovation
- Product and innovation teams need to stay focused on outcomes, not just ideas.
- Innovation requires bold thinking, but it also demands disciplined execution.
- Great product leadership is not about reacting to the loudest voice or chasing every trend.
- The questions we discuss as a team are always the same: does this solve a real problem, and does it create measurable value?
- Learning where to stay disciplined, and where to push harder, is one of the most important leadership skills in product.
- What customers tell us is that innovation only matters if it fits naturally into how work actually gets done.
- Customer proximity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is what allows us to innovate with purpose.
Resilience
- Resilience is not only technical; it is operational and organisational as well.
- Resilience requires planning ahead, staying agile, and having the confidence to act when conditions change.
- Resilience is built through preparation and operational discipline.
- Technology is a critical enabler, but it is only part of the equation.
- Execution, readiness, governance are what ultimately make resilience effective.
- Customers do not just need systems that are designed well, they need confidence that those systems will perform when it matters most.
Cloud strategy
- Consider regulatory and operational requirements.
- Continuously test and validate the recovery processes
- Leverage self-service tools for flexibly managing administrative tasks.
- Access transparency offerings like availability dashboards to remain in control of your cloud environments
Value from AI
- The goal is not AI for its own sake.
- Epicor’s approach to AI is grounded in practical value.
- Epicor is embedding AI directly into ERP workflows through Epicor Prism.
- Agent-driven experiences help customers make faster, informed decisions built on trusted data, governance, secure systems.
- Intelligence becomes part of the operating model, moving beyond isolated use cases to deliver measurable outcomes.
- Epicor is enabling scalable, governed AI that transforms ERP from a system of record into a system of outcomes.
- AI is for intelligence that reduces friction and frees people to focus on higher-value work.
