The COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world like a hot knife in butter, cutting away institutional norms while upsetting the very foundation of the world’s economy. As lockdowns and quarantines forced shoppers to increasingly turn to digital methods, companies like Ombori Grid have shifted to meet this new demand for streamlined processes in the retail industry.
After launching a live event in early July to market its prebuilt playbook of no-code apps, the team at Ombori Grid hopes to help retail outlets and industry professionals to raise expectations while delivering a better product through the Internet of Things (IoT).
Leading the Marketplace Efforts
Taking the lead on the Ombori Grid team for Marketplace development and expansion is Oskar Jakobsson, the former Head of Solution and Innovation at H&M. With more than two decades of experience in retail work focused ultimately on the customer’s experience, Jakobsson has brought a new perspective to inform the work being done with Ombori.
Jakobsson looks to the Ombori Grid product case of advanced retail solutions to say, “We as a company are perfectly placed” before adding, “The product itself is really at the forefront.”
For Jakobsson and Ombori Grid, much of their work has been in helping companies to integrate strategic systems that can replace the more laborious solutions put in place by in-house development teams. Custom hardware and logistics issues have led to a widespread problem with systems that consumers simply don’t want to use.
Ombori Grid Operations and Retail
Connecting with business owners and delivering them the box of tools required to succeed are two very different tasks. According to Chase Hawkins from the Microsoft Azure IoT team, “Business owners don’t want to talk about the technology, they view it as plumbing. They want the solutions.”
To better provide solutions to many problems once posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as queue management, Ombori Grid functions with Microsoft Azure over the cloud to create an accessible and functional experience. Kiosks are already lining the Madrid Airport, providing guests with a stress-free experience with shopping, scanning boarding passes, and finding departure times.
In the Swiss Alps, the Andermatt Ski Resort has turned to Ombori’s queue management system to help eliminate overlong lines at their ski lifts. A hop and a skip away, the Radisson Blu Hotel uses Ombori Grid technology to handle customer reservations, allowing an easier path to controlling customer flow while minimizing exposure risk to COVID-19.
Looking to the future, Ombori is focused on developing its platform for the benefit of its partners, turning a targeted allotment of apps to make them freely available through the Marketplace. Those who partner with Ombori will handle hardware management, support, and system installation. Through this collaborative partnership, Ombori Grid hopes to foment long-term growth while building valuable branding relations. Kiosks are already lining the Madrid Airport, providing guests with a stress-free experience with shopping, scanning boarding passes, and finding departure times.