Leaders in the retail technology sector, OmboriGrid has made waves with its announcement of its No-Code apps and plug-and-play IoT solutions. Since the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, the way that consumers interface with stores and acquire goods has shifted in nature. Digital processes and integrated technology to streamline retail interactions have become the norm and businesses that don’t cater will end up falling behind.
Ombori Grid has developed its retail solutions for the industry out of Sweden, officially holding its launch event on July 7th.
Consumer Expectation and COVID-19
The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a general panic turn into a very real shift toward digital technology. From interfacing over Microsoft Teams to get groceries delivered, industries from every background were forced to make adjustments. As mass vaccination drives help the pandemic usher itself to a slow end, retail consumers still have an expectation of streamlined digital processes. Put plainly, companies have to evolve to meet this new normal.
Digital functionality in retail settings will continue to get more and more popular, especially as the Internet of Things takes a firmer hold. With the Ombori Grid marketplace of no-code apps in development and available on Microsoft Azure, it stands to reason that many companies will continue to fine-tune and develop their digital grip on retail.
We can see how Ombori Grid’s marketplace of apps can impact the physical space as well as the digital space. Businesses like Andermatt Ski Resort relied on the Ombori Grid system for queue management, thus effectively eliminating long lines at the ski lift while reducing the potential for the spread of COVID-19. Down the road, a nearby Radisson Blu Hotel used a similar setup to process and streamline customer reservations, thus effectively managing the inflow of guests. In the Madrid Airport, duty-free kiosks at Dufy provide consumers with the technology necessary to find products, scan boarding passes, and make purchases.
New Leader With Old Experience
Oskar Jakobsson had formerly worked as Head of Solution and Innovation for H&M when he got the call to join the Ombori Grid team. After spending two decades working with H&M to develop its innovative processes, Jakobsson would take his retail experience to Ombori. Jakobsson says of the companies’ continued growth over the span of the pandemic, “New customers are being added all the time.”
Despite the experience, Oskar understands that there is an uphill battle to tackle before progress can truly be made. Chase Hawkins of Microsoft pointed out that most business owners don’t really even want to talk about the ‘plumbing’ of their technology, instead preferring to see solutions in real-time. Thankfully, an Azure account is essentially all businesses will need to begin processing through the Azure Marketplace. No required procurement process or extensive subscription paperwork. Simple solutions with fewer hurdles are the name of the game at Omber Grid.