Innovations in Ombori Marketplace Allow Quick Deployment of Solutions
Companies around the globe have faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including how to provide customers with the enhanced omnichannel shopping experience they’ve been demanding.
Thanks to companies such as Ombori Grid, various industries , including retail, grocery, hospitality, airport, healthcare, and more, have adopted the technology they need to accommodate consumer demands during this challenging time.
Ombori Grid is focused on streamlining client operations and elevating the customer experience through a suite of customizable, no-code apps. These apps have been strategically to build brand loyalty by powering seamless displays and mobile experiences in public environments.
Throughout 2021, Ombori Grid experienced exponential growth, raising more than $7 million and adding 19 new members to the Ombori family. Leveraging its growth, Ombori introduced its new Marketplace of ready-to-deploy solutions, making it easier than ever for businesses to access Ombori technology.
In a recent video, Ombori Grid 2021 Year in Review, Ep7: SPEED , founder Andreas Hassellöf highlighted the benefits of the new Marketplace:
“Throughout the year, we have made it a lot easier to sign up to the Ombori Grid and start reaping the benefits of the platform. With our Marketplace of ready-to-use solutions and usage-based billing, anyone can sign up using an email address and start deploying these kinds of seamless omnichannel customer experiences in just a matter of minutes.”
The New Ombori Marketplace
Ombori Grid offers various solutions to help companies bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. In July 2021, Oskar Jakobsson, former head of solutions and innovation at H&M, alongside Hassellöf, launched the new Ombori Marketplace in a strategic move to drive the development of the IoT [Internet of Things] market. The Ombori Marketplace offers an array of solutions to companies who want to thrive in a post-pandemic world while addressing new consumer demands.
Here’s a glimpse of the technologies included on the Ombori Marketplace:
Queue Management
Ombori Queue Management enables businesses to reduce lines and improve the customer experience by replacing physical queues with virtual ones. Using a modern ticketing solution, this tool incorporates both mobile phones and paper tickets. Instead of waiting in a physical line, visitors can add themselves to a virtual queue either online in advance or via a self-service kiosk, NFC tag, or QR code at the location. Once they’ve been added to the queue, visitors receive a confirmation that they are in line.
Visitors then have the luxury of waiting nearby or off-site, reducing the stress and anxiety of traditional queues. Visitors who opt for mobile notifications receive a message when they’re near the head of the line and are informed to go to the location. They receive a second notification when it is their turn. At any time, visitors can review their position in line and the expected wait time. Upon arrival, they can check-in using their paper ticket or via a QR code on their mobile phone. This automatically updates the real-time queue data and triggers notifications to other customers waiting.
Queue management has become an essential business tool as a result of the pandemic. As social distancing guidelines disappear, consumers continue to demand virtual queue options. This solution offers flexibility and freedom and will be an essential business function well into the future.
Queue Management is available starting at €39 per month.
Appointment Booking
Ombori Appointment Booking enables customers to schedule meetings with ease. Visitors can book an appointment online or using a QR code on a digital signage screen. They receive a confirmation on their mobile device or a printed ticket. Visitors are reminded of their appointment via SMS. Upon arrival, visitors check-in using digital signage or show their appointment details to a staff member. Appointment Booking is great for reserving a squash court in a sports facility, making a personal shopping appointment, scheduling a meeting with a city hall worker, booking an appointment with a loan officer, and much more.
Appointment Booking reduces missed appointments, increases productivity, and offers businesses accurate real-time data regarding operations. In addition, it reduces queues and offers an easy rescheduling option for customers.
Appointment Booking is available starting at €65 per month.
Omni Visit
Omni Visit integrates online and in-person services and has become one of the most demanded products during the pandemic.
Ombori Omni Visit combines both types of queues, enabling business staff to handle all customers from one location. All visitors — whether they are in-person or online — join the queue via the queue management solution. Omni Visit then takes the experience one step further by organizing the queue for business staff. They can rotate the customers they service, ensuring no one is missed in the process.
While Omni Visit offers customers more choice, it provides businesses with critical functions to reduce costs. By optimizing staff time, businesses can improve service, increase productivity, reduce abandonment, and gain access to real-time and historical data on queue size, wait times, and abandonment.
Omni Visit is available starting at €99 per month.
People Counter
Omni People Counter provides an accurate tally of visitors using cameras to count people entering and leaving a location from multiple exit/entry points. Unlike traditional people counting, the Ombori solution requires no human interaction, reducing costs for businesses. People Counter also offers businesses imperative data to help improve operations, including an analysis of peaks and troughs in visitation, the impact of external factors such as weather, conversion rates, and the effectiveness of promotional strategies.
People Counter is available starting at €69 per month.
Occupancy Control
Ombori Occupancy Control takes People Counter to the next level, leveraging real-time data to ensure businesses meet occupancy limits. When occupancy levels reach their peak, doors close automatically. They automatically reopen when occupancy levels are reduced. Digital signage informs customers when the location is full to ensure they are aware of the circumstances; signage can also redirect customers to online shopping while they wait. If Queue Management is installed, it is automatically enabled on demand. Additionally, the solution immediately updates staff when occupancy levels reach preset thresholds so staff can be reassigned accordingly.
Occupancy Control has become a necessity during COVID and has replaced traditional methods of people counting and crowd control. However, it can also be used to ensure businesses meet safety standards and occupancy regulations.
Occupancy Control is available starting at €109 per month.
Signage Playlist
Ombori Signage Playlist is a powerful tool that allows businesses to create dynamic digital signage playlists that surprise and delight visitors. Signage can be placed strategically in the store and display content, including video, audio, animations, images, and text. Using QR codes, voice communication, or touch screen, visitors can interact with Signage Playlists to further improve their shopping experience, transforming it into an omnichannel visit.
Management can easily control the content that appears on screen and decide when each piece is displayed. They can also use context-sensitive triggers to change content based on factors such as gender, time, or weather and reuse existing content without any additional coding.
Dynamic digital signage provides an exciting new way for businesses to communicate with visitors and makes creating and managing content easy and efficient. Businesses can expect to increase engagement and revenue; reduce production costs, workload, and maintenance costs; and have accurate data available to help improve marketing and sales strategies.
Signage Playlist is available starting at €15 per month.
Order Pickup
Ombori Order Pickup makes it easier for customers to collect, return, and drop off items. It provides a powerful, streamlined way to handle buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS), and curbside delivery that’s convenient for customers and empowering for staff. When combined with Omni Visit, Queue Management, Occupancy Control, and Digital Signage, this tool allows businesses to create a full-featured omnichannel fulfillment solution.
Using order pickup is simple. Customers complete transactions online, including payment, and are assigned a pickup time. They are given instructions on when to arrive and where to go. Customers or staff can reschedule time slots as necessary. Prior to arrival, customers receive a reminder about their order via SMS. Staff members are also notified of upcoming visits so they can prepare goods for collection and verify whether payment has been made. Upon arrival, customers check-in via their mobile device, digital signage, or vehicle license plate recognition.
If they have selected vehicle delivery, they are directed to a parking bay so staff can identify them. When customers are checked in, staff receive a notification that they are ready to be seen. Once identity is verified, goods are handed over, and payment is complete, the staff member marks the transaction complete. Order Pickup increases customer satisfaction by offering choice and convenience and reduces costs by optimizing staff time and eliminating shipping costs.
Order Pickup is available starting at €89 per month.
Preparing for 2022
New year’s resolutions aren’t just for people. Businesses, too, should look to the future and resolve to make it better. Right now, businesses are facing a world of opportunity. Those that resolve to adopt new technologies to meet evolving consumer demands will thrive for years to come. Those who resist change face an uncertain future, where the competition may quickly outpace them. Companies and organizations interested in trying one of Ombori’s innovative solutions should reach out to the Ombori sales team .
Originally published at https://ombori.com on January 19, 2022.
