Ombori announces first deployment of Virtual Queues in ACE UAE

Stockholm, April 27, 2020

Ombori Grid Virtual Queues, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, has rolled out to three Al-Futtaim ACE hardware stores in Dubai. Al-Futtaim ACE stores offer a wide selection of outdoor lifestyle, electronics and appliances, gardening, homeware, paint and décor, do-it-yourself, automotive and pet care products. The new technology allows the stores to control the number of people within the store and reduce the number of people waiting in line using a virtual queuing system.

Virtual Queues Customers add themselves to the queue via a Web booking system or if they’re already at the store, they can scan a QR code outside the store using their mobile phone. After scheduling ahead or getting a ticket the customer is informed of the queue progress via SMS or Apple Wallet push notifications. They can then wait safely in their car or at home instead of standing outside in a physical queue and receive a message when it is their turn to enter the store. 

Store staff also have access to Virtual Queues via phone or tablet. They can check shoppers in and out, monitor the number of people in the store, and ensure that the virtual line keeps moving. Stores can choose to set a time limit for shoppers in order to keep the line moving, and Virtual Queues will automatically notify shoppers when their time is up and they need to check out.

All Grid data is easily viewed in a dashboard which allows stores to track and analyze customer behaviour.  

Andreas Hassellöf, CEO of Ombori, said, “From our first meeting to going live took less than 72 hours. This shows just how fast Virtual Queues can be deployed. It also shows the amazing commitment and dedication of the teams at both Al-Futtaim and Ombori.”

Médéric Payne, Managing Director Multi-Brands, Al-Futtaim, said, “We are trying to serve our community, to be ‘ACE, the helpful place.’ That comes with a lot of responsibility, notably safety for our customers and staff. This system allows us to identify how many people are in the store, because there are strict controls on the number of people allowed into the building at any one time. For customers it only takes a few seconds and then you can sit safely in your car instead of standing in the heat. Most people are going for complicated hard-coded systems but this is Web-based so we could roll it out very quickly.”

Built on top of Ombori’s successful Grid in-store technology platform, Virtual Queues can be used either as a stand-alone solution or integrated with other Grid components to offer more options. For example, Virtual Queues can be integrated with digital signage that displays the current queue position, sends coupons or other information to customers in store or in the queue, enables them to self check-out, or enables them to purchase online for either delivery or pickup.

The basic version of Virtual Queues is free of all license fees for the first six months. Built on MS Azure, it is enterprise ready and can be deployed in a matter of days. It is a fully cloud-based solution which requires no existing infrastructure or hardware.

More information

Andreas Hassellöf, CEO, Ombori: [email protected] 

Al-Futtaim ACE: https://www.alfuttaim.com/retail/al-futtaim-ace/

Virtual Queues video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRgQ5sLN3bc