GERMANY. Omnevo, a leading provider of digital platform solutions for airports and airlines, and Frankfurt Airport owner and operator Fraport today went live with the latest advanced version of Omnevo’s omnichannel ecommerce solution.
Additionally, the two companies have announced that they have extended their long-term partnership for five more years. The agreement will enable the partners to further develop the digitalisation of the airport’s range of products and services for the almost 70 million passengers (before COVID-19) who pass through Germany’s largest airport each year.
The existing digital solution platform, which Omnevo’s parent company AOE Group had originally developed for Fraport in 2015, was migrated to the latest Omnevo product version.
Fraport has used the OM³ digital platform (now known as Omnevo) to become the world’s first omnichannel airport focused entirely on omnichannel both before and, especially, during the pandemic.
“By continuing on our digital path, we are able to react much faster and more flexibly to unpredictable situations and dynamic market developments and to implement new digital business models” – Fraport Head of Retail and Digital Jens Paul
The newly-enhanced Omnevo cloud solution enables the operation of a complete airport marketplace solution for all travel retail sales, according to its creator. The company claims this comes “at a fraction of the costs previously required for such a leading ecosystem” and the solution can create new revenue opportunities for crisis-hit airports of any size.
With its flexible SaaS solution, Omnevo said that Fraport has also effectively future-proofed its digital strategy by integrating directly in the Omnevo product roadmap, enabling it to benefit from a strategy of continuous improvements to the solution.
AOE CEO and Founder and Omnevo Chairman Kian Gould said: “We are delighted to share this new five-year agreement with Fraport to continue our future-oriented work in the implementation of a sustainable and profitable business model for the global travel retail sector, which we proudly pioneered with Fraport at Frankfurt Airport, in 2015, as our first airport customer.
“Fraport and Frankfurt Airport have since maintained their clear focus on the vision that originally motivated Fraport to digitalise its business model, namely, to transform stationary trade into an omnichannel travel retail and shopping hub, with the ultimate goal of serving passengers with relevant information, shopping options and services – all instantly available, in the right place, at the right time.
“Especially during the Corona crisis, which has led to an almost complete standstill for most of the travel industry for so many months, Fraport AG was able to continue generating sales through its digital marketplace solution while many other airports’ shops remained closed, inflicting huge losses in revenue.”
Demonstrating the adaptability of the digital platform, the launch of the new Omnevo solution was marked by enabling online shopping to be temporarily opened to non-flying guests. The purchases, including a programme of online exclusive offers, are delivered free of charge throughout Germany.
Omnevo said that the versatility of the delivery fulfilment system has helped to compensate for the coronavirus-related losses from the airport’s suspended Click & Collect business, securing Fraport vital revenues even in the midst of the global crisis.
Fraport Head of Retail and Digital Jens Paul said: “During the Corona crisis, Omnevo once again showed us how important a flexible digital marketplace solution and alternative sales channels really are in travel retail. We look forward to continuing to shape the next few years with Omnevo.
“By continuing on our digital path, we are able to react much faster and more flexibly to unpredictable situations and dynamic market developments and to implement new digital business models.”
Since its initial project with Fraport at Frankfurt, AOE Group has implemented its digital solution at many other airports, including Heathrow and Auckland.
