Technology

Gimbal enhances curbside-efficiency platform for restaurants, retailers

Provided

October 12, 2020

Gimbal has launched On-the-Way SDK, a real-time solution connecting mobile orders with in-store, curbside and drive-thru pickup options.

The enhanced platform is part of the Los Angeles-based company's core enterprise-grade Location SDK, which major restaurants and retailers with brick-and-mortar locations had already adopted, Ryan Nabors, senior director of location platform and partnerships, said in a press release.

Buy Online Pickup In-Store, curbside and other contactless solutions have not only opened a new wave of convenience and safety that customers now expect but they also offer cost savings for brick-and-mortar stores.

"Brands were implementing BOPIS and curbside prior to the pandemic, but what became undoubtedly clear is the rate at which these niceties were becoming necessities," Nabors said in the release. "We seized the opportunity to enhance our location technology to more seamlessly integrate with a store's server-side operations to turn possibilities into realities. On-the-Way alleviates a lot of the manual processes from an operational and consumer-facing standpoint."

Enhanced functionalities include real-time APIs via order mode and arrival mode. With order mode, real-time order and location data are sent to a store's back-of-house system to increase operational efficiencies. Arrival mode notifies staff when customers are on the way, down the road, or what spot they have parked in if Gimbal beacons are deployed in store lots.

"Not only are consumers downloading more apps, but their usage has risen significantly — growing 40% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2020," Liz Weinsten, Gimbal director of marketing, said in the release. "Add that to the expected click-and-collect sales of $58.52 billion this year, and you've hit a goldmine opportunity to take advantage of what's possible with mobile and the current state."

Gimbal plans to integrate the On-the-Way SDK real-time APIs with other tech partners by the end of the year with additional improvements along the way.