Retail&Insight Launches Hyperconnected O2O Platform Service for Local Markets

The O2O platform 'Tomato App,' which directly connects local supermarkets and consumers, has been launched. At Bojeong Discount Mart in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, which adopted the app, the app is being demonstrated on both mobile phones and the mart's terminal. Kim Ki-beom, the mart's CEO, explained, "Compared to the existing POS, the ease and fast speed are impressive, but we are grateful and pleased with the technology that automatically creates a commerce environment within the app."

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] An O2O platform connecting production areas, food manufacturers, local marts, and customers is being introduced. For consumers, it allows nationwide grocery delivery within one hour through an application (app), and for local marts, it enhances competitiveness, drawing attention.

The main player is 'Tomato App,' launched by Retail & Insight, the only domestic company specializing in an integrated B2C and B2B supermarket platform. This app is significant as a means to bring local marts and consumers closer. Customers can easily order food via mobile, and supermarkets can provide delivery within one hour.

Last November, Retail & Insight released TomatoPOS, a smart POS system optimized for supermarkets that integrates ERP, SCM, and POS into a stable cloud-based service, and Tomato App is linked to this system.

Until now, the local mart industry has inevitably lagged behind large distribution companies in online service and system competitiveness due to the lack of product management, supply management, store management, and marketing support systems. Now, as the number of marts applying Tomato App and consumers increases, consumers are expected to benefit from fast delivery, and marts can enhance their competitiveness.

Tomato App features an innovative payment function that includes an 'NFC-based integrated payment function' allowing simultaneous application of integrated discount coupons and point accumulation during offline payments, and a new concept 'RF-based Touch Pay function' enabling payment by simply touching a physical card to a mobile phone during online orders, making it easy for elderly users to utilize.

Byung-yeon Ahn, CEO of Retail & Insight, stated, "This is the only app in the world where 20,000 marts nationwide are managed under the same system, which can resolve difficulties experienced when operating at the individual mart level," adding, "The biggest feature is that it is an app that supports the coexistence of consumers and local marts."

The expected effects of Tomato App are considerable. Professor Kim Gil-seop of Soongsil University’s Department of IT Distribution and Logistics said, "It is noteworthy that supermarkets, which are spread like capillaries across the country, have been integrated based on IT and applied a store-warehouse integrated model, enabling strong competitiveness in fresh food delivery without investment in high-cost infrastructure such as logistics warehouses for each mart."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.