The Pricing Blog by Omnia Retail

“Even if you don't manage company culture, a specific culture will emerge. Although it probably won't be the culture you envisioned,” says Omnia Retail’s COO Vanessa Verlaan who presented on the topic of building a...

“Even if you don't manage company culture, a specific culture will emerge. Although it probably won't be the culture you envisioned,” says Omnia Retail’s COO Vanessa Verlaan who presented on the topic of building a strong and healthy workplace culture at the annual World Class Workforce Transformation conference in Frankfurt, Germany in January. In sharing Omnia’s experiences, failures and successes in building a healthy company culture, Verlaan shared that it is not something that can be achieved if only one part of the company is actively trying to enforce it: “I am convinced everyone in the company should be responsible of company culture. Not just HR. It starts with the leadership team and then it can be scaled.” Covid-19 has upended how leaders interact with employees and how coworkers connect with each other," a Harvard Business Review article by Denise Lee Yohn says. "Culture has become a strategic priority with an impact on the bottom line. It can’t just be delegated and compartmentalised anymore,” says Yohn. In many cases, a company’s core values are used to attract and hire top talent and remain a calling card on a company’s website. But what happens when the experience does not match the initial expectation? “People have certain expectations when they start at a company and then when faced with the reality, they are disappointed, and then leave. That’s when companies have to rehire for the same positions. This is why core values need to be implemented from the leadership team and throughout each department,” shares Vanessa. Using this simple yet effective system, Verlaan explains how the expectation-reality gap can be closed if culture plays an unconditional role in every step of the employee life cycle: Professionals from DHL Express, Siemens, Allianz Global Investors and Celltrion Healthcare also shared presentations on upskilling, digital transformation in the workplace, employee engagement, and other interesting topics that affect teams across the continent, making this one of the most innovative and forward-thinking events dedicated to the employee experience. In addition to the case study presentation, Verlaan also participated in a roundtable discussion with professionals from other private companies which further unpacked the topic for employees at corporations, scale-ups and start-ups. In talking to one of the fellow speakers who experienced that her previous leadership team was not supportive of implementing a specific workplace culture throughout the company, Vanessa believes that there are further opportunities regarding the practices for companies that want to achieve a strong and positive corporate culture. “Culture persists only because people act in ways that uphold its principles and codes,” says a Stanford Social Innovation Review paper, echoing the sentiment that Vanessa shared in her presentation. As Omnia has grown over the years, expanded in locations and developed each department, one thing has stayed the same - its core values. “We don’t update our core values because they are the foundation. However, they have become more clear and implemented in various steps,” says Vanessa. Omnia Retail's COO Vanessa Verlaan enjoyed snapping some photos at the event with fellow speakers in between interesting discussions on company culture.

Name: Vanessa Verlaan Company Role: Chief Operations Officer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Ensuring that everyone within Omnia reaches their full potential, building a scalable and engaging company. What is your...

Name: Vanessa Verlaan Company Role: Chief Operations Officer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Ensuring that everyone within Omnia reaches their full potential, building a scalable and engaging company. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I have been an air traffic control trainee. It was a very impactful and insightful experience, something I still look back on with a lot of pride and pleasure. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? No matter their background, specialism or seniority, I can learn from everyone within Omnia. Everyone is inspiring, and together we daily raise the bar. What are the values that drive you? Curiosity: I am interested in what drives and motivates people. If I have a different opinion than someone else, I want to understand what reasons are behind it. Not to convince them of my point of view, but to broaden my horizon. Improvement: I am always thinking of how we can do something better, smarter, or faster. In my role, this mindset comes in handy, and it matches Omnia’s Obsession with Excellence value. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? - Powerful by Patty McCord - The Harry Potter books - Documentaries about food and nature What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I am currently doing a master’s in business administration. But when I’m really off, I enjoy being outdoors with my family. I have a small vegetable garden and enjoy cycling and hiking. Let’s end with your favorite quote! "Seek to understand before you seek to be understood."

Name: Julian Bieber Company Role: Working Student Backend Development --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? My main area of expertise within Omnia is the resource utilization of our databases and jvm based applications....

Name: Julian Bieber Company Role: Working Student Backend Development --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? My main area of expertise within Omnia is the resource utilization of our databases and jvm based applications. In other words, I help to ensure that the processes under the team finish in a reasonable amount of time. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I greatly enjoy working within a team that provides an environment where learning is a constant objective. Which heavily relies on our ability to confidently recover from mistakes. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? My favorite book series is “Stormlight Archive” by Brandon Sanderson, I am delighted by the world building. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? In my free time I go bouldering, lift weights, go skating (inline or ice), enjoy the occasional CTF challenge and program some 3d graphics. Furthermore, I enjoy baking various cakes and cookies.

Name: Melissa Cron Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I’m in the Junior Consultant traineeship so I will be rotating through different functions within the company. I’m currently in the...

Name: Melissa Cron Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I’m in the Junior Consultant traineeship so I will be rotating through different functions within the company. I’m currently in the Customer Success team where my main goal is to help our customers gain the maximum value out of Omnia. This comes with building new and existing relationships, understanding our customers’ pricing needs, and translating them into our tool. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Nowadays the internet is saturated with retailers and brands selling online which, as a consumer, can overwhelm you with the number of choices available. Now imagine this from the seller's perspective: they need to monitor their competitors and quickly adjust their own prices based on all this information while taking into account their own pricing strategies/goals. Without a tool like Omnia, this can become an extremely tedious, time-consuming, and manually-intensive task. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Regarding my educational background, I hold a BSc in Economics and Business Economics from Maastricht University, and an MSc in Strategic Management from Erasmus University Rotterdam. After my studies and before joining Omnia, I moved back to Thailand and worked as a Customer Service Officer in the automotive department of a microelectronics manufacturing company. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Each day presents a different challenge so there is always something new to learn. I feel that the bar is set very high within the company, which encourages me to do my best. The company values are something important to me and they really are instilled in everything we do. Last but definitely not least, my colleagues are great; they’re a fun bunch and always there to lend a hand or support when needed. What are the values that drive you? Honesty, empathy, integrity, and kindness What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? - The Twilight Saga - The Surgeon: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel - Favorite documentary: Inside Job What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I have recently taken up baking which is quite fun (although the cost of ingredients nowadays has me questioning this hobby). Besides that, you will probably find me on the couch looking online at the many restaurants in Amsterdam I would like to try, reading non-fiction books, or watching TV shows (usually reality TV shows or The Office on repeat most of the time). My resolution for this year is to be more physically active, but that is still a WIP. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” - Wayne Gretzky

Name: Anas Anjaria Company Role: Backend Engineer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I work on new features, product stability, streamline development process etc. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far?...

Name: Anas Anjaria Company Role: Backend Engineer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I work on new features, product stability, streamline development process etc. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I love the working culture, Munchie-mittwoch, and my colleagues here. Whenever I am stuck somewhere, there is always someone to help me out. Apart from work, I meet some of my colleagues and we spend time together (for instance cooking together). What are the values that drive you? Working culture, good development processes, opportunity to work on new stuff & challenges. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I share my experience via blogging.

Name: Jolene Ekuam Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am undertaking the traineeship program at Omnia. Currently I am part of the sales team, working as a business development...

Name: Jolene Ekuam Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am undertaking the traineeship program at Omnia. Currently I am part of the sales team, working as a business development representative. My day to day responsibilities involve vetting the leads that we receive from our marketing team's efforts and generating new business from right fit prospects. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I feel quite strongly about the topic of closing the gender gap in Tech. Future solutions are being developed by tech businesses, which are progressively influencing the course of humanity. The issue is that there are not enough women in these positions, especially in senior leadership positions, which poses a threat to exclude half of the world's population from discussions that will determine our shared destiny. I hope to one day influence and encourage young women like myself to venture into the tech industry. What is your past experience, of working in your position? My educational background is in economics and management, I graduated with a Bachelor in Business from Monash University in South Africa. Thereafter I moved to the Netherlands and pursued my Master studies at the Maastricht School of Management. Alongside my studies, I also did an internship at a health-tech startup based in Delft. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I really like the company culture and my colleagues at Omnia. We are a very diverse bunch and we embrace each other's diversity. I enjoy the flexible work arrangement whereby one can choose whether to work from home or from our office at Amstel. What are the values that drive you? Empathy, Self-reflection, Integrity and Loyalty What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? Books: Martha Beck – The Way of Integrity Podcast: Oprah's ‘Super Soul’ podcast (for inspiration) & Adelle Onyango’s ‘Legally clueless’ (for relatability and a good laugh) Documentary: Beyonce's Homecoming (this interview would not be complete if I did not find a way to include Queen B!) What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I love seeing and experiencing new things, I love to travel and explore new places and meet new faces. I am always open to trying out new activities or new cuisines whenever I can. I love to experiment in the kitchen with different recipes and soon I hope to start taking acting classes which I used to love when I was younger. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” - Peter Drucker.

Name: Yuqiang Liu Company Role: Backend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? The team and I maintain the retrieving process of offers from web, ensure stability and accuracy. What is something people in your...

Name: Yuqiang Liu Company Role: Backend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? The team and I maintain the retrieving process of offers from web, ensure stability and accuracy. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? It will help reduce communication cost to have up-to-date visualized structures of projects, microservices, pipeline automations, etc. Graphviz is strongly recommended What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Besides interesting and challenging work, I like the great people here and the culture of free-to-be-you-and-me. Not only friendly and welcoming, I also feel close like family. What are the values that drive you? Becoming a better me every day. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? 1984 – George Orwell The unbearable lightness of being – Milan Kundera The little prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Cycling., the passion I have found again in Omnia. Encouraged by other cycling lovers in Omnia, I’m going to participate in a bike marathon this year, over 200 km. Yeah, good luck to me :-) Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth.” – Aristotle

Name: Melissa Castelyn Company Role: Financial Controller --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am responsible for most of the operational work in the finance department. This stretches from debtors and creditors...

Name: Melissa Castelyn Company Role: Financial Controller --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am responsible for most of the operational work in the finance department. This stretches from debtors and creditors control to month-end closing, year-end closing, reporting, invoicing, payments and any other financial related items that the business needs. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Finance work is historically quite manual, but with tools like PowerBI and Python, I believe the way finance departments run can be much more automated. I would like to find and implement these ways and tools that are available and transform the way finance works. I also feel strongly about mitigating mental-load in the workplace. There is a lot of research on how the way of work can affect your mental load, and in turn your stress levels. By using better ways of working, communication and task-management in departments and across whole businesses, this can be reduced significantly. There really are some brilliant schools of thought on this topic, as well as very innovative software and tools that can be used. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I am a South African Chartered Accountant (=bAcc degree+masters+3 years articles+board exams). My articles were completed at Africa’s biggest retailer, a corporate company called Shoprite Checkers. During those 3 years I moved through the whole company, seeing almost every department. I stayed on for another 3 years in various departments, after which I made the move to the Netherlands, starting off at a media start-up for 2 years before landing at Omnia. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The way of working and culture really makes it a great place to work. Everyone is given full trust from day one and this really creates a sense of ownership. I enjoy the freedom that we are given to be who we are and fulfil our roles in ways that work best for us as individuals. What are the values that drive you? Self-reflection, honesty, trust, loyalty, ingenuity. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? A fine balance - Rohinton Mistry Human Kind: A Hopeful history - Rutger Bregman Culture Map – Erin Meyer What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I love travelling, especially to places by the sea, so that I can have a daily swim. When in Amsterdam, I enjoy a lot of yoga, dinners with friends, going to the theatre and live performances. I am also learning Spanish as an extra language and have weekly online tutor classes. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t. Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.” - Walter D. Wintle

Like any good sports team, Omnia takes a look at its wins and losses that shaped the year. With the acquisition of Patagona in 2021, this year would be the first full year as a combined company, bringing challenges and...

Like any good sports team, Omnia takes a look at its wins and losses that shaped the year. With the acquisition of Patagona in 2021, this year would be the first full year as a combined company, bringing challenges and triumphs. As the team enjoys the festive season and cooler weather, Omnia takes a look at some of the milestones and goals achieved that made 2022 a successful year. In addition, we’ll be sharing some of our best performing thought leadership articles that helped solidify our name as leaders in pricing and retail knowledge in Europe. Team and customer events furthered our vision to be market leaders in pricing solutions In March, the team met in Darmstadt to reveal the new logo to the entire company. The new logo, which is a combination of the previous Omnia Retail and Patagona logos, represents the symbolic union of the two teams after Omnia acquired the company in 2021. Thereafter, everyone enjoyed a team bonding exercise at Climbing Forest Darmstadt. Customer events were of utmost importance in 2022 to deepen our relationship with our current customers; to answer any questions they may have, and to establish new business contacts. This year’s e-commerce events included sharing our new logo and stand design with the public and getting to know some new international fairs too. In June, Omnia Retail was in London for Shoptalk Europe, followed by Webwinkel Vakdagen in Utrecht at the end of the month, as well as K5 Future Conference in Berlin. In September, there was DMEXCO, which is a digital marketing expo and conference in Cologne, followed by the huge Hardware Fair in Cologne, where we have been partof the tailored e-commerce expo for two days. The event highlight of the year for Omnia was when we hosted our very own event, Price Points Live, which saw the best minds in pricing, consumer psychology, e-commerce, inflation, and sustainability in e-commerce come together to share their knowledge for our customers. Taking place in Amsterdam in October, it was a chance to provide our customers with detailed and quality knowledge to improve their businesses and teams. It was also the first time that the Amsterdam and Darmstadt customers were interacting and mingling together under the Omnia name. In addition, the event put us in the category of thought leaders who drive success with data, support and insights for our customers. Review the full video of the event here. The team welcomed new faces from six new countries in 2022 One of our core values is “free to be you and me”, which promotes diversity, inclusion, understanding and acceptance of all people, with no judgment based on gender, race, nationality or any other factor, which is why having team members from various backgrounds has always been important. By the end of 2022, Omnia totalled employees from 26 countries around the world, up from 20 in 2021. Females in line management positions also increased, growing to 27% in 2022 from 9% in the previous year. In addition, women in leadership positions increased to 33%, up from 17%. Customer feedback showed a positive experience Omnia received 10 new reviews on G2, one of the world’s most well-known aggregators for software services, with an average score 8.3 out of 10. Reviewing Omnia’s best articles for 2022 Our content team spent many hours and minutes researching trends and topics that would be helpful to our customers, as well as other entrepreneurs, retail leaders and those keen on expanding their knowledge in pricing. Here are our top 10 articles for 2022: The Strategies Behind Amazon’s Success Price: The Most Important P in the Marketing Mix Understanding and Using Market Penetration Strategies How Odd Even Pricing Helps You Utilize The Power of Psychology What is Bundle Pricing? For the Bicycle Industry, 2022 Creates a Continued Supply Chain Crisis How Pricing Influences the Consumer Decision Making Process Adjusting your Pricing Strategy to the Product Life Cycle Stage How Does Amazon’s Search Algorithm Work? What is MAP Pricing?

Name: Max Bäumer Company Role: Team Lead Technical Support --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I manage the Technical Support team. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix?...

Name: Max Bäumer Company Role: Team Lead Technical Support --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I manage the Technical Support team. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Technical Support is usually the first contact point, when customers are facing issues. From time to time, customers are emotionally triggered during this conversation. In general this does not help solving the underlying issue faster, even worse, it affects us mentally aswell. In general, I would prefer when anyone in the industry is treated with the respect one would like to receive themselves. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Don’t really have any. I kind of tripped, fell and landed at Patagona (now Omnia). And now look where I am :) What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The people are the most important part. Even after Covid forced most people into home office, the connection remained strong. I’m happy to call most people not only my coworkers, but actually friends. I think having this many foodies around, is only one of the reasons. Besides, I always enjoyed the freedom to try out new things and learn new skills. What are the values that drive you? Food and good sleep. Besides, perhaps respect, compassion / empathy and kindness. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? Eragon, Qualityland and The Kangaroo Chronicles. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Eating food big time and doing lots of sports because of the previous point. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Hinten kackt die Ente” (My Dad)

Name: Manuel Zahn Company Role: Team Lead of Team Constellation --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? My team and I handle the planning, implementation, and acceleration of dataflows in our pricing platform. Every day, we...

Name: Manuel Zahn Company Role: Team Lead of Team Constellation --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? My team and I handle the planning, implementation, and acceleration of dataflows in our pricing platform. Every day, we process hundreds of millions of data points, such as offers and price recommendations. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Traditionally, in the software industry, we have to manage infrastructure, which distracts from focusing on the actual product. I encourage you to consider serverless architectures, where the cloud provider takes care of the infrastructure, and you can save time and invest it in your core product. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I studied computer science and economics at TU Darmstadt. During that time I worked as a research assistant in the Multimedia Communications Lab (KOM) in Darmstadt. There my main focus was researching and lowering the energy consumption in smartphones. I’ve also had a six month internship at NEC Laboratories Europe, where I researched about automated configuration of cloud-based IoT platforms. Soon I joined Omnia as a working student in 2014 :) What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? What I like most about Omnia Retail are the awesome people. There is always a friendly and constructive atmosphere which is the baseline for growing. Due to the large variety of tasks, the everyday work never gets boring. What are the values that drive you? Curiosity and Creativity What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? - Methodisch Inkorrekt (Podcast) - Geschichten aus der Geschichte (Podcast) - A Journey Beyond (Documentary) What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I’m passionate about cycling. In every season. I’m a fan of bikepacking. This means bicycle adventures on a Gravel Bike with minimum baggage plus tent. So far I cycled through the Alps, Scandinavia and Spain/France. Who is in for the next level of adventure? Let’s end with your favorite quote! “The Sky's the Limit” by Captain Picard in the final episode of Star Trek TNG

Name: Elisa Mozena Company Role: Senior Corporate Recruiter --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? As a Sr Corporate Recruiter, I hire new Omnians to help further build our teams. What is something people in your industry...

Name: Elisa Mozena Company Role: Senior Corporate Recruiter --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? As a Sr Corporate Recruiter, I hire new Omnians to help further build our teams. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I know recruiters sometimes have a bad reputation and this is one of the goals I have in my career - I want to have a positive impact on every candidate I meet with, independently of the interview outcome. We’ve all been candidates once, including myself, and I know how stressful and time consuming looking for a new job can be. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Before becoming a recruiter I worked for a time at the Finance department of a Hotel (it was not for me), and before that I was a Chef. I worked in Michelin-star restaurants and came quite a long way but at certain point I wanted to develop intellectually and decided to go back to study. I followed a BA degree in Amsterdam and as part of it I did an internship in recruitment. I fell in love with recruitment and have been in this field ever since. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The people - I love working with inspiring, smart and driven people. A players attract A players ;) What are the values that drive you? I link to think I match with all of our values, but Obsession with Excellence comes first. It’s different than being a perfectionist. There is no such a thing as “perfect”. Obsession with Excellence is about improving, always doing your best, and having high standards. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? I listen to Brazilian Podcasts, it’s the easiest way I have found to stay in touch with my culture. Regarding books, my no1 will always be Harry Potter, All the Light We Cannot See, The Outsider. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? When I’m not working I’m doing crochet, spending time outdoors, or taking dance classes. Let’s end with your favorite quote! A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor (it’s actually a Brazilian quote).

Name: Srinivas Sista Company Role: Operations Process Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am a part of the Operations team and work on projects that need processes and structure. What is your past experience,...

Name: Srinivas Sista Company Role: Operations Process Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I am a part of the Operations team and work on projects that need processes and structure. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I started my career as an analyst and then worked in ecommerce startups in SouthEast Asia for five years mainly in the Operations teams including 3 years as a cofounder of an ecommerce startup. After I moved to the Netherlands I worked in a social media agency, founded a micro mobility startup, worked as a freelancer in a content team, a postman and a sales development representative before joining Omnia. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I like the work culture - the culture of feedback and being able to speak openly yet professionally. What are the values that drive you? Mutual respect and the right to find happiness. What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? TED Talks, Books by Aldous Huxley ( essays) and mostly fiction. BBC Earth as a documentary is great. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Walk my dog, spend time with family or play chess.

Name: Brend Kolfschoten Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Enjoying a lot what I’m doing within the company and getting to learn a lot while doing it. Within Customer Success team I’m a...

Name: Brend Kolfschoten Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Enjoying a lot what I’m doing within the company and getting to learn a lot while doing it. Within Customer Success team I’m a supportive partner for all the companies connected to Omnia. Making sure that everyone gets the most out of the system. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Creating an environment where there is room for creativity and a lot of testing. Due to the growth of online stores, Dynamic Pricing became more relevant than ever. Making it possible for companies to change prices on a more regular base. By taking away any restrictions the data or any analysis could pose. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Before starting at Omnia I’ve finished a master degree in Data Driven Business. After finishing the degree I’ve worked on forecasting methods in which Dynamic Pricing would be one of the key factors for determining the results. While studying I have built up experience in Customer success, Customer support, and sales within several different industries. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Every day is completely different. Making it an interesting work environment where there are a lot of things to learn. Working in a really diverse team but having the drivers for working at Omnia. Different members within the teams all have their own field of knowledge making it a place where we could learn from each other. Noticing also that I’m working with smart people all around me. What are the values that drive you? Empathy, Courage, Determination and Curiosity What are your top favorite books, podcasts, or documentaries? - Boook:The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference - Malcolm Gladwell - Documentary: The last dance - docuseries on the rise of superstar Micheal Jordan - Song: A horse with no name - America What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I’m a musician and playing within 2 different bands. Having about 40 performances a year all over the Netherlands. Being an entertainer on stage and really giving and receiving energy from the crowd. To make sure I have the energy to jump around the stage for a few hours I’m also a big fan of sports. My main sport is Cross-fit but I like to pick any challenge by changing up the sports I’m doing like: Football, basketball, beach volleyball, bouldering and squash. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” - Forrest Gump

Name: Dennis Koschinski Company Role: Backend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? The team and I take care that our web crawlers download millions of offers every day. What is something people in your industry...

Name: Dennis Koschinski Company Role: Backend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? The team and I take care that our web crawlers download millions of offers every day. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? We have to monitor millions of multivariate data points every day. The analysis is a complex task that can easily overwhelm somebody. I would like to make this task easier, which could help people focus on the more important problems. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I joined Patagona (Omnia) directly after finishing university, where I studied Physics with a focus on the characteristics of solid state matter. During my studies I worked as a scientific assistant in Solid State NMR Spectroscopy, which gained me some experience in data analysis and computational quantum physics. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? What I like most about Omina Retail is that I can work together with smart and funny people on challenging topics that don’t bore me. What are the values that drive you? Respect and kindness What are your top-3 favorite books? - Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien - Modern Quantum Mechanics, J.J. Sakurai - The Glass Bead Game, H. Hesse What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I cook tasty food or listen to music. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “The measure of greatness in a scientific idea is the extent to which it stimulates thought and opens up new lines of research.” Paul Dirac, 1968

Name: Yazah Wainakh Company Role: Software Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the Frontend part of Omnia products. Mainly trying to create an enjoyable and fruitful experience for our customers :)...

Name: Yazah Wainakh Company Role: Software Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the Frontend part of Omnia products. Mainly trying to create an enjoyable and fruitful experience for our customers :) What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I think there is a general misconception when it comes to Frontend development, where mostly it is thought of as creating user interfaces and fixing colors and alignments. While UI is at the core of our responsibilities, there is, on the other hand, a lot that goes on behind the scenes that enables a web page to look and behave as you see it. From data structuring, processing, storing to ensuring a high quality performance, all are parts of a frontend developer’s toolkit. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I studied Software Engineering in three different countries between Bachelor and Masters, naming Syria, Jordan and Germany. This enabled me to see how people from different backgrounds address issues and handle challenges.. I have worked in different part-time jobs while studying, varying from software development to research assistance. Then I landed my first full-time job at Patagona (now Omnia). What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The transparency within Omnia. The friendly environment where one can speak-up their mind freely. The support among the team members to learn and grow, because at the end of the day a team is only as strong as its least experienced member. It is therefore essential to participate in the growth of each team-member. What are the values that drive you? Compassion, Integrity, Determination, Self-growth. What are your top-3 favorite books? - The sky wept fire - by Mikail Eldin - The power of now - by Eckhart Tolle - Outliers - by Malcolm Gladwell What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I enjoy a nice walk in nature, spending time with family and friends, and I always have a book nearby to be explored. Currently “still” trying to learn German. Also, a tv-show is mostly to slip in here and there. Let’s end with your favorite quote! I will share two quotes that pop a lot in my head, “Happiness is an inside job” by William Arthur Ward ”If you don't like where you are, move! You are not a tree” by Jim Rohn

Name: Tim Avemarie-Scharmann Company Role: Head of Knowledge & Scalability --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I help our customers to define and achieve their commercial pricing goals, by building our customers' and...

Name: Tim Avemarie-Scharmann Company Role: Head of Knowledge & Scalability --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? I help our customers to define and achieve their commercial pricing goals, by building our customers' and internal team's pricing and retail expertise in a sustainable and scalable way. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Competitive positioning and pricing are complex issues, and also a necessity for every entrepreneurial organisation. In the digital E-Commerce this is even more true, as data and information are available all the time, both to the consumer as well as to competitors. I want to provide our users with the most relevant industry knowledge on pricing, and help them apply the most efficient solution. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I studied Sociology, Politics and Philosophy and used to work in Singapore for some time after my studies. The major part of my professional life I have been working in a SaaS company in the E-Commerce industry, dealing with questions related to (dynamic) pricing. I also serve as municipal councillor in my city Mainz for the pan-european party Volt, where I get engaged with local questions related to global issues like climate change or the technological disruption. I am very much interested in the intersections of different things, e.g. where the technological meets the social or the political meets the economical. I like to deal with different questions in varying contexts, as it challenges me to learn something new and to grow, but also to come up with new ideas and innovative solutions. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? With many of my colleagues I have been working together for the better part of all of our professional careers. Many of us have started during or right after university. We all grew together and everybody became more skilled in what s/he is doing, may that be coding or working with our customers. To see that we all evolved professionally and personally, becoming friends that care for each other along the way, and being able to produce valuable solutions for the biggest and most renowned brands and retailers in Europe, is something that makes me proud and wistful. And after merging with Omnia, there is a big bunch of new interesting people that I am really excited to work with and learn from in the years to come. What are the values that drive you? Positivity and caring for the people around me. What are your top-3 favorite books? - The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien - Sapiens: a brief history of humankind - Yuval Noah Harari - Beerholms Vorstellung - Daniel Kehlman What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I like to work out, but I am not sure if that qualifies as “not working” ;-) As my daughter just turned 2, I spend a lot of time on playgrounds. When there is enough time on the weekend we usually go on family trips. It´s such a great thing exploring and experiencing the world around you with your kids, it brings a completely new quality to it. Let’s end with your favorite quote! "Technology is society made durable" - Bruno Latour

As Omnia Retail moves into the next phase of growth, a new member of its leadership team is set to assist in driving forward the company’s multinational strategy: Hande Erdogan, Omnia Retail’s new Chief Financial...

As Omnia Retail moves into the next phase of growth, a new member of its leadership team is set to assist in driving forward the company’s multinational strategy: Hande Erdogan, Omnia Retail’s new Chief Financial Officer, who joined the team in April at the company’s Amsterdam offices. Hande brings a world full of knowledge and experience to the table, honing in on her skills within the financial services industry. Hailing from Turkey originally, Hande attended Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, achieving a degree in international trade and then completing her Masters in finance and economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Hande has a strong foundation in investment banking, having worked at Citi for 14 years and then made the transition in a CFO role for a tech scale-up. “For the last 5 years I was the CFO of a start-up which grew to become a scale-up, with offices in Istanbul, Berlin and London, so I have both worked with big, international corporates as well as start-ups across their growth journey,” says Hande. Hande’s goals for Omnia align with our plan to become an undeniable global force in pricing software as the only solution to retailers and brands. She will be focused on ensuring financially healthy organic growth, coupled with inorganic growth via value-creating acquisitions. “My primary target is to channel all my knowledge and experience to support Omnia’s goal to expand its coverage and strengthen its leadership position. I will mostly focus on adapting the finance function to support a scalable organization and arrange necessary internal and external funding to fuel its growth,” says Hande. Although Hande has worked in the financial sector for most of her career, it is Omnia’s dynamic pricing software and customer success division that drew her to the role, setting Omnia apart from other SaaS companies. Hande explains it is the “how” that elevates Omnia above the fray: “Omnia’s level of sophistication both at product and team level is quite unparalleled.” It is no coincidence then that one of Hande’s business philosophies aligns so well with one of Omnia’s core values of striving for perfection. Hande believes in working with dedication and a passion for excellence. CEO Sander Roose couldn’t agree more that Hande is the right person for the job. “Hande is precisely the right CFO for this next phase of the business and a great addition to the leadership team, we are proud to have Hande onboard.”

Name: Milena Shayan Company Role: Customer Success Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? It’s hard to narrow it down :) My team and I are the first contact point for our customers. We do the technical support,...

Name: Milena Shayan Company Role: Customer Success Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? It’s hard to narrow it down :) My team and I are the first contact point for our customers. We do the technical support, workshops, and consulting. Besides that I do routine check-ups, proactive support and different projects to improve the internal & external processes. Other than that, I’m helping out wherever it’s needed, for example, Office Management, Accounting, Organizing little after work get-togethers with coworkers. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? In my day to day work I deal with a lot of customers and different accounts and support a lot of users with their challenges. What I really have learned is that looking at every challenge with respect and comprehension, to solve the issues and help our customers. I want to set an environment that relies on mutual respect and is conducive to problem solving. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Before I started working at Patagona (Omnia now), I helped in my parents' lab at the time and already had a lot of contact with customers. My studies in industrial engineering with a specialization in mechanical engineering, taught me besides technical thinking a lot about different soft skills like handling stress, being organized and disciplined. I’m glad that I was able to gain experience in many different areas within the company, from cold calling, sales, accounting, direct contact at fairs and more. So the last past almost 6 years I built a lot of know-how and best practices for my actual position within the customer success department. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? On one hand, as e-commerce is constantly changing and evolving, we as a SaaS company are also always challenged to evolve. I have always had the freedom to delve into different areas and aspects and learn a lot of new things. On the other hand, I find that the friendly and supportive environment is not only encouraging but also makes working at Omnia fun. What are the values that drive you? Kindness, Creativity, Acceptance What are your top-3 favorite books? It’s usually hard for me to pick favorite books because they change over time. - Ikigai - Ken Mogi Two books I just started to read and already like a lot: - Who am I and if so how many? - Richard David Precht - The vegetarian - Hang KangBlink - Malcolm Gladwell What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I like to paint, go to exhibitions (the most recent one was the Renoir - Rococo Revival), spend time with friends, and do some gardening. Let’s end with your favorite quote! "As time goes on, you’ll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn’t, doesn’t. Time solves most things. And what time can’t solve, you have to solve yourself." - Haruki Murakami

Name: Hector Rubin Company Role: Junior Consultant Trainee --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Learn, mostly! As a part of the traineeship program, I rotate through several different teams within Omnia. Starting with...

Name: Hector Rubin Company Role: Junior Consultant Trainee --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Learn, mostly! As a part of the traineeship program, I rotate through several different teams within Omnia. Starting with customer success, but moving on to sales, product and working in a consultancy function as well. Currently, I’m handling client support requests and dipping my toes in the customer success realm. Most of my day-to-day activities revolve around understanding the intricacies of Omnia, common customer issues, and solving unique challenges (really, puzzles) that arise for our clients. I’m also responsible in part for making sure that the company is up to speed in the morning, so rising early is part of the job too! What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Information overload; there’s so much information coming at you from every angle, concerning a huge variety of topics. It becomes exceedingly difficult to remain organised and properly digest the necessary information as it comes. I find that this is especially prevalent in documentation; it is essential, but can quickly become hindersome if not well thought out. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I’ve worked in a number of positions before coming to Omnia, mostly throughout my studies. Almost all of my positions had some element of customer success/management, as a librarian, cocktail bartender, and pharmaceutical bike courier. Always important to keep the customers happy! I believe that my varied interests, good attitude, and open mind towards challenges are important credentials for my position. Besides those attributes, I hold a MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Development from Maastricht University where I graduated cum laude. I also hold a BA in European Studies from Maastricht University. Studying always helps! What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The environment, the people, and the challenges. I feel like I fit right in with the culture, which has made my transition very easy. Everyone here is open, informed and more than willing to help; without these things, I would certainly be more lost! Besides the mass of collective knowledge, my colleagues are genuinely wonderful people. After meeting our fantastic colleagues over in Darmstadt, I was convinced that everyone really has each other's best interests in mind. Finally, the challenges and learning curve has been a very appealing aspect of the work so far. Slowly gaining more competence and responsibility is a very satisfying feeling, and I’m looking forward to the day where I can call myself a ‘product expert’! The skills and knowledge I’m gaining at Omnia are extremely useful and I’m looking forward to continually developing myself. What are the values that drive you? Honesty, Genuineness, Self-reflection, Kindness What are your top-3 favorite books? -Blink - Malcolm Gladwell - Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain - A promised land - Barack Obama What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I’m an avid runner, so you might find me looping around Vondelpark after work. Otherwise, I enjoy drawing, journaling and learning new languages. I’ve recently been working on my German. A good book never hurts either. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

Not even the Wall Street crash of 2008 saw the retail world having to relearn the wants and needs of the modern consumer as much as the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic. As 2022 enters its second quarter,...

Not even the Wall Street crash of 2008 saw the retail world having to relearn the wants and needs of the modern consumer as much as the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic. As 2022 enters its second quarter, lockdowns have largely been lifted and the closest thing to normal life is resuming. However, one thing that won’t be returning to “normal” are the hows, whys and whats of purchasing decisions. Consumers are forever changed, and that means retailers and brands are going to need to learn quickly or sink fast. How have consumers changed and where are they spending their money and their time? Are pre-pandemic buying methods and spending habits going to make a return? How can retailers and brands retain customer loyalty? We have highlighted some key trends to shed light on the answers to these questions. Reflective or intuitive: How consumers make decisions If retailers and brands are going to survive and keep up with the post-pandemic consumer, one of the things they may have to do is understand how people make choices. In a nutshell, the psychology of decision-making is split between two systems or types: Type 1 is intuitive and Type 2 is reflective thinking. Brands often rely on a person’s intuitive thinking because it hinges on a shopper’s loyalty to them and higher purchase intent, especially when there are promotional deals on offer. For example, if a person has been buying the same baby diapers from the same brand for years, it is cognitively based on a sense of loyalty to the brand. However, the last two years have forced us to change our daily behaviours and this has affected how we see and reflect upon income, job security and our overall outlook on life. For the foreseeable future, reflective thinking (type 2) is something that brands should spend more time understanding and paying attention to. Reflective thinking is based on a feeling of “rightness”, according to Kantar, a data science company. That initial feeling of rightness, however, can be affected by a person’s situational, cognitive or motivational factors. In other words, the subconscious voice inside your head that says, “This is the brand of running shoe like and I’m choosing to buy it” can be affected by the aforementioned factors. Reflective thinkers (vs. intuitive) are more likely to let these external factors affect their decision and decrease their purchase intent, which is a theory supported by an academic paper by Joyce van Uden who attended Tilburg University in the Netherlands. In today’s world, those external factors may include the health and financial upsets of the last two years. In 2019, before a whisper of Covid-19 was even mentioned, nobody could’ve predicted that the brands and retailers they’d been shopping from would be affected by second-guessing on such a mammoth scale. Now, years later, situational, cognitive or motivational influences are certainly at play when consumers shop. Key trends and changes among consumers Online grocers have seen continued growth During global lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 that saw consumers having to stay at home, it was obvious that an increase in online shopping for groceries would naturally occur. However, this trend has continued post-pandemic. Globally, from 2020 to 2022, shoppers who bought groceries online increased by 19%. The main reason for this used to be safety related to Covid-19. Now, it’s for convenience. However, online grocers should not sit back and relax, assuming to pour all their resources and time into e-commerce. Grocers need to present a strong omnichannel retail experience for the consumer who wants options (and that’s pretty much all of them). Although shopping for meat and fresh produce is still largely done in-store, consumers like the service of home delivery or click-and-collect. It adds a level of comfort and accessibility to a service. A new trend called “top up shops”, in which a consumer will purchase staples like bread and milk online in addition to weekly or monthly in-store shops, shows just how common it has become for consumers to shop online and offline for food even within just a few days of one another. Created by JD Worldwide, a new food grocer in the Netherlands by the name of Ochama has blended omnichannel shopping, logistics technologies and robotics to offer shoppers cheaper groceries without cutting on efficiency and quality. Ochama is able to offer food and non-food items that are 10% cheaper while utilising robotics technology to gather parcels for customers who’ve ordered online or on the Ochama app. Customers can choose to pick up their parcel at the store or wait for home delivery the following day. Moreover, Ochama is only available to consumers who become members, instilling a sense of immediate exclusivity and brand loyalty. From e-commerce to m-commerce A boom in e-commerce during 2020 and 2021 was inevitable, however, what’s been interesting to note is how even within e-commerce’s growth, sub-trends are emerging. The mobile shopping experience for consumers has become easier, faster, more professional and more intuitive to the shopper’s needs. By the end of 2021, 54% of global e-commerce sales were from mobile, totaling €3.1 trillion, showing that the majority of e-commerce sales came from apps on a phone or tablet. In addition, this number was up by 22% from 2020, showing that more and more consumers are trusting and enjoying the mobile shopping experience. Globally, e-commerce app installs increased by 10% from 2020 to 2021, however some areas beat out this world average such as EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) at 15%. Less thinking and more doing in personal innovation Through an extensive survey done by market researchers at GWI, it has found that “seismic changes in the collective mindset” of consumers is taking place. From job resignations to how people have changed their spending habits, a common theme has emerged: Caution, delaying and overthinking are more and more being thrown to the wind. From the second financial quarter of 2020 (roughly April) to the second quarter of 2021, GWI notes that US consumers showed a “diminished need to be careful and responsible, especially with finances''. Upon looking at the research more in-depth, consumers also said that “treating oneself and indulging” became one of their top three priorities in the last year. This type of response was especially high in France and Italy, signalling a shift in Europe regarding consumer behaviour. In terms of pricing strategies, this could present an opportunity for direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses to make their prices more competitive or marketers to be more suggestive in their communication. Brand loyalty has taken a knock Attracting and retaining brand loyalty is anything but easy and on the flip side for consumers, finding a brand you trust and consider the go-to for a particular product is just as difficult. Going forward, the traditional ways retailers and brands attract and retain customer loyalty have been turned on their head. McKinsey & Company reports that in the US, 75% of consumers tried new shopping behaviours and brands, pointing to convenience, availability and value-for-money as their reasons. Of the aforementioned 75%, 80% tried a new digital shopping method and 25% tried a private label or store brand, which are generally known to be less expensive. Retailers and brands should not discount on finding and keeping a customer’s loyalty, as a study by Bain & Company found that a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profitability by 75%. If a brand or retailer is noticing a shift in purchasing patterns such as consumers choosing other brands for specific products, this may prompt them to want to relook at their pricing or promotional strategies to regain the attention and loyalty of customers whose eyes are starting to wander. McKinsey also suggests that retailers should focus on “strong availability” and to also “convey value” to retain customers. The homebody economy is set to continue growing Because consumers were forced to stay home under strict lockdown laws, finding ways to entertain oneself became imperative. As a result, sales in the home entertainment, gaming, home fitness and electronics sectors sky-rocketed. Looking at Google search volumes in the first and third weeks of March 2020 when global lockdowns first began, “home fitness” as a topic went from level 22 - which is below average popularity for a search term - to level 100, which is the highest level of popularity for a term. What’s interesting to note is that, even after lockdowns have been lifted, consumers are choosing to spend more time at home and are cooking more at home rather than eating out. McKinsey asked consumers the following question: “Over the next two weeks, how much time do you expect to spend on activities compared to how much you normally spend?” The answers most selected were cooking, home improvement and exercise. Of these, cooking was said to increase by 39%; home improvement by 31% and exercise by 27%. While the home economy continues growing, e-commerce retailers could - or should - capitalise on how the consumer is choosing to spend their time. If a retailer that sells fitness equipment is smart, they will take this data and promote their home fitness equipment and apparel over items one may use in the gym or in the outdoors. Retailers selling items for construction should promote and prioritise DIY products. Retailers selling homeware should prioritise home cooking, kitchen equipment for families or singletons, and even recipe books for home use. Which segments of society are actually adopting these habits and trends? Not every change in consumer behaviour applies like a one-size-fits-all blanket. Depending on the socio-economic status of a consumer, reactions to spending in the post-pandemic world are different. According to the same aforementioned McKinsey study, the group most likely to adopt the majority of these behavioural changes are those who have had their finances and health affected by the pandemic in some way. And, most opposingly, the group that is considered the most affluent and secure is also likely to adopt the majority of these behaviours. This group is made up of 60% men who make more than $100,000 per year and have greater job security. The group that is least likely to adopt any of these behaviours at all is retirees above the age of 65. When it comes to strategy, does social media have the same impact it used to on consumers? A more blatant question is, “After the world has gone through an unprecedented health scare that’s torn through economies, homes, and entire families, is the vapid and materialistic nature of social media as effective as a strategy to lure in customers?” Yes and no. Before the coronavirus pandemic began, a large effect on the spending habits of the 16 - 64 year age group was influencer marketing on social media. In 2019 - and the five years before it - social media feeds were dominated by perfectly curated faces, bodies, and wardrobes as D2C brands and retailers used the power of influence to sway spending habits and profit their way. Today, seeing manicured lives that seem to be out of touch with reality has become less and less appealing. The loss of life, business foreclosures, global recessions and civil conflict on such a grand scale have left consumers looking for genuineness, choosing brands who want to connect in an authentic way. According to a GWI Zeitgeist survey of over 9,200 social media users aged 16 - 64, the thing they want the most from brands is authenticity: While the kind of content consumers want to see on Instagram and other social media platforms may be changing, these platforms have also been advancing their shopping features. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, SnapChat and Twitter have developed content-driven strategies to get consumers to make direct purchases. As of January 2022, 44% of Instagram users worldwide shop weekly on the platform and 1 in 2 people use Instagram to discover new brands. In 2016, Instagram released product tags but their place in the Instagram shopping machine was only fully realised in 2021 which started allowing people to shop products from a web store and learn information about it without ever leaving the app. This firmly places Instagram in the centre of the m-commerce hurricane. From swimwear to electronics to jewellery, what originally was a photo sharing app has become a global m-commerce giant. TikTok uses short videos created by users to begin the path to purchase which, as described by TikTok itself, isn’t a linear start-to-end process: It’s an infinite loop. “Today’s consumers enter, exit, and re-enter at different stages of the purchase journey based on their needs and wants.” This “infinite loop” seems to be working - TikTok users are 1.5x more likely than other platform users to immediately purchase something they’ve discovered on the app. Looking to 2023 and beyond What’s that saying about change being the only constant? If you had to ask a person what spending or shopping habits they’re going to take on in one year from now, or even two or three, they will likely say they’ll be doing the same thing that they’re doing now. However, studies show that consumers - and people in general - are not aware of how much they change over time. In other words, we can’t forecast our own behaviour, according to a study conducted at the University of Sheffield in the UK. However, if retailers and brands are smart, they will do the work to satisfy these five factors that consumers need fulfilled when deciding to adopt a new behaviour (such as choosing to shop on a store’s new mobile app vs in-store): Cost-effectiveness, time-saving, convenience, enjoyment, personal reward. Shopping online and on e-commerce apps should be incentivised more A report created by Bond, a firm that studies customer loyalty, trends and behaviours found that 79% of customers stick with a brand if they offer loyalty programs. Loyalty programs are just one example of the many types of incentives retailers can use to attract new or retain existing customers. A key takeaway is that incentives should be personalised to the shopper to truly succeed. Adidas’ Creators Club is a successful example showing how to target new or existing customers. Through an individualised profile that one logs into, you can receive exclusive information on new products, club-only offers, invitations to events, and early access for purchasing new items. Disney partnered up with Visa to offer fans a credit card that allows them to save up for their dream Disney holiday. The card gives them discounts, accelerated earnings, and credit for flights. Card holders can also choose a card that has their favourite Disney character on it. It requires little effort, then, to see the value in incentivising consumers to shop on mobile and e-commerce platforms. The very reason incentives like commission, promotions and other job perks work so well for employees in competitive fields is the same reason consumers choose one brand who has incentivised them over the other who hasn’t: Human beings want more for what they’re willing to give (whether that’s hard work or money). An evolving lesson An academic paper written by Prof. John Hauser (MIT), Prof. Min Ding (PSU) and Dr Songting Dong (UNSW) provides evidence that “the accurate measurement of consumer preferences reduces development costs and leads to successful products” for retailers and brands, showing just how imperative it is to understand intuitive and reflective thinking in the context of a post-pandemic world. This ultimately provides retailers with an opportunity to reinvent themselves within their current market and position themselves to attract new consumers from competitors who fail to see the emerging trends within the market.

Celebrating an important milestone for a company that largely founded and revolutionised pricing software solutions across Europe a decade ago, Omnia Retail celebrated its 10th birthday last week with a team event at...

Celebrating an important milestone for a company that largely founded and revolutionised pricing software solutions across Europe a decade ago, Omnia Retail celebrated its 10th birthday last week with a team event at their Darmstadt office in Germany. "What a ride"!" Sander Roose, the company’s founder and CEO, shared at the event that, “It’s amazing to see how much Omnia has grown and gone through completely different phases and developed her own personality.” Omnia’s CCO Maximilian Bank, who founded Patagona, a pricing software company that was acquired by Omnia in 2021, reflected on the journey as well: “From the humble beginnings, to the ever-changing challenges, to today's position as the European market leader for retail pricing software: What a ride!” Head of Product Berend van Niekerk shares Max's thoughts. “We are still just at the beginning of something way bigger and better and the best is still to come.” Alongside the Head of Marketing, Leon Curling-Hope noted that “We’re not slowing down, as there is a lot of untapped opportunity within the market with exciting things to come.” Pioneering an industry before its time Because pricing software was a fairly new product when Omnia started, Sander explains that the early days were not easy. Dynamic pricing was a subject and concept very few knew much about, leaving Sander and the team having to explain what it is to clients. “Nowadays, that has completely changed and every retailer and brand needs to have pricing software in order to compete in the market and they are fully aware of that.” “However, I do believe that those years helped us to get a head-start on international competition in building our product and sharpening our thinking about the topic,” says Sander. In servicing clients, Max and Sander believe it is not just about offering the best pricing software solutions, but aiding in building customer pricing expertise. Omnia invests heavily in customer success teams, and provides retail and pricing insights to its clients and via industry commentary on the Price Points blog. For Max, one of the best things Omnia provides its clients other than its products is customer closeness. “We are not an anonymous software provider - you can talk to us. We learn from our customers every day, and they, in return, benefit from our pricing and e-commerce know-how.” Creating core values: What makes Omnia different? When asked about Omnia’s three core values, Sander says they were developed out ofhis single most important lesson as an entrepreneur: Developing company culture. Company culture is made of the values and personalities of a company’s founders and early team members, says Sander. Omnia’s three core values are: Never stop learning; obsession with excellence; free to be you and me. “They’re at the core of everything we do. From evaluating job candidates to providing feedback and making decisions on promotions and career planning,” explains Sander. Chief Operations Officer Vanessa Verlaan, the steward behind Omnia’s company culture, echos Sander’s standpoint. “You need to prioritise company culture throughout your entire organisation and live up to it everyday.” Looking forward to the next decade Sander and Max have big goals for the next decade. By 2032, Omnia plans to not only be Europe’s leader in pricing software solutions but the global leader. “The way things are going at the moment, I have no doubt that we will achieve this goal,” says Max. “However, one of our top priorities will always be to make sure that we stay close to our customers: That's what made us what we are today. We should always remember that!”

Name: Marielle Roozendaal Company Role: Employee Experience Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Together with Vanessa (COO of Omnia Retail) we work on creating a scalable and professional organization and...

Name: Marielle Roozendaal Company Role: Employee Experience Manager --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Together with Vanessa (COO of Omnia Retail) we work on creating a scalable and professional organization and building an engaging high performance company culture. My passion is to drive great employee and vistors experience. This is very varied, from working on different projects such as joining Amsterdam Inclusive and Diversity. But also looking for the right tools like e-Signing or HRIS. I am also responsible for the complete people administration, (home) office, organize team meetings and awesome events. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Engage and connect employees. A lot has changed, especially in the past 2 years. Many companies have started working from home and are likely to continue to do so. As a result, employees mainly see each other online and no longer physically. It is important to take this into account and do everything you can to stay in touch and take care of each other.. What is your past experience, of working in your position? I have completed Media & Entertainment Management study. One of the things I learned is to plan and organize events in all kinds of areas. After that I started working as a study advisor at a company that offered training to companies and individuals. Something that had nothing to do with what I learned during my study. But at that time I wanted to work and live closer to my family and friends, so this was for a short term. After that I started at a start-up as Office Manager. I learned a lot at this company. Here I found out what I find important in my role and the company where I work. An open and transparent company where we can learn from each other. Then I came to Omnia where all this is the case and what is the right place for me. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The responsibility I get, the people and the culture. We have a strong feedback culture so I know what I can still learn and improve, but also what goes well. This allows me to bring out the best in myself. We have a great team that is always open to help and improving each other. What are the values that drive you? Honesty and Respect. What are your top-3 favorite books? - Book: The Culture Map - Erin Meyer - Podcast: People Masterminds What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Spending time with my family and friends. Working with my hands (wooden furniture or games, crochet). I recently bought a racing bike, so this spring I’m starting cycling! Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Just do it.”

Name: Andreas Frankenberger Company Role: Chief Technical Officer (CTO) --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Shaping our platform in a way that enables us to fulfill the future needs of our customers and fostering the...

Name: Andreas Frankenberger Company Role: Chief Technical Officer (CTO) --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Shaping our platform in a way that enables us to fulfill the future needs of our customers and fostering the development teams to be prepared for the upcoming challenges. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Having discussions with very talented people on topics such as pricing, software architecture and software development in general. What are the values that drive you? Always learning new things. What are your top-3 favorite books? - "Misbehaving" by Richard Thaler - "Und Nietsche weinte" by Irvin D. Yalom - "Jerusalem" by Sami Tamimi & Yotam Ottolenghi What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I enjoy cooking with friends and hope I find more time for sports such as weight lifting, grappling and bike riding. If I’m not at sport or cooking in the evening I read a book. Besides of this, I like not tying my shoes, according to my girlfriend ;)

Name: Nik Shulrufer Company Role: Software Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the Frontend part of the Omnia portal, transforming lines of code into nice new features for our customers and ensuring...

Name: Nik Shulrufer Company Role: Software Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the Frontend part of the Omnia portal, transforming lines of code into nice new features for our customers and ensuring that everything runs as smoothly and reliably as possible :) What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? The world of software development is rapidly changing. Each day new technologies emerge, existing technologies get overhauled and so on. Therefore, if developers do not factor in the possibility of future changes, they will eventually find themselves stuck in the maintenance mode, instead of the mode of creation. Why? Because the biggest challenge for a software engineer is not to write a code which will bring about a certain result. It is writing a code that will be robust enough as to outlive hundreds of iterations without breaking anything and clear enough so it can be easily understood by others even after a few years. Only then you can call this a ‘good code’. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Holding a bachelor’s degree in law (yes, completely unrelated to tech), I started out as a self-taught developer several years ago out of sheer passion for creating things on the web. Since then, I familiarized myself with intricacies of Frontend programming languages, frameworks and tools which now allow me to build beautiful stuff for Omnia. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The friendly vibes and a pleasant environment to work in created by the awesome people at Omnia. In addition, it is also a huge opportunity for professional growth that Omnia offers. What are the values that drive you? Integrity – paramount to any social interaction and the foundation of every relationship. Consistency – the main ingredient for any growth or success, especially if coupled with a reflection and smart adjustments along your journey. What are your top-3 favorite books? Hard to pick only three, but below are some really good ones: - “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov - “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman - “Obstacle is the way” by Ryan Holiday What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? All kinds of sport ignite a spark inside me. Be that scuba diving, skiing, or mountain biking – count me in for the game. I also do not neglect a regular weightlifting to live by the famous adage – Mens sana in corpore sano. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca

Name: Ola Aboamer Company Role: Lead Frontend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the team in all Frontend deliverables, collaborating towards team growth, and developing the UI of the company's...

Name: Ola Aboamer Company Role: Lead Frontend Developer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting the team in all Frontend deliverables, collaborating towards team growth, and developing the UI of the company's software products to deliver the best user experience for our customers. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Perhaps I did not face something yet that I can say I want to fix for the Software development industry, improvements are very fast ongoing in the software industry, but in general, it interests me how the automation of some development processes (e.g UI testing automation ) can massively save time and efforts and avoid faults during manual testing. What is your past experience, of working in your position? Starting from 2011 and after my graduation from faculty of science- mathematics/computer science major I have been enrolled in a 9-month program internship for open source development, during that program I got introduced to frontend/backend foundations, I began my journey with development, first, as a backend developer, then I moved to work as a software engineer at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland, for 2 years there I was the database group convener, responsible for communicating all stakeholders (Leaders, scientists, CERN IT ) in order to design/build a database also participated in design and building web-based monitoring system for one of the sub-detectors in CMS experiment. I am passionate about continuing sharing my experience in order to develop in Omnia’s success endeavor. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Collaborative, team-oriented environment and easy going intercommunication. Everyday one learns new thing(s). What are the values that drive you? Kindness - Learning - Collaboration - Clarity - Achievement. What are your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? Podcasts: - The road ahead cafe - Gratitude blooming Books: - Azazel by Youssef Ziedan - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson - The Development of Quantum Mechanics by Paul Dirac What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? Assuming “not working” state coincidences with my daughter in kindergarten then I do Reading/Writing - Painting - go to Gym , otherwise practicing parenthood. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

Omnia Retail has proudly signed the SER Diversity in Business charter for equal workplace treatment, further showing our commitment to building an open and inclusive environment for all of our employees and becoming a...

Omnia Retail has proudly signed the SER Diversity in Business charter for equal workplace treatment, further showing our commitment to building an open and inclusive environment for all of our employees and becoming a part of a network of companies across the Netherlands that prioritises diversity and inclusion (D&I) within business. "This sign of approval is an important milestone for Omnia." Attending the event on 10 February 2022, our COO Vanessa Verlaan, the steward behind Omnia’s company culture, officially signed the declaration and took part in a panel discussion with other company leaders. “This sign of approval is an important milestone for Omnia and shows that we prioritise inclusion, diversity and equality in our culture.” says Verlaan. When asked why company culture is important, Verlaan said, “Our company culture defines us and sets us apart. Next to our great products, it is our strong culture that attracts and retains talented people at Omnia.” "Different backgrounds, perspectives, experiences are needed to stimulate creativity and innovation." Omnia’s D&I strategy extends into its core values as a company: Never stop learning; obsession with excellence; and free to be you and me. When explaining the purpose of Free To Be You and Me, Verlaan says that it is about allowing employees to feel free to bring their best self to work. “Different backgrounds, perspectives, experiences are needed to stimulate creativity and innovation. We want everyone to be themselves and to be respected no matter who they are or where they come from.” Setting an inclusive company culture is not the responsibility of one team or person, but an achievement we all take ownership for, as Verlaan explains: “Everyone is invited and expected to be a cultural ambassador at Omnia from day one.” To ensure that Free To Be You and Me, along with our other two core values, is embedded in Omnia's culture, we have created a framework that emphasises the importance and expectation of living up to our core values: It starts with something very crucial, yet rather easy to implement: English is our default language in all our spoken and written communication. This helps everyone feel included and welcomed to join a conversation. Bringing in new people is impactful for any organisation, especially for a scale-up. We ensure that new joiners match our inclusive mindset by focusing on value fit during the interview process. This has led to a truly diverse culture with over 20 different nationalities. D&I forms an important part of our quarterly employee survey, in which we ask for feedback on how the company is handling D&I. In addition, our core values are addressed in performance reviews, internal communications and one-on-one meetings as a part of our threshold in achieving success. "You need to prioritise it throughout your entire organisation, and live up to it every day.” Omnia recently took a look at D&I programs in companies across Europe to see what we - and others - can learn from the successes and shortcomings of others. Globally, European companies are doing good work in prioritising D&I programs. Over 7,000 global companies were tracked by the Thomson Reuters Diversity and Inclusion Index and 8 out of the top 10 most diverse companies in the world were European. Verlaan notes with sound advice for other companies: “In order to create, develop and keep the culture you have envisioned for your people and the company, you need to prioritise it throughout your entire organisation, and live up to it every day.”

The global coronavirus pandemic has peeled back the curtain on a number of trends and problems within the global workforce, a major one being the importance of diversity and inclusion within companies. More so, in 2021,...

The global coronavirus pandemic has peeled back the curtain on a number of trends and problems within the global workforce, a major one being the importance of diversity and inclusion within companies. More so, in 2021, 50% of employees felt that discrimination is affecting their ability to be promoted or fairly compensated. However, discrimiation is not a new issue. It has been around in business since business first began. What we now call diversity and inclusion (D&I) started off as equal employment laws and affirmative action in the 1960s. So, in 2022, how is inclusion in the workplace being addressed? As we at Omnia further drive diversity and inclusion in our workplace, we have noted a few key points that should not be overlooked. How can one structure D&I programs to last in the long run, and not just become a flash in the pan? Think of D&I programs as a pyramid: The top is about leadership - the C-suite and senior management - that needs to enforce these programs with a trickle-down effect. They need to have the vision while taking accountability for the maintenance and governance of the program. In the middle is structural and behavioural inclusion that covers inclusive practises and structures as well as open-minded decisions and mindsets. The foundation of the pyramid, which is the bulk of it, should represent a change in attitudes, company culture and outcomes that have come from within the organisation, which are often one of the most challenging aspects. D&I programs should or would typically overcome unconscious bias, accepting differences, managing diverse teams, embedding behaviours and culture, while on the legal side, non-discrimination and regulatory compliance which covers the laws and codes of conduct set up to ensure equality. D&I in Europe, today Concluding in September 2021, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released a report on the state of diversity and inclusion, surveying more than 970 corporations in 26 industries across 19 countries in Europe. Overall, the results show that although many European businesses have stated a commitment to focusing on and expanding their D&I efforts, there is still a lot of opportunity to be gained from ensuring equal opportunities within companies, no matter of race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality and/or religion. According to PwC, D&I programs should have four basic levels in order for them to be fully implemented, and a similar approach was used within Omnia Retail: Phase one — Understanding the Facts of Today: Taking a hard look at the current state of D&I at the company today. Phase two — Building an Inspirational Strategy: Creating a plan that will drive D&I goals for the future. Phase three — Developing Leadership Engagement: Getting senior management to drive D&I goals. Phase four — Creating Sustainable Movement: This is the highest level of maturity for the program. Executing real-world results that see employees experience the positive results of the program. How well are D&I programs being implemented? Out of the surveyed organisations, only 2% reached the highest level of maturity, which is the fourth phase, when compared to PwC’s levels of D&I integration. An overwhelming majority of 54% of respondents felt that D&I programs remained in the basic stages of maturity in phase one; 18% felt that their companies fell short on D&I efforts around the second phase; and 25% felt it was the third phase where efforts stagnated. That’s in comparison to the 76% that stated D&I was a core value. More than half of companies, 60%, are using D&I as a strategy for two reasons: To attract and keep talent; and a few to simply comply with legal requirements. While there is a small group only using the guise of D&I programs to prop up their stature or prominence or to appease the expectations of customers. A greater number are utilising D&I programs for the growth of the business and their employees, a welcoming sign of adoption. Diversity, inclusion, and now equity As the workplace evolves so do the ways in which we expect these spaces to be safe, comfortable, welcoming and fair environments for employees that occupy these spaces. More recently, D&I programs are starting to include equity, which is the crux of the equation that ensures impartiality and that processes provide fair and equal outcomes for all employees. It’s not just enough to make employees feel accepted for who they are or where they come from - they must be able to work with the knowledge that no matter who they are, it has no impact on their progression within the company. Catalina Colman, the Director of HR and Inclusion at Built In, an online portal for young professionals looking to enter the tech or ‘SaaS’ environment , says that “equity takes into account the fact that not everybody is starting at the same level.” Colman continues to use the example of applying for a home loan at the bank: Although the bank may vow to not discriminate based on race, gender or ethnicity, that doesn’t account for an applicant’s existing debt, socioeconomic status, domestic issues, unique living arrangements or student loans. Equity “is about levelling the playing field so the barriers to entry are the same for every single individual”. A double-edged sword According to the surveyed companies, there are little to no drivers for senior management and the C-Suite to implement D&I programs. Only 10% said their performance evaluations of and annual salary increases for senior management are affected. 40% of respondents said that neither employees or senior management are tasked with D&I responsibilities. However, although looking at the results of PwC’s 2021 survey is helpful in understanding where some companies are going wrong in terms of D&I efforts, we should not discount the many companies across Europe making great strides in diversifying their teams and moulding open-minded and accepting company cultures. Across 7,000 companies tracked worldwide on the Thomson Reuters' Diversity and Inclusion Index, European companies top the list for having the most diverse teams. In fact, 8 out of 10 of the most diverse companies in the world are European. In November 2018, leaders from more than 50 European companies signed the European Roundtable of Industrialists’ pledge to implement D&I strategies and by 2019, that number increased to more than 700 European companies being listed on the Financial Times’ annual list of diversity leaders. Looking to the future Tackling diversity may seem like a monumental task, so it may be best to start with something simple: a conversation. What’s working and what isn’t? Where are there cracks in processes and structures and who is responsible for them? A leading article in 2015 by McKinsey & Company, updated in 2021, detailed how companies not only perform better but exceed financial industry medians when they have a high percentage of racial and ethnic diversity. In addition, companies that achieved in the top quartile for gender were 15% more likely to achieve the same thing. Looking at this data, we can agree that the benefits of having diverse teams, senior managers and C-suites goes beyond what society should or would expect. Chief Operations Officer of Omnia Retail, Vanessa Bernhart Verlaan says: “Greatness and creativity start with everyone feeling free to bring their best self forward,” who is the driving force behind the company’s culture and the continuous implementation of the D&I project. One of our three core values is “Free To Be You And Me”, a company-wide focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and with a team of employees from 12 different countries across 5 continents, we continue to see the positive effects such principles and values have at a grassroots level. Learn more about Omnia Retail via our LinkedIn page.

Name: Leon Curling-Hope Company Role: Head of Marketing --- What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? To simply connect people and companies with the right product or service in...

Name: Leon Curling-Hope Company Role: Head of Marketing --- What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? To simply connect people and companies with the right product or service in the most effortless way possible. I think we all can complicate things at times, especially marketers. Yet if you can merely deliver your' elevator pitch' succinctly and memorably, demonstrating your value and promise, you are almost there. What is your past experience, for working in your position? I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and a number of other qualifications from various universities and business schools, currently I am working towards my MBA at the University of Amsterdam. Looking back at my career and experiences, I have gained from both sides of the table, be it from the advertising agency or the brand itself. From start-up, scale-up to large global conglomerates. From building marketing campaigns with little to no budget, to shooting million-dollar global ad campaigns with pyrotechnics, puppies and supermodels to boot. I believe I bring not only a sense of range, but the ability to innovate, drawing from past experiences in marketing everything from complex SaaS services, financial instruments and luxury goods to toothpaste, soda and stuffed fluffy toys. In the end, it comes down to finding resonance, a truth or a desire for every brand, product or service - also known as the Why, How, What factor that Simon Sinek coined. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The culture. They say that the environment is what makes a job great, and in my opinion, is mostly driven from the top. And I'm sure we all have been there at some point of our career, being pitched a view or vision of a company's culture that usually does not materialize. I can say without a doubt that much effort is put into driving the culture here at Omnia Retail, and it shows the moment you walk through the door. What are the values that drive you? Honesty, perseverance and consistency. I believe that if you are continuously consistent at anything you're doing, and you continue to push and drive at it, not giving up at the very first sign of uncertainty. There is a huge chance you will become successful and achieve. What are your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? Top 3 books would have to be: Principles - Ray Dalio The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy spending time on the road, be it cycling or running. I feel it keeps you honest, as whatever you put in, you will get out. Other than that, I am also an admitted foodie, so often entertaining at home, making something in the kitchen for friends with a glass of red wine, of course. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “You have 3 options in life; Pivot Persist or Surrender”―Matthew McConaughey

Name: Maximilian Bank Company Role: Chief Commercial Officer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting our colleagues in sales, marketing and customer success in order for them to perform at their peak. If I...

Name: Maximilian Bank Company Role: Chief Commercial Officer --- What do you do at Omnia Retail? Supporting our colleagues in sales, marketing and customer success in order for them to perform at their peak. If I succeed, they succeed. If they succeed our customers thrive What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Even in 2022, I see a lot of unnecessary, manual, repetitive work that I would like to see being automized. Besides that, a lot of - especially European - companies struggle to benefit from the immense insights that lie in front of them: Public and accessible market data. What are your credentials for working in your position? Founded Patagona in 2013 together with Andreas Frankenberger and grew it organically together with an amazing team until the acquisition by Omnia. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? A lot of very intelligent and extremely ambitious people move one mountain at a time. What are the values that drive you? Brutal honesty and Empathy. What are your top-5 favorite books? Nassim Taleb - Antifragile Richard Dawkins - The Selfish Gene J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings Erich Maria Remarque - Der schwarze Obelisk Andrew S. Tanebaum - Modern Operating Systems What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Chasing my daughter around, occasional gym visits and restoring old hifi. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”

This Thursday Omnia Retail announced the acquisition of German pricing software provider Patagona. Both companies are specialized in dynamic pricing software and with the integration Omnia will become Europe’s leading...

This Thursday Omnia Retail announced the acquisition of German pricing software provider Patagona. Both companies are specialized in dynamic pricing software and with the integration Omnia will become Europe’s leading enterprise pricing solution. "By combining our strengths, the new holding is the leading B2C-retail dynamic pricing vendor in Europe." Omnia founder & CEO Sander Roose will become the group CEO. Patagona’s founders Andreas Frankenberger and Maximilian Bank will become group CTO and CCO, respectively. Sander Roose’s view on the future of the company: “COVID driven e-commerce acceleration has increased the need for dynamic pricing software for retailers and brands in all product categories. By combining our strengths, the new holding is the leading B2C-retail dynamic pricing vendor in Europe. This step also guarantees a strong local presence in the crucial DACH region. Our main focus is further improving our service level to retailers and brands by accelerating product development. With the addition of the Patagona team, we have all the required expertise to ensure our customers can leverage the power of machine learning (AI) for pricing insights and price optimization, which is a key product priority for the coming years.” "Leading the way together with a strong, ambitious and dynamic company that shares the same values." Andreas Frankenberger and Maximilian Bank believe that the effect of joining forces will have a very positive impact on the customer side: "To provide our customers with the best possible solution - in data quality as well as retail know-how - we are committed to leading the way together with a strong, ambitious and dynamic company that shares the same values as Patagona: Omnia Retail." The group raised growth financing provided by ABN Amro, which enables the group to invest more heavily in the continuous development of the platform. The funding allows the company to take a large step forward towards reaching its ultimate goal of becoming the global market leader in retail pricing software. SaaS investor Connected Capital & Partners remains on board and continues to be an important strategic partner for the company's further growth. Both companies plan to operate as one company, with locations in Amsterdam and Darmstadt. The combined leadership team is an important first step in that direction. Omnia and Patagona's customers can continue to rely on both companies' products as those will continue to exist. About Omnia Retail Omnia’s software uniquely combines dynamic pricing automation with various market data sources, from platform data like Google Shopping and Amazon to direct scraping. The company has over 15 years of retail and pricing experience, which makes them experts in guiding its customers on their path towards more pricing maturity. Omnia's customers include Decathlon, Bol.com, Signa Sports, Media Markt, De Bijenkorf, Philips, Samsung and Accell Group. About Patagona Patagona develops software-based e-commerce solutions. With its main products, Patagona enables online retailers to optimize their sales prices automatically and helps brands to get a global market overview of their product prices online. Using deep technical AI in their software solution, customers like METRO, Kaufland, Intersport, L’Oréal and LVMH benefit from their pricing expertise.

Name: Santiago Alfaro Gimeno Company Role: Junior Consultant --- Can you tell us about yourself? I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina but I moved a lot during my childhood. I lived in Chile, the United...

Name: Santiago Alfaro Gimeno Company Role: Junior Consultant --- Can you tell us about yourself? I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina but I moved a lot during my childhood. I lived in Chile, the United States, South Africa and now in The Netherlands. I did a Bachelor in Business Administration at Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, one of the leading universities in business in South America, and after that I did the CEMS - Master in International Management at Rotterdam School of Management. I’m really passionate about Scale up business, innovation and sports. Did you discover something new lately that really inspired you? I was really inspired by a Unicorn from Chile called Betterfly. They created a disruptive and innovative business model for life insurances. This company generates alliances with companies to provide life insurance to employees, growing their life insurance balance if they adopt better habits like doing sports, meditating, eating healthy, etc. They affiliate with companies, so there is no cost for the employee. I found it super inspiring that they are empowering people to be the best version of themselves and adopting better habits. Moreover, you can convert your healthy habits into charitable donations. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I think that there is a lot of knowledge to be shared about pricing strategies. Depending on your type of business your pricing strategy should be different, for example, being a brand vs a retailer. There is a lot of insights and knowledge in Omnia that could help many new potential customers find the way to convert this knowledge into more sales, growing margins and saving time in the process, as everything could be automated. With expertise in pricing and a tool like Omnia, you can give super powers to any customer. What is your work experience before Omnia Retail? I worked as a Business Executive in a Startup in Chile. We were doing photographic coverage in massive sporting events and we developed an OCR (optical character recognition) not only so participants could find their pictures with their participant number, but also to analyze the brands and accessories being used in sports events. We grew the company to 7 different countries in Latam in just one year. After that, I moved to the Netherlands and worked as a Business Developer for the Spanish and Portuguese markets in HousingAnywhere, an European Market leader Platform for mid-long term accommodations. How would you describe your work experience at Omnia Retail so far? I’m thrilled about how much I have learned already and how I keep doing so on a daily basis. It’s really inspiring to work with a team of people that thrive for excellence in everything. It’s a place where you get responsibility from day 1 and you can see the impact of your actions. Everyday is a challenge and that’s something really fulfilling. What are the values that drive you? Determination, Integrity, resilience and loyalty. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I I’m a sports maniac. I do triathlons and it’s part of my identity, I train twice a day 6 days of the week. So, usually I’m swimming, biking or running. If I’m not working out I will probably be eating, as I also really enjoy cooking and I need to eat a lot of calories per day. Despite sports and food I have a passion for coffee and classic rock. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”―Steve Prefontaine

Name: Kristina Kukhalashvili Company Role: Junior Consultant --- Can you tell us about yourself? I was born and raised in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, when I was 18 years old I moved to Finland to pursue a Bachelor's...

Name: Kristina Kukhalashvili Company Role: Junior Consultant --- Can you tell us about yourself? I was born and raised in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, when I was 18 years old I moved to Finland to pursue a Bachelor's degree in International Business. During my studies, I was given an opportunity to go for an exchange period to Utrecht and I have absolutely fallen in love with the Netherlands, so I have decided to stick around. After working for four years, I have decided to continue my academic career and, as a result, last year I became a Master of Arts in Media Innovation. Did you discover something new lately that really inspired you? I get my inspiration from reading and learning. Recently I’ve read “Educated” by Tara Westover and I can’t recommend it enough, as this memoir covers in depth the power of knowledge and the importance of finding your self-confidence and self-identity. Additionally, I am truly inspired by my colleagues at Omnia Retail, as it’s an absolute pleasure to work together with such a motivated group of people. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I was surprised to find out how much manual, repetitive and ineffective work retailers have to do on a daily basis when it comes to pricing. Therefore, my goal is to assist them with a tailor-made automated tool that will enable them to save time in order to improve the overall omnichannel customer experience. What is your work experience before Omnia Retail? Before joining Omnia, I had a chance to work in sales, operations and customer relations. As I have worked in start-up, scale-up and multinational corporations, I have developed the set of skills that helped me to become confident in finding creative solutions to the most challenging issues, so I will always go the extra mile to achieve even better results. How would you describe your work experience at Omnia Retail so far? I have joined Omnia Retail three months ago and I am beyond excited to be a part of the team. Every day is not like any other day, since you have a lot of responsibilities from day one and you are constantly striving to learn and improve. Working in a high-performing team that has a clear goal in mind makes you challenge yourself every step of the way, which I absolutely love! What are the values that drive you? Integrity, courage and reliability What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I can’t sit still, so you will find me running, spinning, hiking, reading books, listening to podcasts and exploring new places. Currently, my goal is to run a marathon, so I feel very fortunate with our flexible working hours, because I can go for a run during the day and enjoy some sun. Let’s end with your favorite quote! “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”― George Orwell

Name: Suzanne Meinders Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? Never...

Name: Suzanne Meinders Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? Never Split the Difference from Chris Voss, an former FBI hostage negotiator who offers you very helpful insights about negotiation you can use straight away in your daily life, for example debating what you want to get for dinner that night. Additionally, I always enjoy a good thriller like The Chalk Man from C.J. Tudor or the institute by Stephen King. … and of course our own Omnia price points podcast! What do you do at Omnia Retail? As a junior consultant at Omnia I rotate between the different departments; Customer Service, Sales, Product and Customer Success. I am currently working within Customer Service helping our customers to get the most out of Omnia. I really enjoy working in this team - getting stuff done with a big smile is what I do best! What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Still relying on intensive software implementations instead of SaaS solutions. I see that a lot of e-commerce organizations still rely on manual work or introduce extensive pricing software. I feel that onboarding at Omnia, with the support we give, it’s a very smooth journey. We try to make the use of Omnia a daily habit instead of a difficult once in a while task. What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position? Previously I worked in an agency specialized in digital transformations and recruitment, during this time I learned already a lot about tech and e-commerce which really empowers me in my work at Omnia. I have been fortunate to live abroad, completing an internship in New Zealand, my master’s degree in Sweden and my most recent experience working in Australia. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? Everyday is different and challenging your problem solving skills. My colleagues are smart and driven to do their absolute best every day, which is highly motivating. There’s never a boring day at Omnia! What are the values that drive you? Passion, curiosity and eagerness to learn. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? When I’m not working I really enjoy hiking in nature, with lack of in the Netherlands, you can often find me strolling through Utrecht listening to a podcast or an Audible book. I also love to connect with people, go to the cinema, travel and let my inner geek out and play video games.

Name: Tommy Hackley Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? “The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know” What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? My two favourite books...

Name: Tommy Hackley Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? “The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know” What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? My two favourite books come from my two favourite authors, they are The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer and The Brother Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky. The first written with style and whit, contemplating questions of life, death and capital punishment. The second contemplates just about everything to do with human nature. My favourite podcast is The Football Ramble - an English podcast about… football! Started by a few mates who liked football in a bedroom just over 10 years, the show has risen to the number one sports podcast in the UK. What do you do at Omnia Retail? I’m a Junior Consultant enrolled in the Traineeship. I’m currently in my Sales rotation, having cut my teeth in Support. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? Much of the work that is being done is very manual, which is time consuming and inefficient. It can be manually checking competitor prices, manually making changes to feeds connected to pricing solutions or just about anything else. This work is often repetitive and highly error prone. Moving towards as much automation as possible with these tasks is the holy grail, freeing individuals up to concentrate their efforts on more impactful work. What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position? Before joining Omnia I ran the family business - a coffee bar in Birmingham where I learned discipline, resilience, self-resolve and determination. Before that I studied law in London, during which time I was a mentor teaching debating in prisons and a legal representative for a South American Cleaner’s Association. Before that I studied Business in Manchester. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I like ‘grafting’. Being in a scale up environment, there’s plenty of building and plenty of responsibility, which helps me thrive. I love being surrounded by my incredibly gifted teammates who inspire me everyday, who I can learn so much from and who drive me to be better. I also like helping customers, whether that be with ad-hoc support issues that arise, in a more strategic setting or indeed with new potential customers. I like finding solutions to customers’ specific needs. What are the values that drive you? Integrity, accumulating Knowledge and Passion. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? My passions are sports and music, watching, listening and playing. Beyond that I love cooking, reading, trying new foods & drinks and having a laugh.

Name: Marwa Lamouni Company Role: Junior consultant What is your favourite quote? ‘Just keep swimming’ - Dory in ‘Finding Nemo’ What are your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb I...

Name: Marwa Lamouni Company Role: Junior consultant What is your favourite quote? ‘Just keep swimming’ - Dory in ‘Finding Nemo’ What are your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb I really loved this book because it shows how big the impact of the highly improbable events in your life can be. The author supports his thesis with interesting examples that can (almost) make everybody love probabilities. The Prophet - Khalil Gibran It’s about the life lessons that a prophet shares with the people of his town, before he moves on to a new adventure. I would say that this book is my all-time feel-good book. It is a short read but it is a gold mine of profound insights. Walden - Henry David Thoreau This is a classic of American literature. It’s the diary of Thoreau when he decided to move to the wild for two years. He even went so far as to build his own shelter and grow his own food. I enjoyed reading it because the author perfectly describes his quest to connect with nature. What do you do at Omnia Retail? I have joined Omnia as part of the traineeship program. My first rotation is in the Customer service team where I get to interact directly with our valued customers. So you could say I am the face, along with my fellow trainees, behind the Customer Service at Omnia. It is a privilege indeed to get to know our clients, but also be able to help and guide them in their Omnia journey. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? I believe that being able to tailor your pricing strategy to better encompass your needs and expectations is key to achieving long-term success. However, what we are seeing today is that many companies do not have the tools necessary to do so. I find that, armed with the right tool, and pertinent knowledge, retailers can do wonders. What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position? I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Finance and International Business. However, I found myself more drawn to International Business so I decided to move to Paris to pursue a Masters in that field. I was lucky enough to work for different companies and industries during my studies. Indeed, I worked as a marketing assistant at Ferrari, but also at Canal+ as a Customer Experience analyst. These have enabled me to build up a customer-oriented mindset, which empowers me further in building connections with our clients. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? There is no room for the mundane. Every day brings in new challenges that help you build in your knowledge. Also, we are always encouraged to think outside of the box by providing creative solutions to our customers. I also love the fact that one’s inputs and ideas are always valued. What are the values that drive you? Proactiveness, resilience, and empathy. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I love to read, some people might even say that I would be your typical book nerd. I don’t have a specific favorite genre, I am usually curious about different topics so luckily I can always find a book to read. I am currently reading ‘War and peace’ by Tolstoy, as I am finding myself drawn to Russian literature lately. I also do yoga, and go swimming (when swimming pools are open :) I also recently started playing around with watercolor painting.

Name: Saskia Zoe Mueller-Herbst Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? ”A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. What...

Name: Saskia Zoe Mueller-Herbst Company Role: Junior Consultant --- What is your favourite quote? ”A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg is a great book that explains why habits are at the core of everything we do, what we can do to change them and the impact that change can have on our lives. “How Brands Grow: What Marketers don’t know” by Byron Sharp is a thought-provoking read for everyone interested in marketing principles, like brand growth and how advertising works. “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy is a beautiful book that I read recently. I can recommend it to everyone who needs a ‘feel-good’ read in uncertain times. What do you do at Omnia Retail? I joined Omnia as a Business Development Representative and was offered to join the Traineeship shortly after. As this is a great opportunity for me to rotate through different departments and experience several aspects of the company, I am really excited about this opportunity. Currently I work in the sales team where I am the first person of contact for our potential new customers. Further, I am also involved in some sales processes and I get to meet great people every day. My next rotation will take me to the Customer Success team where I am looking forward to meeting and interacting with our customers. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? A lot of companies still check and do their pricing manually. That is not only a very time-consuming undertaking, but it can also lead to errors or missing out on relevant insights of the market. Moreover, the right pricing can also give more power to smaller retailers. By always being up to date and having a pricing strategy in place, it gives small and medium sized businesses the chance to compete with the retail and ecommerce giants. What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position? I have a BSc International Business and a MSc Marketing Management, both from the University of Groningen. During my masters I did an internship at Nestlé, where I was the Marketing Communications Intern for the brand Garden Gourmet. During my study I also worked as a Student Consultant for a Dutch software company. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? I like how much I have learned over the past months. When I look back to when I just started at Omnia I really see how steep the learning curve is, one of the great parts about working at a Scale-up. I really love working with the team, as everyone is friendly and super approachable. While working from home we stay connected through fun online activities and meetings. What are the values that drive you? Open-mindedness, enthusiasm, reliability, and determination are some of the core values that are very important to me. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? If I would have been asked this question about a year ago my answer would have probably been travelling, meeting up with friends, enjoying an evening out and visiting my family. However, at the moment I really enjoy cooking, reading a good book, going for long walks and watching movies / series from my comfortable couch.

In this edition of Meet the Team we have Martijn Crooijmans in the starring role. Martijn is one of our fresh Junior Consultants within our new traineeship program. What is your favourite quote? “If you put your mind to...

In this edition of Meet the Team we have Martijn Crooijmans in the starring role. Martijn is one of our fresh Junior Consultants within our new traineeship program. What is your favourite quote? “If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything”, which is a quote from back to the future, but I feel like it’s mostly true. What is your top-3 favorite books or podcasts? The “Velocast”, a cycling podcast and a fun and easy way to follow the cycling world. “Business adventures”, a book on, well, business adventures. And “WeCrashed” which is a short podcast on the crash of WeWork and quite interesting to go through. What do you do at Omnia Retail? As I am currently in the traineeship I will cycle through multiple different activities throughout the year. Right now I am working within customer service mostly. This allows me to get to know the product and our customers. Next to that I am joining in on consulting work and customer success work for some customers. Next month I will trade these activities in for a couple months of sales to see how things are going in that department. What is something people in your industry have to deal with that you want to fix? That is a great question but with my three months of experience I don’t think I have seen enough issues yet to know which ones are the most frequent and important. I guess more automation as computers don’t make mistakes once everything is set up properly. But in which area and how are questions for a later date. What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position? As this is a traineeship/junior function my past credentials are fairly limited. Before I worked at Omnia Retail I followed a bachelor in Management and Marketing in Wageningen and a master in Business Development and Entrepreneurship in Utrecht. I wrote my thesis on SaaS companies and did business analyses for an IT company. So this traineeship at a Saas and tech company was a logical next step. What do you like about working at Omnia Retail so far? The culture for sure. You can’t just walk up to a colleague at work with questions as everybody is working from home. So the fact that everybody is really helpful and goes out of their way to help you by setting up digital meetings is great. Everybody just feels accessible. What are the values that drive you? I really appreciate it when things go efficiently and effectively as well as level-headed people. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? As the podcast could have indicated I enjoy going for a cycling ride every once in a while and I really enjoy swimming. Next to sports I enjoy watching a good movie or meeting with my friends, even though that last one is a bit difficult these days.

Whether car camping in Namibia, speeding around Medemblik, or in his work at Omnia, Niels Botman, our Product Business Analyst, has a keen sense of adventure. In this month’s “Meet the Team,” you’ll get the chance to...

Whether car camping in Namibia, speeding around Medemblik, or in his work at Omnia, Niels Botman, our Product Business Analyst, has a keen sense of adventure. In this month’s “Meet the Team,” you’ll get the chance to learn more about Niels and how he helps make sure Omnia’s product is constantly improving. Hi Niels, how are you doing? I’m fine, thanks. Great. So to start, can you give a bit of background on yourself? Yeah, so I came to Omnia three years ago. I did my studies in Marketing, and after I finished that up I went to work for one of the supermarket chains in the Netherlands, in the head office. I was there for a few years, and had the chance to work in several different commercial departments. I worked on the supermarket template, and how they build the formula of a supermarket, the merchandise, the assortment, all those things. I also did some category management in the same company, which was interesting. However, after a while I decided I wanted to do something a bit more innovative. Supermarkets are quite conservative in what they do and in how new initiatives are introduced. And just in how things get done. But I wanted to be somewhere a bit more innovative. So I ended up joining Omnia as a Product Specialist a few years ago. And what’s your role now? I am a Product Business Analyst. I work within the Product team and, together with Berend, our Product Manager, I’m responsible for everything around the product and how we can improve it. And this role is recent for you, right? Yeah it is! In 2019 I actually resigned from the Product Specialist job so I could travel the world with my girlfriend for six months, which had been a dream of ours for years. When I got back to the Netherlands, I got back in touch with Sander and Haiko and they told me there was a nice role within the Product team that was open. It was a good fit for what I wanted to do — something more technical and innovative — so I rejoined Omnia. Where did you go on your trip? We started in Tanzania with my family, then myself and my girlfriend continued on to South Africa and Namibia, which was really cool. After that we went to Asia, then finally ended in Australia where we spent a month, I think. Did you have the whole thing planned beforehand? Nope, not really. We had the first couple of stops planned, but after that we just went with the flow of things. And how do you like your role now? I love it. I think the Product Specialist role was great for me in the beginning because I had no tech or software experience. I also learned a ton on the retail side and how our users interact with the product. I really learned the product inside and out and it paved the way to where I am now. So what does your day look like? Most days I start my days with a “daily startup” where I check in and make sure that everything is running properly. After that though, every day is different, so it’s hard to describe a “typical” day. It really depends on the projects we’re working on at the moment. I think that’s a common thread at Omnia. Definitely, but that’s also what makes it fun. For me at least. I like that there is a lot of variety and freedom to pursue opportunities and initiatives and that things are always changing. There’s tons of room for improvement and growth, so we’re always wondering what we can be doing better. I really like that part of the job. What’s your favorite part of working at Omnia? Well, what I just said is definitely a big part of it. I like that there’s lots of change all the time, both on the product side and the process side. I also really like the freedom at Omnia. I like that I don’t need to ask anyone for time off if I need to go to a doctor’s appointment. I think we all work very hard, but we have the flexibility to go to an appointment and come back and finish up a little later, if need be. Also, my colleagues are pretty cool. It’s a really international bunch. On the Development side of things we have people from four different continents on the team, which is awesome. Okay Niels, last question. What do you do for fun outside of work? Well, it’s a bit of a weird time to be asking that question since we’re in a pandemic and our movements are somewhat confined. But since the start of the pandemic I’ve gotten into cycling more, which is really fun! I’ve gotten pretty into it...I’m currently riding about 100 kilometers a week.