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AOE agrees to acquire SHIFTEO and launches first end-to-end E-Commerce and Supply Chain solution

October 13, 2020
Author Christian HolzschuhChristian HolzschuhMarketing & Communications

As airlines face the greatest revenue freeze in their history, leading digital specialist AOE has acquired supply chain specialist SHIFTEO and launched the aviation industry’s first vertically-integrated E-Commerce solution. AOE now offers airlines an end-to-end model to accelerate their ancillary and on-board business, incorporating a transformative approach to Retail and F&B integration.

AOE, the world's leading provider of digital solutions along the travel retail passenger journey, announces the launch of a transformational E-Commerce model for airlines with its acquisition of on-board sales and supply chain specialist SHIFTEO. The agreement includes SHIFTEO’s Inflight ePOS, Supply Chain Management and Back Office for Catering Management solutions.

The enhanced capabilities of AOE’s new integrated platform enable airlines to seamlessly integrate and manage their revenue-driving operations with existing on-board sales operation for both Travel Retail and F&B. The result is a powerful, self-managed, supplier-independent ecosystem combining stronger customer engagement with end-to-end delivery capabilities.

Supplier management and control

The unique functionality of the vendor-independent platform integrates with simplified vendor management to give airlines the freedom to select and manage multiple caterers and duty free suppliers right across location hubs and service stations. This strengthening of operational control enables the precise tailoring of the passenger experience, free of the traditional model’s constraints of solution-specific vendors and time contracts. 

Michael Raasch

Michael Raasch

CCO AOE Aviation / AOE
The new platform provides airlines with operational and competitive advantages that will drive new ancillary revenue opportunities.

Michael Raasch, CCO AOE Aviation comments: “AOE’s new platform provides airlines with powerful operational and competitive advantages that will drive new and stronger ancillary revenue opportunities. Additionally, in a new strategic cooperation with on-board technology experts Airfree, we also offer airlines complete connection and digital solutions on In-flight and IFE transactions. This completes an inflight solution that can not only accelerate airline recovery from the current crisis but also deliver stronger long term performance.”

Peter Coelho

Co-Founder / SHIFTEO
With the new solution airlines now have the freedom to select their preferred catering and duty free partners across a fully vertically-integrated solution across the entire process.

Peter Coelho, co-founder of SHIFTEO, adds: “By joining forces with AOE we give airlines freedom to move from the current limited choice of suppliers, often with their own proprietary technologies, which has led to a strongly disconnected customer experience based on route, destination and contractual agreements rather than the customer’s needs. Airlines now have unlimited freedom to select their preferred catering and duty free partners across a fully vertically-integrated solution across the entire process.”

“With sustainability the second-biggest priority on airlines’ minds after recovery, this model also has the potential to create immense savings in food waste, stock management, inefficiencies, last-mile delivery, fuel cost as well as theft and fraud,” he adds. “Transforming just 20 percent of buy-on-board to E-Commerce and ten percent of passengers to pre-order their meals could result in savings of hundreds of millions of dollars per year across the airline ecosystem.”

Reaching the customer

AOE has also incorporated stronger IFE accessibility to support the integration of all aspects of its digital solutions following a partnership agreement with Airfree, the leading specialist provider of on-board E-Commerce frontend and caching technology.

The partnership enables AOE to further expand its platform’s reach to the passenger in low-connectivity on-board settings, supporting the airline and expanding revenue opportunities across every stage of the seamless passenger journey.

Kian Gould, founder and CEO of AOE, outlines the potential influence of the new platform: “Connectivity is the golden key to future incremental revenue and these agreements gives us the agility to integrate our proven solutions into the entire value-chain of the world’s most forward-thinking carriers, unlocking the full potential of the seamless passenger journey.

“The current crisis has accelerated the passenger’s demand for holistic digital solutions that enhance the quality of their journey through personalized experiences that can not only grow airlines’ ancillary revenue performance but also drive passenger loyalty and service quality perceptions. Our model even helps overcome the airlines’ current CAPEX pressures as we offer the platform fully on a revenue share basis.

“The global crisis has accelerated both digital behavior and the obsolescence of the traditional revenue models and, as we all know, digital behavior never regresses.  The only one path to recovery is the one that the passenger is already treading – the digital path.”

The transaction remains subject to additional regulatory approvals and is subject to final binding agreements.

Kian Gould

Kian Gould

Founder and CEO / AOE
The current crisis has accelerated the demand for holistic digital solutions. Our model helps overcome the airlines’ CAPEX pressures as we offer the platform fully on a revenue share basis.

About AOE

Founded in 1999 by CEO Kian Gould, AOE is the world's leading provider of technology solutions and consulting for digitalizing the entire travel retail passenger journey for airports and airlines, including pre-order, pre-select, onboard-sales, POS, E-Commerce, personalization, logistics, and fulfillment. 

Simultaneously transforming the passenger experience and the ancillary revenue opportunity, AOE’s technologies are driving performance at airports and airlines across the world, including London Heathrow Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Auckland Airport (including downtown retail), Singapore Airlines and Avianca. 

With its headquarters in Frankfurt and offices across the world, AOE and its global team of more than 250 people in six countries has the ability to support airports and airlines globally across the entire travel retail ecosystem. 

About SHIFTEO

Founded in 2015 by three experts in their respective fields, SHIFTEO combines in-depth competences in airline & rail retail catering, supply chain & logistics and IT programming. 

This unique cocktail of expertise enabled the creation of an innovative, robust ERP system specializing in managing complex food & beverage retail programs for the travel retail industry. SHIFTEO provides its customers with an end-to-end platform incorporating key functionalities, including supply chain management, distribution, epos and HR management, alongside several unique operational and analytical applications to steer, manage and control their business.

About Airfree

Under the slogan “Marketplace of the Sky”, Airfree was created in 2016 by three co-founders specializing in duty-free commerce, technology, digital and E-Commerce. The team has since grown strongly, including a team of developers, with a shared goal to become the world’s leading specialist airline marketplace provider.