Despite launching months before the pandemic hit, Edinburgh-based hospitality tech firm ePOS Hybrid has increased its client portfolio by 290% and use of ePOS Hybrid increased by 300% over the last year.

According to a report from the Office for National Statistic, consumer spending on hospitality started to increase in May 2021 but remained at less than 70% of pre-pandemic levels; a similar picture is seen in turnover – in May 2021, this remained one-quarter lower than 2019 levels.

It begs the question of how did a new hospitality tech firm emerge successful from one of the worst crisis’ the industry has ever seen?

There’s a compelling argument that the Scottish company’s growth highlights the need for hospitality groups to quickly adopt more streamlined, digitised approaches.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Hop Software COO Richard Drummond, in a contributed article he wrote for DIGIT, he said: “Business owners must explore new innovations and recognise tech’s potential not just to assist with online bookings or table service, but to enhance the guest experience, streamline operations, manage post-Covid-19 protocols, and improve communication between staff and guests.”

With ePOS Hybrid, hospitality managers can receive in-depth reports and analysis of everything from tracking stock and food waste to reservations and capacity, while online ordering platforms and mobile apps can be built and launched by users themselves.

This last part is arguably the most salient, with more and more hospitality businesses looking to adopt these kinds of aggressive digital transformation strategies as quickly as possible to keep their operation afloat and future-proof them as much as possible.

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Founder and CEO of ePOS Hybrid, Bhas Kalangi, said: “Despite the Covid-related challenges many businesses have faced over the last 18 months, demand for our products from customers in the hospitality sector have risen by more than 290%.

“Since 2020, total platform transactions have increased by more than 7,000%, up from around £970,000 to £78 million. This has been fuelled by increased demand from hospitality operators for transformative technologies which help to streamline their business and to meet head-on the changes in consumer trends and behaviour such as the massive switch to online ordering and home delivery.”

The Edinburgh-based hospitality tech firm is now gearing up for another round of investor funding to support its future expansion plans.

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