YORK, Pa. -- Rutter's Farm Stores CEO Scott Hartman gave a speech at the 2006 NACS Show about the future of technology in the convenience store industry. He predicted it would include a focus on all things mobile and would include items such as "mobile wallets."
Five years later, he couldn't have been more right, reported the York Daily Record. Ever-present cellphones, tablets and applications have transformed business for many industries, including c-stores. And this spring, Google announced the "Google Wallet."
In an interview this week with the Daily Record, he discussed how he saw the mobile trend coming and what Rutter's does to stay on top of the changing marketplace.
Asked what sparked his interest in technology, Hartman said, "Well, I was fortunate growing up in the time that I did. I was able to watch technology begin to change dramatically. ... So I started working with the industry saying, 'Our technology's behind, it needs to change'."
He explained what a mobile wallet is: "The concept is moving [people] from the plastic card in a leather wallet to a technology-based place to store those things. ... Currency could be stored on the device itself, or that device could be a way to access your credit card, debit card or bank account. ... The idea is that that device would be a more convenient way to recognize you and process your transaction."
Hartman was in a position to see the mobile wallet and e-commerce trends coming, he said. "I got to be chairman of our National Association of Convenience Stores and [had the opportunity] to travel to Asia. . . . I got to see the technologies that they were developing. and things that they were doing with mobile devices were not deployed over here yet. So, it's not as much as having the ability to predict things as the ability to identify things."
He added that the obstacles to implementing the mobile wallet concept include the fact that "the banking industry doesn't really want to relinquish control. ... They see the mobile wallets as competition to plastic cards unless they are the guys issuing it."
The Daily Record asked how Rutter's keeps up with developing technology. "Part of our culture here is that we're a third-generation business; we've been here 90 years, and part of the reason we've had that success is the ability to change and adapt to the changing customer," said Hartman. "We recognize that our customers are mobile, and technology is a great way to stay abreast of what they're doing and how they want to interact with you."
Here are some things Hartman said could be coming soon to c-stores:
- Digital coupons.
- Better mobile devices for customer assistance.
- Digital signs.
- In-store televisions.
He cautioned that these upgrades won't happen overnight. "It takes time," he said.
York, Pa. based Rutter's Farm Stores is a family-owned and third-generation-managed business operating 56 convenience stores throughout central Pennsylvania.
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