SAN ANTONIO -- Picture a bowl with 14,000 buttons of all colors, sizes and shapes. Now find the two buttons that are exactly alike--in milliseconds. That's what retailer Becky Schall said happens when her convenience store chain's software crunches numbers to develop reports that are meaningful to her colleagues.
Schall, senior manager of retail systems for San Antonio-based CST Brands, was one of several retailers featured in a series of videos shown during the opening session of technology provider PDI's annual users' conference this week.
In the assembly that included PDI, supplier-partner and retailer speakers, about 550 attendees received an overview of the company's new software developments and a summary of what's to come.
Providing insight into a number of new features, Bo Harvey, vice president of professional services, said the latest version of PDI's software can better handle reclamation, reordering changes and rebates. Harvey also spoke of a supplier portal the company has developed with the help of a third party, Burtonsville, Md.-based iControl, as a way to electronically connect vendors with retailers.
New developments such as the supplier portal, mobile-inventory tracking and labor scheduling all seemed to build upon themes of "real-time" item movement and the expanded use of wireless devices in the store, according to Greg Gilkerson, president of Temple, Texas-based PDI.
"In a way, we are looking at big data," Gilkerson said. In real time, "we're looking at items individually and instead of having just a few weeks of data, we have a few years [to review]--in milliseconds."
Software providers like PDI have had to evolve quickly in recent years as more sophisticated technologies became more accessible and affordable, either directly to retailers or to technology providers. For instance, PDI is developing "touch-friendly" applications that are workable from a smartphone or tablet interface, as well as automating operations at stores today equipped with WiFi. Many backoffice duties can now move to the front of the store, so employees have more face time with customers.
The systems ultimately reduce paperwork, report making and human error, helping retailers manage multiple stores with less manpower. That was the case for Scot Tomlinson, enterprise system manager for the former Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores (MACS) chain based in Richmond, Va. (Philadelphia-based Sunoco acquired MACS last year, but the following spring, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners bought Sunoco.)
Talking about that opportunity in another opening-session video, Tomlinson said he was able to take on the technology needs of a 40-store acquisition without having to hire new staff. And for that accomplishment, attendees at the session electronically voted him the best of five nominees in an annual PDI users' competition.
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