SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Retailers facing the daunting task of assimilating and executing on the opportunities of technology related to convenience stores took a moment to review the elements currently in play.
From beacon technology to mobile payments, CSP Outlook Leadership conference speaker Greg Gilkerson, president of PDI, Temple, Texas, walked through about two-dozen unique but intertwined technologies currently developing in the c-store space.
"The themes include real-time, security, customer-focused, mobile, cloud, big data, wireless and doing business electronically," Gilkerson said in a workshop session at the event in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Initially reviewing the state of point of sale (POS), Gilkerson said that Duluth, Ga.-based NCR is moving forward with its Radiant-based POS and allowing its Retalix system to phase out.
Regarding mobile payment, he noted how some forms, such as Apple Pay, are easy for consumers to activate and execute at the store, while others may feel more complicated and cumbersome at checkout. While recognizing that some payment methods come with cheaper processing costs for retailers, Gilkerson suggested that the focus remain on what customers ultimately want.
In terms of technologies that are providing opportunity, Gilkerson brought up beacons, which are small devices that use Bluetooth technology to identify customers' mobile phones and send targeted messages.
A retailer in the session, Jenny Bullard, CIO, Flash Foods, Waycross, Ga., said her chain is testing the technology, sending customers at the pump offers to lure them into the store. While too early to comment on its success, the field tests are ongoing, she said.
Other technology efforts that retailers are involved in, according to Gilkerson, included the following:
- Item-level inventory. The desire to account for inventory in real time means changes on many fronts, including reworking software to account for invoicing.
- EMV. The in-store compliance deadline of October 2015 is forcing retailers to evaluate costs and determine the best way to comply with upcoming "Europay MasterCard & Visa" data-security mandates.
- Labor management. With the industry moving more into foodservice, a greater need to understand and manage labor is emerging, leading to new automated solutions.
- Supply chain. With more and more data being available for analysis, the task of replenishment is becoming an accessible science for retailers.
- Digital infrastructure. The creation of secure wide-area and local-area networks to support contactless payment and store-level communications is of growing importance.
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