“Our vision has been to fundamentally transform the retail checkout experience by driving speed and eliminating friction,” Darshan Gad tells CSP. “Unfortunately, the barcode scan-based self-checkout solutions of the past did not align with this vision. Fortunately, recent technological advances have made our vision for a frictionless future a reality.”

Delek US is about 25% through a rollout to bring a touchless self-checkout system it calls DK Touch-Less to its c-stores across Texas and New Mexico, part of “a comprehensive innovation strategy” by the company’s DK c-store chain to improve the customer experience.

The company chose Mashgin, Palo Alto, Calif., to provide the frictionless, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-checkout technology to its stores. Where installed, Delek customers can enter a store, select the items they want, place them on the Mashgin kiosk tray, and have all items recognized and totaled in less than half a second, without the need to scan barcodes.

Delek’s interest in alternative checkout options goes back eight years, when the company owned the MAPCO c-store chain (sold off in 2016), according to Gad, who joined Delek US in late 2020.

Calling DK Touch-Less—now in about 70 stores—an “unequivocal success,” he says driving trial is the key to winning over customers.

“Once our customers try DK Touch-Less, they fall in love and don’t want to shop any other way,” he says. “We’ve thus completely rethought our store experience, where in-store signage and associate greeters direct customer flow to these units.

“Associate engagement has been our key to success.

Our associates have truly become DK Touch-Less champions, and the resulting customer trial and adoption has been tremendous.”
With plans to expand DK Touch-Less to all 250 stores over the next two years, Gad says integration is the next step for checkout innovation at Delek.

“DK Touch-less will be more deeply integrated into our broader customer engagement ecosystem, which includes our recently relaunched High Octane Rewards loyalty program and our forthcoming mobile app,” he says. “Each of these technologies will work cohesively together to drive speed, eliminate friction and personalize our customer experience, delivering on our brand promise of ‘Making Your Day a Little Easier.’ ”