DALLAS -- Insights on leveraging inventory data and the use of newer retail technology such as Bluetooth "beacon" messaging to customers stood out for retailers attending last week's Pinnacle Corp. users' conference in Dallas.
About 160 attendees listened to speakers addressing everything from fuel tracking to pricebook management during the three-day conference at the Dallas Sheraton Hotel downtown.
Speaking about beacon tests at Waycross, Ga.-based Flash Foods convenience store chain, Tory Williams, president of Zingon, Providence, R.I., said the technology has the ability to reach customers with relevant messages via their smartphones while they're on site.
At a general session, Williams said the beacon devices, which are about the size of a quarter, pick up on the open Flash Foods apps that are on customers' cellphones and from there will have the ability to search company databases, analyze individual buying histories and rewards balances, and then deliver relevant messages.
Speaking in general about the potential for mobile, Williams said that for retailers, it's an opportunity to replace paper coupons. Long left out on paper coupons due to their complexity and handling concerns, the convenience store industry has the opportunity to get back in as retailers begin to enhance their loyalty programs and branded apps.
Digital platforms are emerging to help retailers access and deliver those coupons to customers, and even add urgency to their redemption by encoding automated expiration dates. Also a part of that development are backoffice systems to control coupon distribution and provide reporting.
Other guest speakers at the conference included retailers who spoke of ways data has helped in their businesses. Stephen Thayer, vice president of finance for Energy North Group, Tewksbury, Mass., talked about best practices around bill-of-lading reconciliation and having the proper controls in place to avoid costly errors.
On the retail side, Butch Egan, chief marketing officer for Western Oil, Earth City, Mo., said having just worked with the Pinnacle solution for a year, the company was able to take a hard look at its cooler sets, identifying slow movers and replacing them with higher-turn items.
"We were able to put in more variety and improve our margin on fast-selling items we didn't have before," Egan said in a breakout session.
A theme for the conference this year was taking data and using it to change a retailer's business for the better, said Drew Mize, COO of the Arlington, Texas-based Pinnacle. "Traditionally, our meetings have been about features and functionality, but we're migrating to the next step—showing how retailers can do their businesses better. What are the wins and best practices? And getting the clients to talk about and identify [each other's] problems."
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