"There is a lot of industry interest for a shift towards top-to-bottom, fully integrated solutions that allow fuel pricing to be positioned at any level of an organization. The PCATS standards will set the stage for this to become reality," [image-nocss] he said. "Collaborating efforts with PCATS members and our retail fuel pricing application, PriceNet, will provide off-the-shelf integration with a variety of retail technology systems."
Stein said the membership will also benefit users of KSS' new KSS Analytics business intelligence (BI) solution by seamlessly integrating the analytics workbench with other store systems to provide real-time fuel operations analysis.
"We're excited to have KSS as a new member," said Gabriel Olives vice president of IT/petroleum of Turkey Hill Minit Markets and PCATS chairman. "Their expertise in fuel pricing technology and analytics will help us further shape the standards that we are developing as we continue to pursue technological excellence throughout the industry."
PriceNet is KSS' pricing solution that supports key tasks and stakeholders involved in retail fuels pricing, from capturing field-based intelligence at the site level, to the generation of price proposals via comprehensive pricing rules or price optimization, to consistent and timely implementation. High levels of automation and an exception-based approach ensure a rapid response to competitors and market conditions, thus allowing pricing analysts to leverage the power of pricing analytics.
KSS Analytics is an analytics solution that gives fuel retailers and wholesalers a dashboard-style overview of their fuel operations so they can make informed and valuable business decisions in real-time. The system works alongside KSS' PriceNet and RackPrice fuel price management software as well as a standalone business intelligence tool to analyze and interpret valuable data and instantly present it via a user-friendly interface.
PCATS was founded in September 2003 to continue the development and maintenance of standards work initiated under the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Technology Standards Project. PCATS' mission is to develop, maintain and assist members in the implementation of a variety of technology standards. With more than 150 members, the group's membership represents more than 22,000 convenience stores. Membership is open to any petroleum marketer, c-store owner/operator, other retail channels or any of their suppliers or vendors.
KSS is a leading global provider of pricing software, analytics and consulting services to fuel retailers and wholesalers in the oil and gas, c-store and retail industries. KSS helps fuel marketers identify and efficiently execute optimal pricing strategies. The company's U.S. headquarters is in Florham Park, N.J., and its international headquarters is in Manchester, U.K.
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