Three convenience-store chains— Wesco, EG America and TXB—have partnered with technology companies to make operations more efficient.
Solutions range from self-checkout to task consolidation and maintenance automation.
Read on to find out what tech convenience-store retailers are leaning into.
Wesco and Mashgin
Wesco convenience stores will expand its use of Mashgin’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered checkout technology to more than 20 locations.
The kiosks use computer vision to instantly ring up items, without the need to scan barcodes. Customers can place their items down and pay. The kiosk can identify multiple items simultaneously in seconds with nearly 100% accuracy, the company said.
Palo Alto, California-based Mashgin’s AI technology eliminates checkout lines, creating a more efficient and customer-friendly shopping experience for stores, particularly during peak transaction times, the company said.
During Muskegon, Michigan-based Wesco’s pilot with Mashgin, kiosks accelerated nearly half a million transactions at more than 10 Wesco locations with a median transaction time of 18.7 seconds.
“Our customers have quickly taken to love Mashgin's machines—and we've loved working with them,” said Nancy Westgate-Sytsema, co-president of Wesco. “Both the technology and the team are extremely responsive, exactly what we look for in a technology partner.”
Mashgin’s technology is integrated with Verifone’s Commander system, which connects the AI checkout kiosks to key store systems for payment, loyalty, fuel and more.
Wesco Inc. is No. 129 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.
In addition to operating 55 convenience stores in Michigan, Wesco also owns and operates a private distribution center, a bulk fuel and propane business, a private-label deli and bakery operation and nine Subways. It has more than 1,300 associates and its revenues exceed $500 million annually, with nearly 100 million gallons of fuel and more than 26 million customer visits, the company said.
EG America and Quorso
EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts, partnered with Quorso, an intelligent management platform. The technology will be deployed throughout the company’s more than 1,500 retail and fuel locations.
New York-based Quorso’s Intelligent Management Platform eliminates the complexity of too much data, too many tasks and too many systems, the company said. By combining advanced technology with human-centric workflows, it consolidates siloed solutions like tasks, surveys, performance analytics and exception reporting into an action-focused platform.
“Quorso is a significant enhancement from legacy reporting and traditional task management systems,” said Elizabeth Pierce, COO of EG America. “The platform enables us to take a more personalized, data-driven approach to operational improvements in every store. It also drastically reduces the overwhelming amount of data that our store teams have to process.”
TXB and Techniche
TXB, or Texas Born, has partnered with Carlsbad, California-based Techniche to utilize its Urgent asset management software. The technology aims to optimize assets and automate maintenance processes.
Spicewood, Texas-based TXB recognized that a new software platform would drive further efficiencies within the business, adding value by bringing the management and maintenance of its convenience store assets and IT related issues into one platform, the company said.
TXB is No. 136 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by store count.
“When an asset goes down, whether that’s a coffee machine, a cooler or a network router, it’s critical to get that asset up and running again within the shortest possible time frame,” said Rodney Brent, senior director of facilities at TXB. “Our maintenance team includes both in-house technicians and external contractors, and our requirement was for a system that would align all our maintenance efforts on a single platform. Urgent has the flexibility to bring the needs of our business into one application.”
TXB currently operates 54 restaurant-style convenience stores across Texas and Oklahoma.
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