Lula Convenience aims to eliminate one more manual step in inventory management for convenience stores that use Passport.
The Philadelphia-based technology company plans to integrate its Lula Store Platform with Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s Passport, a point-of-sale system, in a new partnership designed to make it easier for c-stores to keep track of daily transactions, the company said.
Lula Convenience estimates about 165 million transactions occur daily in convenience stores in the United States and over 44,000 c-stores use Passport.
The partnership will allow retailers to automatically sync two-way updates between the POS system and delivery channels like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Delivery.com, ASAP Delivery and others. Previously, store managers were expected to provide updates on product availability manually. The partnership is expected to lower the workload for c-store operators, while helping them keep the appropriate amount of inventory in stock so consumers aren’t disappointed by out of stocks. The delivery companies also stand to benefit.
It's part of Lula Convenience’s plan to build partnerships in the convenience-store industry and solve an issue facing brands interested in improving delivery for e-commerce.
As more consumers want c-store purchases delivered, keeping track of inventory to ensure it’s available for delivery has become more important to c-store operators and delivery companies alike.
Two Drexel University graduates, Adit Gupta and Tom Falzani, started Lula Convenience in 2020 after Gupta’s family shuttered a New Jersey convenience store during the pandemic and they attempted to move the store’s merchandise online without success, the company said.
The company strives to turn c-stores into “micro fulfillment centers” by making it easier for them to work with delivery companies. Lula developed its Lula Store Platform as a 30-minute delivery solution for c-stores that don’t have a secondary sales channel, it said.
Gilbarco Veeder-Root, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, has manufactured fueling and c-store equipment and technology since 1865. Its Passport POS system uses a flexible architecture designed to work with many different partners.
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