Mashgin, a technology company with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-checkout system in use at convenience-store retailers, said its software will integrate with PDI Technologies’ point-of-sale (POS) and back-office accounting and data processing solutions to simplify transaction accounting for retailers.
The partnership is expected to introduce Mashgin’s frictionless self-checkout systems to new retailers confronting labor shortages. Mashgin’s self-checkout systems use multiple cameras instead of barcode scanners to ring up consumers’ purchases and help eliminate shrinkage. The systems have been used at at 2,700 locations globally, including convenience stores, corporate cafeterias, sports stadiums, airports, resorts and entertainment locations, Palo Alto, California-based Mashgin said.
“The integration of Mashgin and PDI is a game changer for retailers looking to upgrade their self-checkout experience while keeping pricebook and other key data synchronized across stores and POS,” said Jeff Hassman, vice president of product strategy and partnerships at PDI Technologies in Alpharetta, Georgia.
“Our goal is to unlock the power of retailer data to enable faster and better decision making across the convenience ecosystem,” Hassman said.
Convenience retailer Refuel uses Mashgin’s self-checkout system in its Charleston location. “We’re really pleased with the boost of speed and convenience that Mashgin has brought to our customers in our downtown Charleston location,” said Jon Rier, CFO at Refuel, a South Carolina-based convenience-store chain with 208 locations in the Carolinas, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas.
“Having the direct connection between Mashgin and PDI has made the accounting and pricebook processes really smooth and has us excited to expand high-speed self-checkout in other locations very soon,” Rier said.
- Refuel is No. 46 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by number of company-operated locations. Watch for the 2023 Top 202 in the June issue of CSP magazine.
Refuel has grown rapidly through acquisitions. Its November 2022 acquisition of Raleigh, North Carolina-based Eagles Enterprise LLC, was the company’s 14th acquisition since May 2019, when it received a private equity investment from First Reserve.
Mashgin’s self-checkouts also are in giant bp’s ampm stores and Delek’s DK units. They were installed in Circle K stores in 2022. They result in shorter lines at registers and result in increased sales and more satisfied customers, the company said.
Mashgin said its self-checkout transactions up to 400% faster than a typical cashier. Its camera-vision system eliminates barcode scanning issues and identifies foods and other products on the kiosk with 99.9% accuracy to speed the process of purchasing goods. Consumers simply place their items on a kiosk tray and pay. Most convenience-store transactions take less than 10 seconds using Mashgin, the company said. The Mashgin system can be deployed at retailers in a matter of days, the company said.
With the new integration, Mashgin aims to simplify and automate accounting tasks for retailers by connecting with PDI’s systems.
“Our collaboration with PDI is another important step forward for Mashgin as we work to become a convenient solution for as many retailers as possible by offering integration with market-leading back office and payment providers,” said Jack Hogan, vice president of strategic partnerships at Mashgin.
Mashgin, founded in 2013, is a privately held company backed by NEA, Matrix Partners, Susa Ventures and Y Combinator. A video demonstrating the company’s self-checkout system is available on YouTube.
PDI Technologies Inc. provides retail technology solutions, such as enterprise resource planning, loyalty and cyber security applications to convenience-store operators. It serves more than 200,000 locations with Fuel Rewards program. It also owns GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform. The GasBuddy app, downloaded over 100 million times from the App Store, provides real-time gas prices at more than 150,000 locations and offers cash-back rewards with brand partners. The Pay with GasBuddy debit card offers consumers cents-off-per-gallon discounts at most gas stations and can be used with other loyalty programs. The Fuel Rewards and GasBuddy brands have over 20 million users.
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