ABERDEEN, S.D. — Street Corner convenience stores are making the often-discussed concept of order-at-the-pump technology a reality. The retailer has partnered with Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS) and The Pinnacle Corp. to bring the solution to its franchised stores, launching it first at its Street Corner Urban Market store in Aberdeen, S.D.
“Because Street Corner understands that customers expect fast, personalized and frictionless shopping experiences, it has created a new approach to c-store retailing,” Street Corner CEO Vikram Dhillon told CSP Daily News.
When ordering at the pump, customers at the store have the option to customize all fresh-food items, as well as purchase a select number of non-food items found within the c-store.
To access the technology, customers input their credit card and begin fueling, as usual. Then they can tap the menu screen to place their store order and select checkout. All items are made fresh from scratch while customers finish fueling and can then be picked up inside or from the drive-through window.
Street Corner, Topeka, Kansas, is the franchisee of 40 stores across the United States, only four of which sell fuel. Still, the retailer “already has plans to implement the technology at two additional locations in California in the coming months,” Dhillon said.
- Street Corner is No. 175 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count.
The Aberdeen Street Corner’s fresh-food menu features pizza, sandwiches and salads, according to Store Manager Josie Doeden.
The order-at-the-pump technology is powered by Pinnacle’s Affiniti Cloud Solutions application and displayed via DFS’ Anthem UX Experience Platform. According to DFS’ recent Future of Fueling Report, having the ability to pay for in-store items while fueling is one of customers’ most desired features at c-stores. Fifty-one percent of consumers surveyed said they would welcome the technology, “indicating that order-at-the-pump will be crucial to c-store success and standing out from the competition,” the pump-tech firm said.