When convenience stores have disparate solutions and platforms, it’s not just cumbersome and expensive to manage, a negative effect on the consumer's overall digital experience is inevitable.
C-store retailers have enough to manage with the complex technology solutions and ecosystems available to the industry. On top of that, retailers manage dozens of disparate front-end technology systems. Often these technology systems are proprietary, with closed architecture and restrictive APIs (application programming interfaces) offering limited integrations designed specifically to lock retailers into distinct hardware and software ecosystems and with additional costs to build workarounds.
Legacy technology platforms, systems and processes—many of which were outdated even before the pandemic—can make it difficult for c-store operators to adopt the latest technologies needed to meet customers’ evolving and increased expectations for brand engagement, systems that can lead to increases in customer loyalty trip frequency and total spend.
This is especially prevalent in terms of digital assets, such as mobile apps, loyalty programs, functionality such as mobile ordering or payments, and marketing tactics such as email, SMS or push notifications.
To combat this challenge, it is essential for retailers to develop and implement a cohesive technology strategy and roadmap that brings together these disparate systems and platforms, finds new efficiencies and serves as the foundation for scalable technology advancement and innovation.
Most successful retailers will choose a growth partner with the expertise necessary to implement best practices for assessment, evaluation and streamlining of current and prospective technologies, in turn, minimizing costs, improving time to market, and ensuring the technology roadmap fulfills the brand vision while focusing on features and priorities that drive the most value and return on investment (ROI).
Here are three elements necessary to get the most out of your store technology ...
Unify Your Tech
Retailers struggling to engage with customers through digital means should rethink their technology strategy and develop a roadmap that supports their vision for the customer experience and focuses on key decisions to support business objectives. The customer experience includes the entire journey, from outdoor signage to the pump, inside the store, and the digital experience via website, mobile app, loyalty programs and social media.
A growth partner that can leverage expertise developed and refined across multiple industries can develop more comprehensive platform strategies and the integrations required to implement them. This enables a more engaging customer experience overall, while making data-driven decisions for a roadmap that yields the highest returns on investment.
Power Up With a CDP
The main feature of a robust tech stack is the customer data portal (CDP), which is a real-time master record of customer data that is sourced across the numerous systems and platforms that collect and manage these data points. A properly implemented CDP will centralize this data collection across platforms and streamline data management and utilization, allowing retailers to use this data and insights to improve their digital customer experience.
A CDP is typically a follow-on to digital capabilities for convenience retailers, since most convenience retailers did not have CDPs when they were building out their technology stacks. However, it is essential to providing the personalized and consistent customer experience that drives engagement through relevant offers, promotions and overall communication.
The CDP also helps power personalized offers, providing guests a unique and engaging customer experience. It also provides retailers with more control over solutions such as loyalty programs and mobile applications. Digital assets such as websites and mobile apps can be refreshed with the latest features that deliver a modern experience, one that is consistent across platforms and provides a high level of personalization.
Choose a Growth Partners
Engaging with a growth partner can help c-stores accelerate their digital maturation. Such as model should assess a brand’s current digital customer experience, evaluating the retailer’s unique needs and making strategic recommendations that will help achieve business objectives.
The most productive brand partnerships are those in which IT and marketing teams operate in lockstep. After all, IT can deploy all the solutions in the world, but if marketing doesn’t know about it, it won’t go anywhere, and vice versa. The importance of understanding and clarifying objectives and coordinating across departments is critical.
As the c-store evolves in its digital evolution as an industry, brands must find ways to streamline their tech stacks or face losing time, money and customers due to siloed systems and antiquated operations. Unifying the myriad of disparate solutions and platforms on the market is essential to advance in digital maturity.
Abbey Karel is vice president of business development for convenience at Bounteous, Chicago.
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