The Convenience Technology Vision Group (CTVG) has released its third report, based on the group’s September quarterly meeting. The primary focus of this meeting was to address the complex landscape of point-of-sale (POS) systems in an era of emerging digital experiences and broader data strategies. Participants highlighted the challenges hindering their ability to meet changing expectations and identified opportunities to improve the customer experience. The group also provided updates of their EV strategies as a follow up to the previous meeting.

The Convenience Technology Vision Group (CTVG) is a collaborative forum for convenience and energy retailers to discuss and address the challenges and opportunities presented by evolving technology in the industry. CTVG membership is comprised of retail thought leaders and Ally Supporters dedicated to shaping the future of convenience retail.

The full report includes a summary of the discussion (“CTVG Views”), the full transcript of the meeting (“In The Room”), supplemental articles and perspectives worthy of making anyone’s must-read list. Main topics covered in the report include POS systems challenges and opportunities such as decoupling and decluttering, the EMV upgrade, and major oil considerations and EV infrastructure and strategy updates.
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Key takeaways identified in the report include:

  • Decoupling and Decluttering: Participants emphasized the need to decouple POS systems, separating different functions and components to provide flexibility in technology choices. This approach could allow retailers to select the best solutions for payments, loyalty, lottery, or mobile apps, and potentially create a plug-and-play ecosystem. “Decoupling the payment systems from the POS and really creating that compartmentalized architecture is dead on the money,” said Nick Peters, Vice President of IT for Campbell Oil Company. He continued, “The trouble is, the forecourt is inherently legacy and inherently unique in every aspect of the word.”
  • EMV Upgrade: “EMV changed things for the point-of-sale vendors,” said Patrick Raycroft, Partner, W. Capra Consulting. The transition to EMV-compliant hardware was discussed as a costly yet necessary undertaking for retailers. It was noted that this transition unfortunately diverted supplier resources from enhancing POS systems, leading to a decline in both vendor customer service and the advancement of newly architected POS solutions.
  • Major Oil Companies and Forecourt Control: Major oil companies were recognized for shaping technology adoption in the industry. However, their certification and approval processes were criticized for causing delays in software updates and innovation. The need for more flexibility in using brand assets was highlighted.

Skip Potter, Director of Information Technology for R.L. Vallee, Inc, voiced that major oil integration is “one of our biggest pain points in delays for releasing software. We know that the fixes are there, it’s in a patch or a quick fix or whatever it is, but because the major won’t sign off on it, we can’t get it and we as the end user are the ones that have to pay that price.”

Additionally, members praised the work of industry technology organization Conexxus in developing and maintaining standards and APIs to facilitate seamless integration between diverse software and hardware solutions. Members collectively agreed that the industry must transition to flexible, modular, and adaptable POS systems that meet evolving customer demands and embrace emerging technologies.

This September 8th CTVG meeting also briefly addressed the challenges and opportunities related to the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the convenience retail sector which was a follow-up from the June 2023 CTVG meeting on the same topic. With an influx of federal funding, changing technology and third-party involvement, retailers are cautiously exploring their roles in the evolving EV market. Several members of the group indicated they are waiting for the technologies to advance a bit more before investing too far, such as Donnie Rhoads with The Convenience Group in Washington and Rance Wells of Toot’n Totem, noting developments in quicker charging units and solid-state batteries.

Convenience Technology Vision Group brings together invited retailer and supplier tech leaders for quarterly virtual meetings to discuss technology issues impacting the convenience channel. The group is committed to sharing its views and perspectives in order to advance the convenience retailing and energy industry. CTVG is part of the Vision Group Network, which gathers the collective knowledge and ideas of its members to create a legacy of sharing within the retail community.