CSN EXCLUSIVE: C-store Operators Champion Technology Buy-In at All Levels

With all this mind, a group of convenience store technology and marketing leaders gathered for the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Dinner and Roundtable on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas. Sponsored by sponsors Altria Group Distribution Co., Blue Yonder, Hughes Network Systems and Vixxo, the annual event featured recognition of the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leader of the Year, Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.; a fireside chat with Meg Rice, director of marketing for Worcester, Mass.-based Nouria Energy Group; and a roundtable discussion of all things technology. 

Taking Home Hardware

This year CSNews named Couche-Tard, the parent company of Circle K, as the Technology Leader of the Year. The global company is known for its appetite for acquisitions, but its strides in the technology space have not gone unnoticed. Couche-Tard was recognized for its use in technology to enable innovation and speed to market; win with the customer through loyalty, digital experiences and operations first; and to streamline internal processes for better efficiency. 

[Read more: Couche-Tard Puts Technology at the Foundation of Its Strategy]

Accepting the award were Ed Dzadovsky, chief technology officer; Erica Fortune, chief digital officer; Janet Falcon, vice president of North America systems; and Christine Loukota, director of emerging technologies. 

“Here we are doing what we do, delivering some amazing experiences on behalf of our employees and our customers and somebody said it’s working. Thank you CSNews for telling us we’re getting some things right,” Dzadovsky said. “It is on behalf of all of the operators and 100,000-plus associates that we accept this award.”

Sitting Down With Nouria

In 2018, Nouria Energy Corp. kicked off an initiative to rebrand and upgrade all off its locations, and in November of that year, it debuted its new retail brand with a new concept store in Lewiston, Maine. Five years later, Nouria’s lead marketing executive touched on the retailer’s technology journey and what role it plays in the business today. 

While Rice is relatively new to Nouria and the c-store industry — having joined the company in August 2023 — she noted that Nouria’s technology journey is unique. For example, the retailer’s tech stack has some maturity to it, she explained, while its marketing stack is newer. 

That newness is part of the company’s rebranding, Rice said, pointing out that Nouria was not really a customer-facing brand until about five years ago.

Being new to the industry herself, Rice added that she was surprised by the complexity of the channel’s technology and its requirements. 

She also touched on Nouria’s focus on utilizing data to make the best decisions and being disciplined in using that data. 

Top-of-Mind Technology

At the annual gathering, c-store executives also traded insights on hot-button issues in the retail technology space. This year’s discussion touched on everything from customer-facing solutions to operational strategies. Here is a look at what retailers had to say:

• Pinless debit: Retailers will benefit from it, but will the credit card companies and issuing banks behind it, too?
• Workforce optimization: Smaller chains are using simple solutions, including monitoring the customer-associate exchange at checkout.
• Self-checkout: Many retailers have some form of self-checkout but does it move the needle? Maybe. Retailers are also seeing generational challenges with the service. 
• Trending technology: The industry is working with solutions today that it wasn’t using a few years ago, with generative AI tools, data warehouses and data lakes among them. 
• Converting fuel customers: That’s the $64,000 question. C-store operators are still trying to figure out this piece of the retail puzzle. Some display messages at the pump, but they are not seeing the conversion rate they expected. 

But, regardless of the technology or the challenge retailers are to overcome, all agree that moving forward with new tech takes buy in from all levels of the organization. “Technology is an important part of the journey, but you need to get the basics right, whether you are a small operator or a large chain,” one retailer said.

Look for more on the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Dinner and Roundtable in the November issue of Convenience Store News.