Conexxus In the News

Jan. 26-30
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona

For those interested in the technology side of the c-store space, Conexxus brings together leaders from major convenience retailers at its annual conference for nearly a week of panels, keynotes, working groups and more. 

Past events have covered artificial intelligence, edge computing, innovation and other tech topics at the forefront of the c-store industry. 

Vision Group Network (VGN) and Conexxus have partnered to create the Conexxus Vision Group (CxVG), a forum seeking to “expand Conexxus’ retailer and supplier engagement and amplify Conexxus’ goals and achievements. It will also quickly identify strategic technology innovations regarding convenience/mobility industry issues, technology, and practices,” said the companies.

In her career as a retailer in the technology field, Bullard was involved in what became Conexxus, formerly PCATS, serving in many roles and in 2014 was inducted into Conexxus Hall of Fame.

Bullard attributes her success in leading Flash Foods to be one of the most technology-innovated companies in the c-store industry to her ability to understand the day to day operations and from there implement technology initiatives that would impact the company in efficiencies gained and bottom line growth.

Common to all these threads, Gray said, is that Conexxus is in the middle. He compared the organization's strategy to a popsicle — the stick stays the same regardless of the flavor.

"If we provide the technological backbone, then and with the appropriate connectivity in there, it's up to the retailers to put together the flavors they want to put in that box," he said. "And if we do it really well, it becomes an endless landscape possibility. In fact, my objective is that this whole ecosystem should make connecting to another ecosystem a business decision, not a technical decision if we do it right.

"Our job at Conexxus is not to stop at the store. Our job at Conexxus is to make sure that with the new digital commerce frontiers, we can connect any other ecosystem out there," Gray added.

The annual Conexxus conference kicked off on Sunday, April 28, in Arlington, Texas. Bringing together great minds from the convenience store industry, the conference touches on a variety of pertinent topics, including artificial intelligence (AI), the digital landscape and more.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a step above other technologies because it not only collects data, but it also analyzes data. It’s a valuable tool to make use of, convenience-store retailers, technology suppliers and industry experts said during a panel at the Dover Fueling Solutions Accelerate Ahead conference in Austin, Texas, this week.

The 2024 Conexxus Annual Conference is a chance to stay on top of hot button issues such as AI, and also get a glimpse of the future. Preliminary agenda items include sessions that will address hot button issues such as artificial intelligence, EMV and achieving digital success — all of which are top of mind for many, if not all, convenience store retailers. These issues are also top of mind for me, not just as Convenience Store News' technology editor, but as a consumer as well.

Retail thought leaders—Clifton Dillman (Family Express), Erika Dykstra (formerly Jacksons) and Donnie Rhoads (The Convenience Group)—recently came together at Conexxus’ Think Tank v8.0 to explore several topics that have been on each of their minds. Their perspectives revealed insights into technology’s challenges and the opportunities they see for their businesses.

The two-day event gathered industry professionals from around the world to discuss technology trends impacting the convenience and mobility sectors.

Since the rise to fame of ChatGPT the issue of AI has become part of the mainstream conversation. For years, the service station industry has looked at ways of using AI to improve strategic decision-making and daily operations. A panel formed by Gray Taylor (Conexxus), Frodi Hammer (A2i Systems) and Fernando Carrasco (Locatium) highlighted how AI can help retailers choose the right location for a site, develop a pricing strategy, and decide where to place products inside a store. 

Most organizations will struggle with innovation. Conexxus provides convenience retailers with the tools they need to develop their own technology road map and plan for the industry’s future. Listen to the full NACS Convenience Matters podcast: The Future Is Here: Exploring Strategic Innovation – Episode 395