The theme at this year’s Conexxus Annual Conference was clear: Disrupt your business or be disrupted. Not only are competitors such as dollar stores and online retailers increasingly encroaching on the convenience-store retailing business but a new definition of convenience is rising among consumers, and that will affect their expectations of c-stores. “I don’t think Amazon is coming after my business, but I think they’re training consumers to shop differently,” said Kevin Smartt, CEO of Kwik Chek, Austin, Texas. From a rock ‘n' roll star turned missile defense expert for the U.S. military to a representative from the Illinois state government explaining the potential of blockchain for c-stores and American society, the speakers at the technology-standards conference, held April 30 through May 3, embodied this push to think differently about the industry.
Here are nine highlights from the 2018 Conexxus conference.....