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Customer stories | Kwik Chek

When stopping for gas becomes a connected, customized experience

For many customers, a stop at the corner convenience store and gas station is a quick, anonymous transaction, conducted out of necessity. But one Texas-based convenience store chain is aiming to change all of that. Building on the Internet of Things, Kwik Chek is pioneering new connected, personalized experiences for its customers, upending expected standards for engagement and loyalty, and in the process, creating exceptional business value that has the potential to redefine the convenience industry.

Woman looking at smartphone next to car.
Woman looking at smartphone next to car.

The solution:

Convenience from insights

Kwik Chek partnered with P97 Networks, building on Microsoft Azure IoT services and other Microsoft technologies to create a pair of solutions: PetroZone Mobile Commerce, a mobile app that enables navigation, cashless payment and smart digital offers; and PetroZone Retail Fuels Module (RFM), a cloud-based solution powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX modern Point of Sale (mPOS) system that integrates with the forecourt system that controls the fuel pumps, back office and financial systems.

"People count on us for quick transactions. They want to save time by coming to a convenience store,” said Daniel Gaddy, chief technology officer, Kwik Chek. "So reliability is core to our industry. The system also allows for rapid updates to stay current with new innovations from Microsoft, P97 and their partners."

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Increasing in-store traffic

The mobile commerce solution offers opt-in features that track a customer’s mobile purchase history, then uses that data to generate relevant digital discount offers that are sent to the customers’ phones in real time, while they’re still on-site. These marketing innovations help Kwik Chek address a common and persistent industry problem: "Today, as an industry average, approximately 70 percent of our fuel customers never come inside the store," says Kevin Smartt, CEO of Kwik Chek. "These offers are bringing more of them in, resulting in increased in-store sales from formerly fuel-only customers. It’s a big advantage for customers, too, who save money on things they’re likely to buy anyway."

Gas pumps.
Gas pumps.

The business impact

Challenge

The US convenience store industry has 151,000 stores and posted $696 billion in sales in 2013. Kwik Chek is a service-oriented family of convenience stores with 43 locations in Texas and Oklahoma. The company wanted to transform its business and take customer service to the next level by replacing conventional, manual point-of-service (POS) processes with cashless mobile payment for consumers and a hosted, cloud-based, device-independent POS solution in the stores.

Solution

Kwik Chek turned to P97 Networks to build a solution based on Microsoft Azure IoT services and Dynamics AX that connects POS apps running in stores and on mobile phones with the cloud and existing infrastructure such as fuel pumps and ERP systems. Customers can use phones to locate stores, pay securely, and receive reward points and targeted digital offers. Kwik Chek leverages the cloud-based POS system for quick, reliable transactions and advanced analytics.

Benefits

  • Increases customer loyalty with improved convenience and personalized service with digital offers
  • Operational efficiencies transform business operations quickly and affordably, connecting stores with the mobile commerce platform within four hours
  • Cuts customer time at fuel pumps by up to 40 percent, and improves safety with cashless payment

Deliver differentiated customer experiences

Microsoft Azure IoT services enable businesses in retail and hospitality to build smarter operations, increase business agility, gain better insights and transform customer experiences.

Microsoft’s Internet of Things blog

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