Adding further “Convenience” to Convenience Stores Starts at the Register
By Cole Baldwin
The entire purpose of convenience stores is right there in the name – convenience. These stores exist to make life easier for consumers needing a quick snack, a few household items, and maybe a magazine or two, without the need to navigate the labyrinth of modern day grocery stores.
But while convenience store operators are making life easier for consumers, it’s equally important that their lives be made easier as well. Running a convenience store is hard work involving long hours and countless responsibilities; operators need some help.
Fortunately, this help is now available, as technology helps to alleviate some of the pressures associated with running a store. The rapid development of many tools and features not only benefits consumers, but also simplifies operations for business owners. And there is nowhere in the store that such changes are more evident than in the checkout process.
As Canadians increasingly carry less and less cash, gone are the days of long lines and, for many operators, the need for endless hours to manage it all. Instead, Canadians are seeking safe and quick methods to pay beyond physical currency and technology is delivering in droves.
First came the early 21st century innovation of chip and pin technology, followed by contactless payments, and now Canadians’ mobile phones now function far beyond communication devices. Digital wallets, for example, have enabled Canadians to pay from their phones since 2011, but their usage has really taken off in the past three years, particularly among members of Gen Z. In fact, more than 80 per cent of Gen Z Canadians use their phones to pay for goods, and two thirds of Canadians anticipate it will soon become the norm to do away with physical wallets altogether.
But mobile payments are just the tip of the iceberg. Taking it even further, global chain 7-Eleven allows customers to use their phones to scan barcodes and pay directly through its mobile app, enabling customers to skip the checkout line altogether.
Self-serve kiosks, long popular with grocery stores and quick-service restaurants, are now popping up in convenience stores as well, with some stores now operating 24 hours a day, with no cashiers on staff.
Toronto and Calgary sports fans will soon be able to enjoy Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, at Scotiabank Arena and Scotiabank Saddledome. Customers simply scan a credit or debit card to gain entry to participating stores within the arenas, and sensors, cameras and AI keep a rolling tab of selections.
But as groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting as such technology can be, it is also expensive, preventing mass usage by independent stores. Fortunately, there are options for stores of all shapes and sizes, and even small, independent stores can now leverage emerging technologies to meet Canadians where they are.
While Canadian customers have rapidly adjusted to using mobile payment options, Canadian businesses haven’t necessarily had the hardware to accept such payments. However, the new Tap to Pay technology from companies like Square allows operators to turn their Android devices into registers, enabling them to process contactless credit card payments directly with their phones, eliminating the need for investments in additional hardware.
Innovations like Tap to Pay are helping to lower the barrier to entry for Canadian entrepreneurs, ensuring they can continue to have a fast, secure, and accessible way to take payments, at no additional cost.
From manual card imprinter machines to digital registers to an entire POS in the palm of your hand, technology is evolving rapidly to help businesses thrive. In the end, everyone – businesses and customers alike – wins.
Cole Baldwin, sales lead and business expert, Square Canada, leads a team of sales and payment consultants at Square Canada. Working directly with Canadian business owners, Cole strives to enable merchants to succeed with the right tools and resources. The child of two entrepreneurs, Cole has an ingrained passion for Canadian SMBs and understands the important place business owners hold in our economy.
