Select WilcoHess stores are debuting the first gas island vending solutions to customers in North Carolina.
WilcoHess LLC, which operates travel plazas and convenience stores in the Southeastern U.S. has collaborated with Allied Electronics, a provider of service station automation systems, The Pinnacle Corp., an automation technology and software supplier and Vendgogh LLC, a provider of integrated gas island vending solutions, to bring a patented gas island cold drink vending solution to the Raleigh marketplace, marking the first installation of its kind.
Research has shown that up to 70% of convenience store customers buy only gas at the gas island and do not venture into the store. This integrated gas island vending solution is expected to expand the service available to WilcoHess gas customers, increase sales and add convenience to the overall buying experience. “We think WilcoHess’ focus on customer satisfaction will help bring a new standard of excellence and customer service to the convenience store gas island while increasing the average revenue from each customer,” said Larry McAnallen, vice president of business development at Vendgogh.
The WilcoHess installation is the culmination of months of effort involving a shared vision to enhance the customer experience for WilcoHess gas-only customers. “We are excited to expand the service we offer to our gas island customers,” said Larry Lytle, WilcoHess vice president of marketing. “Vending at the pump will create a new buying zone that we believe will add incremental sales and enhance our gas customers’ overall buying experience.”
Allied Electronics, one of Vendgogh’s original partners, has worked for months to enhance its NeXGen forecourt controller to include support for Vendgogh’s vending system. Jack Dickinson, Allied Electronics’ manager of engineering and development, expects this initial installation will be the first of many to come. “Allied is excited to be a part of this exciting innovation in service station automation. I believe that Allied’s support of Vendgogh’s gas island vending solution will provide additional benefits for our valued NeXGen customers like WilcoHess and their customers.”
The Pinnacle Corp. has joined in to ensure their point of sale Palm POS software works to support vending at the pump and enable WilcoHess gas customers to purchase gas and cold drinks simultaneously with a single swipe of their credit card. “We are pleased to lend our support to this collaborative effort and to ensure that our Palm POS software works seamlessly to deliver customer value to WilcoHess and other convenience store clientele,” said Drew Mize, Pinnacle’s vice president of product management and marketing.
The vending machines will feature the most popular selling cold drinks at each of the participating WilcoHess locations.