Dive Brief:

• Mapco has opened its second Grabango-powered checkout-free c-store, this one in Nashville, Tennessee, the company announced on Tuesday.
• This store completes Mapco’s expected two-location pilot of the automated technology, which lets consumers pick up what they want from the shop and just leave instead of waiting in line to pay.
• While c-store adoption of fully automated checkout continues to be small scale, some retailers are finding strong use cases for the technology, which can boost loyalty, reduce shrink and improve operations, according to the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Grabango’s technology uses ceiling-mounted cameras to track shoppers and identify what they’ve picked up. When customers are ready to leave the store, they scan a code on their app and leave. The payment is then made automatically.

“We are seeing an increasing number of our shoppers opt for this faster, convenient checkout option,” said Frederic Chaveyriat, CEO of Mapco.

Frictionless checkout technology has continued to make waves in places where lines tend to be long, such as stadiums, arenas, airports and the like. Amazon and frictionless checkout company Zippin have been expanding their locations in professional sports venues thanks to improved throughput and sales. 

Mapco isn’t the only c-store retailer trying the technology in traditional locations. Grabango has also worked with Circle K, GetGo Cafe + Market and BP. Choice Market uses its Choice Now technology, developed in partnership with autonomous retail company AiFi, across its footprint. Amazon partnered with a Virginia university this year to open a Just Walk Out store on campus, while Standard AI retrofitted a store at San Jose State University.

But there have been hiccups. For instance, Loop Neighborhood Markets opened its first AiFi-powered store in 2019 and added a second in 2021. But a Loop spokesperson said earlier in 2023 that those stores are no longer in operation. Amazon Go, the tech company’s c-store chain using its Just Walk Out technology, has shuttered nine of its locations so far in 2023. 

Mapco has been focusing on technology in the past year. In addition to frictionless checkout, it also polished up its mobile app in June. The refreshed experience includes personalized rewards, limited-time deals, mobile fuel pay with Venmo and a car racing game. 

Mapco was bought by Majors Management in April, with 112 of the stores being divested and sold to Alimentation Couche-Tard-owned Circle K. The chain owns over 300 locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.