How AI and data integration will define the future of convenience retail

The convenience-store industry is at a critical inflection point where data infrastructure and artificial intelligence will determine which retailers thrive and which fall behind, according to Thomas Weinandy, economist at Upside.

Weinandy shared these insights during a recent episode of CSP's "At Your Convenience" podcast, recorded live at the Outlook Leadership Conference. The conversation centered on key findings from CSP's Outlook Report, in which Upside participated as a data partner.

One of the most significant shifts Weinandy identified is the rise of cross-shopping behavior: "[It's this] uncommitted customer behavior where consumers are visiting multiple stores, they're involved in many different loyalty programs, they're filling up at multiple gas stations and they're trying to find that value and the loyalty is split across many banners."