• The company is responsible for around five percent of all new U.S. POS installations in 2023, and more than one in four in the grocery segment.

Uninterrupted growth in North America

In 2023, the company's customers were able to put over 25,000 new point-of-sale (POS) installations into production in more than 2,000 stores worldwide. These included large department stores and convenience stores in North America and Europe. 

According to RBR Data Service's "Global POS Software 2023" report, growth was particularly strong in the U.S. GK realized around five percent of all new installations in the world's largest retail market. In the grocery sector, one in four new point-of-sale installations came from GK (26%). It is expected that GK's growth will continue to accelerate, particularly in North America, as six new customers were signed in this region in 2023, which together operate over 20,000 stores.

"There is clearly strong momentum at GK," said Greg Buzek, founder and president of IHL Group, a leading global research and advisory firm specializing in technologies for the retail and hospitality industries. "The flexibility of the company's approach, the investment from Fujitsu and the clear need in the market for retailers to increase their store count with frugal staffing should serve the company well." 

Portfolio development with GK Engage 

The new AI-supported customer loyalty solution GK Engage, which is designed to deepen the customer relationship at all levels through relevant recommendations, targeted promotions and other offers tailored directly to the individual customer, will be presented for the first time at NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show. The solution’s personalized campaigns take into account customer preferences as well as the retailer's current inventory and goals. GK Engage is fully integrated into GK's CLOUD4RETAIL platform, allowing the solution to be accessible to consumers wherever they interact with the retailer – from mobile apps to self-checkout kiosks and traditional POS systems.

Strategic partnership with Fujitsu

At the NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show retailers can learn about the new opportunities arising from the recently concluded global partnership with Fujitsu. Fujitsu is the majority shareholder, with over 72% of GK, and now distributes the company's solutions worldwide alongside SAP. At the neighboring Fujitsu and GK booths, NRF attendees will hear about the diverse retail and customer experience opportunities made possible by the portfolios of both companies.

Recognition by leading analyst firms such as Forrester, IDC and RBR

Last year, GK's work was recognized in numerous analyst reports as well as through several awards programs. Highlights include: 

• In the RBR Data Service’s report "Global POS Software 2023", GK was once again listed as one of the leading providers. The company is now ranked fourth for all installations worldwide, after ranking fifth in 2022.
• GK was featured as a relevant provider in Forrester's Merchant Payment Providers Landscape for Q4 2023.
• In the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Point-of-Sale Software for Large Apparel and Softlines Retail 2023 Vendor Assessment, the company was rated as a leader.
• GK was honored as a finalist in the "Best Unified Customer Experience" category at the 2024 VIP Awards.
• In the RIS Leaderboard 2024, GK was ranked number one in customer satisfaction for large providers and in overall retailer performance in Tier 1 and Tier 2.
• GK Software was honored by the EHI Retail Institute as Top Supplier 2023 in the Best Customer Experience category together with the reta Award (Retail Technology Award Europe) winner Coop.

“In 2023, we’ve decisively demonstrated our capability through a series of successful projects, expanding customer base, and numerous industry accolades. These are not just achievements, but testaments to our commitment to lead and innovate in retail technology,” asserts Michael Scheibner, CEO of GK Software SE. “Our path forward is clear: we will continue to strategically invest in the cutting-edge technology, robust partnerships, and exceptional teams that have already proven to be game-changers for our customers, ensuring we not only meet but exceed expectations in the years to come.”

To see GK Engage in action and learn more about the company's growth trajectory, visit GK at the NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show. Visit booth #5402 or make an appointment here.

Full speed ahead on the project

“When GK showed us their timeline for the integration into our SAP system, we were skeptical,” reports David Cohn, CIO of the Shoprite Group. “But they were right. The integration into our merchandise management environment went not only as promised; it was done in a record-breaking eight weeks. The native integration of GK into SAP was remarkably painless and slick.“

What the CIO of the largest retailer on the African continent is so enthusiastic about is not a stroke of luck in the world of retail systems integration, but the result of a structured process that GK has already used as the basis for project launches at retailers worldwide. This enables us to integrate our solutions into existing SAP systems in the shortest possible time.

Productive in less than 8 weeks

This quantum leap in integration efficiency is made possible by the GK Model Company, a method we have developed to connect standard solutions in a pre-configured way along ideal customer processes. The POS software is preconfigured and defined to such an extent that a clearly defined result can be achieved during integration. We follow the SAP strategy of Rapid Deployment Solutions. It is based on retail-specific data streams between GK OmniPOS and the SAP systems CPI, CAR and S/4HANA.

Master data from S/4HANA can be used almost immediately in our solutions with the GK Model Company. Retail transactions, such as sales data, can be made available in SAP CAR with minimal effort via SAP CPI. Other systems, such as those for sales forecasting and order optimization, can also be used.  Basically, we provide a service package that allows the customer to work immediately with their  data.

Test environment in the productive SAP system

For this reason, many retail companies use the GK Model Company to get an idea of the benefits of GK solutions with their system data in the shortest possible time before the actual introduction of GK OmniPOS or GK CLOUD4RETAIL. This helps retail organizations with regional companies, international business and different sales channels to prepare themselves better for the introduction of GK solutions and to test them. This saves time and effort during the introduction of the solution suite.

The GK Model Company has already proven itself in practice at companies such as Shoprite and Sopharma. For the retailers, the ability to set up test environments with their live SAP system at the start of the project was a significant advantage. “We were able to see exactly what the target process would look like with GK in a prototype environment that was presented to us before the project started," commented Iliyan Tishevishki, Business Applications Manager at Sopharma. This allows us to conduct very precise fit-gap analyses with our customers at an early stage of the project, prepare the entire data architecture precisely, and thus save significant project costs.

The challenge of every software solution implementation - that different companies have different processes and requirements - is increasingly met by combining a solid standard as a basis and agile development according to individual customer requirements as the crowning glory. This in no way detracts from the increase in efficiency achieved by the GK Model Company. Master and POS data must flow smoothly between back-end and front-end systems in every retail company. Regardless of which innovations or additional applications our retail customers have to supplement the checkout process or task management for employees on the sales floor. Thanks to the integration with our partner SAP we were able to provide different companies with different processes and requierements the appropiate software solution implementation. 

To make the implementation of GK CLOUD4RETAIL or GK OmniPOS even more efficient, we have developed the GK Model Company in different versions for different retail segments. In addition, the GK Model Company can be easily adapted to specific business requirements in a concrete project with a retail company. All of our customers who have already gained experience with the GK Model Company agree: Having an integrated architecture right from the start of a project makes every implementation significantly more efficient.

 Would you like to find out more about the GK Model Company or discuss further solutions for implementing a store platform with us? Please contact us here.

At GK, we care what our customers think. We create and evolve our innovative solutions based on their unique needs and preferences. We hire our team members based on their ability to offer best-in-class expertise for retailers in every sector we serve.

But you don't have to take our word for it. Recently, our retail customers proved the impact of our approach in the 2024 RIS Leaderboard. This annual ranking by RIS News gathers data on software providers across key areas like return-on-investment, innovation, support, service and customer satisfaction. The feedback for the ranking is derived from the software users, making the Leaderboard an unparalleled tool for other retailers striving to make smart technology investment decisions.

When compared to over 100 of software providers in these head-to-head rankings, GK was ranked very highly for its customer satisfaction, implementation process and offerings for tier one retailers across all sectors.

Customer Satisfaction Is Central to GK's Mission

Whether we are working with a global top 50 retailer (GK works with 22%!) or a regional convenience store chain, we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations.

In this year's leaderboard, GK was ranked #1 for customer satisfaction for large vendors and targeted solution vendors. We also earned the #2 spot for software reliability. These findings are especially strong considering 49% of retailers reported regretting at least one software purchase made during the last 18 months, according to Gartner.

Even more impactful, these rankings align with the direct feedback we receive from our customers regularly. According to Rob Wilson, CTO, Smyths Toys, the company's implementation with GK increased store operational efficiency with less queue time, less administration time and greater customer satisfaction.

Similarly, the director of IT application services at Savers Value Village said, "GK has made it incredibly easy for us to adapt our business processes to new and future market conditions, providing responsive and adaptable payment capabilities that support great customer experiences in our stores. With GK, we have true partners who know our business and care about our success."

Ease of Integration With Dedicated Service and Support

At GK, we understand how much retailers have on their plates. We believe that technology investments should ease their challenges, not add to them. Fortunately, the Leaderboard rankings highlighted the impact of this initiative.

GK was ranked as #2 for ease of administration and maintenance, and #3 for ease of installation and integration. And this ease is compounded by our single-source full-service approach. Retailers ranked GK as #3 for both quality of support and quality of service.

Finally, once integrated, GK customers reported seeing strong financial benefits. Compared to dozens of other solution providers, we were designated as the #4 vendor for return-on-investment and #5 for total cost of operation.

Top Quality for Retailers of Any Size and Sector

GK currently serves over 450 customers in over 60 countries. Our 570,000 (and growing) product installations span across convenience/fuel, grocery, general merchandise/specialty retail, hospitality, fashion/department stores and mass merchandise sectors.

Regardless of this wide reach, every retailer in any sector is shown the utmost consideration for their unique business needs. Case in point, GK was recognized as a top three solution provider for customer satisfaction by grocery retailers.

In addition, GK was deemed an exceptional solution provider for tier one and mid-size retailers across these sectors. We received number one rankings from these retailers for overall performance, return-on-investment and recommendations.

Reach Out to GK and Learn How Our Offerings Can Exceed Your Expectations

The GK team believes in being true partners for our retailer customers. We support them every step of the way from the initial inquiry through the implementation and beyond.

To see how GK can bring innovative technology to your retail business with top quality support and service, reach out to us today.

GK Software, a leading global provider of comprehensive retail applications for real-time omnichannel business systems, today announced it was named a leader in the RIS Software LeaderBoard 2024 across multiple categories focused on customer satisfaction, overall performance and more. The strong showing solidifies GK’s position among the industry’s best solution providers.

The RIS Software LeaderBoard provides reputable, head-to-head rankings that help retailers make smart investment decisions in an increasingly competitive technology marketplace. The prestigious rankings primarily consider customer satisfaction, based on retailers’ assessments of the provider’s support, service, value and more. Other considerations include the company’s revenue and breadth of retail technology offerings.

GK earned top three rankings for numerous categories, including but not limited to:

• Customer Satisfaction for Large Vendors (#1)
• Leaders in Overall Performance by Tier One & Mid-Size Retailers (#1)
• Leaders in Overall Performance (#2)
• Leaders in Quality of Support by Tier One & Mid-Size Retailers (#2)
• Leaders in Ease of Administration & Maintenance by Tier One & Mid-Size Retailers (#2)
• Leaders in Quality of Service (#3)
• Customer Satisfaction for Grocery Vendors (#3)
• Customer Satisfaction by Tier One Retailers (#3)

“The LeaderBoard is a months-long rigorous process each year,” said Jamie Grill-Goodman, editor in chief, RIS News. “To place anywhere on the LeaderBoard is a testament to the company’s customer satisfaction and value. This year’s winners truly represent the technology titans of the retail industry.”

GK’s exceptional rankings conclude a strong year for the company. Earlier in 2023, GK announced a strategic investment from Fujitsu, a new AI-powered loyalty solution called GK Engage and a composable commerce architecture for its renowned CLOUD4RETAIL platform. The company also hosted its first-ever U.S. customer event in Sept. 2023; the U.S. Retail Innovation Summit brought together over 150 attendees and showcased GK’s strong relationships with its global customer base.

“We strive to keep our customers’ needs central to everything we do, and these rankings prove that our retail customers are reaping the benefits of that initiative,” said Michael Jaszczyk, CEO, GK Americas, and chief digital transformation officer, GK Software SE. “This year’s notable recognition in the RIS Software LeaderBoard is proof of the fantastic team we have at GK, from the solution developers and sales team to the client representatives and support teams that deliver on our customer satisfaction objectives. We’re excited to continue this momentum into 2024 and beyond.”

To learn more and review the entire RIS Software LeaderBoard 2024 report, please visit: https://risnews.com/leaderboard24.

About GK
GK Software breaks down the barriers to unified commerce with its open CLOUD4RETAIL platform and a broad portfolio based on it, like OmniPOS for point of sale, self-checkout, mobile POS, GK Drive for forecourt control, mobile customer engagement and a full range of store/back-office solutions. The company is a recognized leader in omnichannel retail, offering a single, global software platform for all retail formats and touchpoints. Ten of the Top 50 retailers worldwide rely on GK, and GK is the fastest growing global POS provider in new installations over the last three years. For more information, visit www.gk-software.com.

About RIS News

RIS is the essential source of information for retail executives, connecting them with relevant content to identify top business solutions and strategies to make smarter IT and business decisions. Not only does the diverse and award-winning RIS portfolio provide retailers with access to the tools and intelligence they need to thrive, but it also connects them with their peers to share, learn, and grow as leaders. Benchmark research, exclusive industry coverage, innovative storytelling, and best-in-class events all provide today’s leaders with assets to grow their knowledge, profits, and productivity. RIS also produces weekly newsletters (subscribe here) and readers can follow on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

To learn more about RIS News, visit risnews.com.  

About EnsembleIQ
EnsembleIQ is the premier resource of actionable insights and connections powering business growth throughout the path to purchase. We help retail, technology, consumer goods, healthcare and hospitality professionals make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage. EnsembleIQ delivers the most trusted business intelligence from leading industry experts, creative marketing solutions and impactful event experiences that connect best-in-class suppliers and service providers with our vibrant business-building communities. To learn more about EnsembleIQ, visit ensembleiq.com, or follow EnsembleIQ on LinkedIn.

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Media Contact

Matthew Boncoscky
Ketner Group Communications (for GK)
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Every season brings new challenges and opportunities for convenience stores. While these retailers do indeed have regular daily customers, such as local commuters, major travel seasons are sure to shake things up.

There are two main travel seasons in the U.S.: the unofficial summer months ranging from May to Aug. and the winter holidays between Nov. and Jan. In fact, 80% of Americans reported taking a road trip last summer. Similarly, according to IPX, nearly half of Americans (44%) traveled for Thanksgiving 2023 and 84% planned to travel in Dec.

To support these high traffic seasons, c-store retailers need to tailor their offerings to the unique needs of consumers. Fortunately, with the right technology in place, convenience stores can be a valuable respite for weary travelers at any time of year. 

Targeted Recommendations for Holiday And Summer Travel

Shopper behavior varies drastically through the seasons. In the summer, shoppers may run into a convenience store for sunscreen and a slushy. Winter shoppers may be in search of a hot chocolate or hand warmers.

Regardless of the time of year, convenience retailers can demonstrate value to their shoppers through relevant recommendations.

To do so, retailers can analyze customer and transaction data from the same holiday time periods from previous years. Then, they can rely on AI, such as through GK AIR Personalization, to determine which personalized recommendations would be most effective. They can also use this same data from throughout the year to select the best outreach channel for each shopper; mobile, email, etc.

For example, if a consumer is using the c-store’s mobile app to order food in advance of their visit, they can be shown personalized recommendations. If someone orders a sandwich in the summer, they may be recommended their favorite cold drink at a discounted price. This will increase convenience for the consumer while increasing basket sizes for the retailer.

By anticipating seasonal behavior changes, retailers can make the most of all seasons. 

What Do Holiday Road Trippers and Summer Vacationers Have in Common?

The most important aspect of a c-store pitstop is always the convenience. Whether the shopper is in a hurry to catch a flight to the Bahamas or rushing to make it to Grandma’s house in time for Thanksgiving dinner, the c-store should not slow them down.
To support shoppers and get them back on their way quickly, convenience retailers should invest in point-of-sale (POS) technology that reduces lines.

For example, scanless or self-scanning technology can remove lines altogether by empowering shoppers to take what they need and leave, automatically paying on their phones. This can free up employees who would usually staff the checkout counter to focus their efforts on other ways to improve the customer experience, such as by offering food samples or supporting shoppers who need extra help.

Other retailers might prefer to invest in self-scanning kiosks or mobile POS options that require less of a habit change for shoppers.

In addition, as convenience stores incorporate more EV touch points, these retailers should consider their unique seasonal needs. The storefront may serve as a chance to cool down in the summer or warm up in the winter while their car charges.

By personalizing the promotion of these seasonal comforts, alongside other unique in-store experiences, retailers can ensure they secure heightened market share during peak road trip seasons.

How C-Stores Can Meet the Ever-Changing Needs of Shoppers Across All Seasons

The convenience store is always evolving. What once was a brief pitstop is now an experience that includes EV charging stations, quick service restaurants and an engaging mobile customer journey.

As convenience retailers continue to advance their business, they must keep in mind the needs of shoppers year-round, especially during peak travel seasons.

To ensure your convenience and fuel business is prepared for next summer’s travel rush, contact GK today!

• Retail innovation specialists move up to fourth place for installations among all POS software providers worldwide
• Strong growth in grocery in North America: GK accounts for more than a quarter of all new implementations there

GK is one of the most important providers of store software worldwide, with considerable market significance in Europe and significant growth in North America. In Europe, GK is the number one vendor for new installations in the year to June 2023 and moved up one rank to fourth place for the total number of installations worldwide among all vendors. This is according to the recently published study "Global POS Software 2023" by the strategic research and consulting firm RBR Data Services, a division of Datos Insights. For the study, analysts evaluated the number of installations of more than 120 POS software vendors in 48 countries. Only retail companies and projects with more than 1,000 POS systems were included in the study. 

GK is the number three POS software provider in the global grocery sector, comprised of supermarkets, discounters, and non-fuel convenience. In Eastern Europe, the specialists from Schöneck lead the ranking of all providers in terms of all POS software installations.

With customers such as Lidl, by far the largest retail chain in Europe, as well as Coop (Switzerland), Migros and US chains such as Hy-Vee, GK is one of the most important POS software providers in Europe and is expanding its presence in North America. In North America, GK accounts for 26 percent of all new POS software installations in the grocery retail sector. 

RBR Data Services provides clients with independent and reliable data and insights through published research, consulting, and bespoke data services. Its global research covers the cards and payments, retail technology and banking automation sectors and is used by the leading market participants, analysts, and regulators.

Whether it's Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Cyber or Black Week - these days mark the start of the strongest sales period of the year for retailers, which flows seamlessly into the Christmas season. Retailers in almost all sectors use this time for special offers and discounts to attract customers and boost sales.

Sales expenditure on Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2022 amounted to 5.6 billion euros. In Black Friday's country of origin, the USA, online sales peaked at 9.1 billion dollars in 2022. And for this year, the current forecast for Germany is 5.8 billion sales.

Not only on Black Friday, but especially before this high-turnover period, retailers are faced with the question: What can I offer consumers to make them buy from me and not from the competition? 

In order to survive in the highly competitive market, the relevance of the offers for the customer is an important decision criterion - because only if a product is really relevant for the consumer will it be shortlisted. To achieve this, personalization is the right tool.

Here are seven tips for a relevant and positive shopping experience through the use of personalization: 

1. Inspire your customers with smart campaigns

The newsletter remains one of the most important means of communication in customer contact and is also relevant for the purchasing process. The proportion of people who read product newsletters they receive will increase from 70 percent in 2019 to 76 percent in 2022. In addition to regular newsletters with personalized product recommendations, it is worth using other formats in the run-up to Black Friday. For example, promotional newsletters with products from the recipient's favorite category including a matching tutorial or blog post. Or even after a visit to the online store: if customers do not make a purchase, they receive a campaign newsletter with recommendations from their favorite categories shortly after their visit. Our customer WMF also uses its customer newsletter in this way.

2. Individual campaign schedule for each customer

The campaign periods are getting longer from year to year. While a few years ago Black Friday was the main focus, retailers now offer discount promotions several days before or after Black Friday. Customers can lose track in the mass of deals. With an individual landing page and selected deals in defined periods that perfectly match the interests of the respective customer, they feel well advised and the likelihood of purchase increases.

3. Hand in hand: personalized customer approach in online and in-store business

Special offer days in November are popular with retailers in both bricks-and-mortar retail and e-commerce. It's great when the personalized customer approach goes hand in hand here and individual offers match the customer's interests, especially on Black Friday & Co. This is how the Swiss retailer Coop does it, for example: customers of the omnichannel platform coop.ch receive individually relevant category and product recommendations based on their purchases in the supermarket and online store on the "My Coop" landing page after logging in with their Coop Supercard ID in addition to the existing personalized areas of the online store. This allows customers to quickly find the products that are relevant to them, which saves time and improves customer service, and not just on Black Friday.

4. Include products on the wish list and frequently purchased products in the Black Deals

Products that customers would like to buy or that are on the shortlist often end up on the wish list. Perhaps they are too expensive at the moment or the customer needs time to think about it. And sometimes these items are forgotten again. So remind your customers of the products they still have on their wish list by including them in your Black Friday offers. This can sometimes be the final impulse to buy.

5. Increase the basket value with personalized product bundles

A product bundle consists of two or more products that are related to each other or to the customer. A coffee machine and the matching filter papers; two books from a special book series, a bicycle combined with a bicycle trailer: customers are offered a "product bundle" - e.g. because these items are often clicked on or purchased together in the online store. Brick-and-mortar retailers have always used this combination of several products to create new incentives to buy. The advantage in online retail is that the combined offers can be designed in a more differentiated way online and respond better to customers' current interests. A valuable use case not only on campaign days to leverage sales potential, as our customer Würth also did on the product detail page in the online store.

6. Entertain and inspire customers through content personalization

Depending on the retailer's intention, personalized content can inform, entertain, advise or inspire. There are no limits to the retailer's creativity when it comes to the form of the content. Examples include topic-specific articles in the blog of a DIY store or a fashion retailer that sends out personalized print advertising in which the customer receives tailored articles on styling topics including product recommendations based on their click and purchase behaviour in the online store. Find out more in our blog post.

7. Reduce shopping cart abandonment through marketing automation and personalization

There are many reasons for shopping cart abandonment: the ordering process is too complicated or involves too many clicks, fees or shipping costs are only displayed during the ordering process or the selection of payment options is too small - to name just a few.

Abandoned purchases on days when sales should actually be soaring are particularly annoying. If you recognize early on which filled shopping cart is highly unlikely to make it to the checkout, you can set appropriate incentives for the customer. An AI-based solution with a scoring process does this: It analyzes customers' movements in the store in real time and uses this to create forecasts for future behavior. If a certain forecast value for "purchase abandonment" is reached, the respective customer receives a targeted incentive. This can be, for example, the display of suitable incentives such as free shipping. But also the display of a complementary product that the customer can purchase together with the item in the shopping cart at a favorable price.

Would you like to find out more about these use cases and our seven tips? GK offers the right expertise when it comes to personalization. Please contact us directly, we look forward to hearing about your use case.

It's an understatement to say it's been a busy few months for GK. In the U.S., the team has been traveling across the country to meet with customers, prospects and colleagues. We've loved every minute of it. If you'd didn't get the chance to meet with us, we wanted to share some highlights from our recent events, including our U.S. Retail Innovation Summit, The NACS SHOW and the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race.

GK's First U.S. Retail Innovation Summit

We are incredibly proud of the recent Retail Innovation Summit that we hosted this September in our U.S. headquarters of Raleigh, North Carolina. The two-day event filled the conference rooms of the Hilton Raleigh North Hills with over 150 customers, partners, prospects and GK team members. In fact, keynote speaker Greg Buzek of IHL Group said the audience had "an energy and transparency that is often hard to find at these events."

Exceptional Speakers and Presentations

During the summit, attendees had the pleasure of hearing from several GK team members including Michael Scheibner, CEO, GK Software SE, Michael Jaszczyk, CEO of GK Americas and chief digital transformation officer of GK Software SE, panels featuring executives from Dollar Tree, RaceTrac Ladwig Companies and more. As well, John Pink, global head of consumer experience at Fujitsu spoke about Fujitsu's strategic investment in GK, which took place earlier this year. Pink shared that GK will benefit from Fujitsu's IT resources and funds, while still operating independently. This further validates GK's commitment to remaining platform-independent for its POS and cloud-based technologies.

Exciting Announcements and Demonstrations

On day one of the summit, we also released our latest solution, GK Engage. This comprehensive loyalty program empowers retailers to strengthen their customer lifetime value with strategic personalization. The AI-powered solution generates contextualized outreach for individual customers including messaging, offers and rewards. GK Engage is integrated into GK's OmniPOS solution, making it easy for existing customers to add Engage to their tech stack today.

We also announced the new Customer Experience Center that is now open on an ongoing basis in GK's Raleigh headquarters. The center offers retailers, partners, media and more the opportunity to view many of GK's solutions in action. Visitors can also hear from solution experts who will help retailers determine the best solution deployment for their end-customers.

Charitable Donations and Community Connections

Finally, we announced a $20,000 donation to the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI, Inc) during the conference. This charitable organization raises awareness and provides real solutions for the more than 400 million vulnerable children worldwide, like sourcing clean water and building schools. The donation comes on the heels of a recent trip our very own, Connie Driscoll, manager, PMO, took to Honduras where she supported the local communities.

This conference and the other 2023 GK Retail Innovation Summits hosted in Berlin and Bangkok served as excellent opportunities to bring the global GK community together and discuss highlights from the past and our goals for the future.

While this was GK's first Retail Innovation Summit in the US, it certainly won't be the last.

Big News at NACS

Just a few short days after the Retail Innovation Summit, GK flew to Atlanta for the NACS Show. There, our team met with customers, prospects and partners in the convenience store and truck stop industry to share our latest innovations.

Most notably, we introduced a new joint integration with our partner, Comdata. TotalSTORE POS, which was announced on Oct. 3, transforms Comdata's market-leading SmartDESQ into a next-generation retail platform. The solution is designed to meet the needs of medium and smaller convenience retailers by enabling an interconnected business that promotes excellent and efficient customer experiences.

But it wasn't all work – we also hosted a fun customer gathering at Der Biergarten! We always have a great time at NACS and we're already looking forward to next year's show.

Summer Heat at the Hy-Vee Car Race

Finally, earlier this year we co-sponsored the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at the Iowa Speedway, one of the largest INDYCAR race weekends of the summer! This event was a great opportunity for our customers and partners to connect and enjoy auto races, concerts and more. We hosted tours of the Hy-Vee offices and nearby store, showcasing the GK solutions that are enhancing the shopper experience for the retailer.

Let's Get Together in 2024

So, are you ready to get in on the GK excitement? Reach out today to schedule an introductory conversation. Or, if you love to travel, too, check out our events page to see where the GK team is headed in 2024. First up, the NRF Big Show in NYC from Jan. 13-16, 2024. We hope to see you there!

The GK team takes any opportunity to connect with and honor our fantastic retail customers. Last month, we had the privilege of meeting with our clients in person at several events, including our Retail Innovation Summit in Raleigh, NC.

Today, we'd like to highlight an exceptional, long-term partnership between GK and RaceTrac, a premier gas station and convenience store retailer in 12 southeastern states with 800 convenience store locations. And recently, RaceTrac's acquisition of Gulf Oil LLC has expanded the RaceTrac brand to nearly 40 states across the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Tyler Grubbs, the executive director of store systems and technology for RaceTrac, was recently selected for the Future Leaders in Convenience Class of 2023 from Convenience Store News and the 2023 Influentials: Top Movers and Shakers in Retail award from RIS News in honor of his ongoing work with GK.

Since joining the RaceTrac team in 2011, Grubbs has greatly improved the retailer's technological capabilities and its customer experience. His work with GK has delivered exceptional results, and the partnership is only just beginning.

The Background: How GK and RaceTrac Work Together

When he was promoted to the executive director of store systems and technology, Grubbs set out to ensure the customer experience was never disrupted by technology challenges.

As any customer knows, a gas pump that's out of order or a checkout lane that doesn't take your preferred payment can slow down your shopping journey. And for gas stations and convenience stores, the need to deliver a quick, efficient in-store experience is imperative.

To improve redundancy and uptime rates for these tools, Grubbs turned to GK. By implementing GK's OmniPOS and Drive solutions, the functionality of key touchpoints was greatly enhanced.

The Results: How RaceTrac Improved the Customer Experience With GK

After integrating GK's technology alongside other key architecture advancements, Grubbs and his team witnessed significant improvements to their operations and the customer experience, including:

• 90% fewer critical hardware failures.
• 30% fewer non-critical device failures.
• 40% decrease in customer support tickets.
• 75% increase in time taken to resolve the remaining customer support tickets.
• 30% reduction in IT line-item expenses.

By freeing up valuable time and budget previously spent upkeeping technology, Grubbs and his team can further invest in innovative enhancements to the RaceTrac experience.

The Future: What's Next for RaceTrac and GK

Next, Grubbs is determined to strengthen the employee experience. Currently, tedious tasks like bookkeeping, staff scheduling and day-to-day management tasks can take hours and cause friction across teams.

Grubbs plans to streamline financial processes for employees by connecting disparate data sources across the organization. To get started, GK's POS technology at the pump is already directly connected to the cash register and to the back-end inventory system. This heightened connectivity will help simplify the employee experience and empower the front-of-house team to spend more time assisting the customer and building ongoing loyalty.

Team Up With GK: Contact Us Today

At GK, we believe that it's essential to work closely with our customers and act as partners. We're so proud of the achievements GK and RaceTrac earned together, and we're thrilled to see Tyler Grubbs honored by both Convenience Store News and RIS News.

If you're interested in hearing more about how GK can become a true partner for your business, reach out to us today.

Over five years ago, we launched GK CLOUD4RETAIL, during EuroCIS 2018. Since that initial presentation, many changes, new developments and events, such as Covid or the rise of AI-tools for public use, have occurred. Allowing trends to become more unpredictable. However, GK CLOUD4RETAIL, managed to have an impact on the modern retail experience even though the conditions were not favorable.

GK’s cloud has had the capacity to keep evolving and be ahead of the market. Consequently, 20% of the GlobalTop50 retail organizations already rely on GK and count with over 500.0000 installations in over 60 countries. During the last four years, IDC, Forrester, and Co. ranked GK as leaders with the newest installations for the retail and grocery sector. As part of our constant evolution, we continue to extend our partnership with IBM by integrating GK CLOUD4RETAIL/OmniPOS in their SAP preconfigured solution for the retail industry (IBM IMPACT Solution for Retail). “IBM IMPACT Solution for the Retail industry is designed to be quickly implemented, allowing businesses to use SAP-leading practices without extensive customization or development efforts,” explains Jose Paredes Hernandez, IBM Consulting, Global SAP Consumer Industry Leader & Global SAP Direct-to-Consumer CTO.

IBM, SAP, and GK – a powerful triangle for retail solutions

IBM IMPACT Solution for the Retail industry is designed to reduce implementation timelines, reduce implementation and operational risk, and to increase the return on investment. SAP actively provides GK’s solutions as a selling product in their portfolio. GK OmniPOS is a point-of-sale (POS) software solution offered by GK, as a leading provider of omnichannel retail solutions. It is an integral part of GK’s commerce platform CLOUD4RETAIL. The following are key elements taken into consideration to bring GK OmniPOS into IBM’s IMPACT Solution for Retail by IBM:

1. Omni-channel capabilities: GK’s POS platform enables retailers to unify their online and offline sales channels, providing a seamless shopping experience for customers. It allows businesses to integrate their POS system with e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, and other sales channels.

2. Customization and scalability: GK OmniPOS offers a high level of customization to meet the unique needs of different retail businesses. It can be configured to support various industries, such as fashion, grocery, electronics, and more. The software is also scalable, allowing businesses to expand and adapt as they grow.

3. Advanced functionality: GK’s retail solution provides many features and functionalities beyond basic checkout operations. It includes inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), loyalty programs, promotions, analytics, and reporting capabilities. These advanced features help businesses optimize their operations and make data-driven decisions.

4. Integration capabilities: The system integrates with other business systems, such as SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and financial systems. This integration streamlines data flow, improves accuracy, and facilitates centralized management of various business processes.

5. User-friendly interface: GK Software focuses on delivering a user-friendly and intuitive interface within all technologies. This makes it easier for store associates to learn and use the system effectively, minimizing training time and reducing errors during checkout.

Organizations from diverse industries with unique needs have the opportunity to benefit from its customization and scalability as well as, its omnichannel capabilities, enabling retailers “to unify their online and offline sales channels, providing a seamless shopping experience for customers”. Other key principles include the advanced functionality that GK OmniPOS provides, which goes beyond basic checkout operations and allows organizations to optimize operations and carry out data-driven decisions. The integration capabilities merge with other systems in the organization, e.g., SAP ERP and financial systems. The last key element to consider would be how user-friendly and interactive the GK interface is, making it “easier for store associates to learn and use the system effectively, minimizing training time and reducing errors during checkout,” summarizes Jose Paredes Hernandez, the IBM’s SAP Global lead for Consumer Industries.

Backstory

In 2016, IBM and SAP partnered to develop tools that would speed the digital modernization of their conjoint customer’s journeys. Due to that union, SAP S/4HANA implementations were accelerated up to 20% to 30%, and more than 20% to 30%, and more than 200 were advised on the S/4HANA journey.

GK can now benefit from being part of IBM's SAP preconfigured solution for the retail industry. “We are very pleased that IBM has chosen GK Software's solutions to functionally extend IBM IMPACT for Retail with GK’s components & services. IBM's SAP preconfigured solution for the Retail industry can now offer front office functionalities in addition to back office”, explains Thorsten Niehoff, Global Head of Engineering at GK Software. GK expands “IBM IMPACT Solutions for Retail”, allowing worldwide organizations and retailers to benefit from these solutions, such as diminishing the implementation risk by leveraging hundreds of pre-built industry best practice business processes. Jose Paredes Hernandez concludes: “GK CLOUD4RETAIL/OmniPOS is designed to streamline and enhance the checkout process in retail stores with seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA and SAP CAR.” Other main purposes include accelerated speed to market and value realization while mitigating risks with a fully tested, validated, and hardened SAP S/4HANA system. The training of IBM consultants to start implementation with preconfigured SAP, IBM, and GK systems is also a key purpose.

GK CLOUD4RETAIL

GK CLOUD4RETAIL is a flexible, full-service platform offering unrivaled time-to-market, and highly secure operations for retailers of all sizes. Our comprehensive retail platform supports the most important services for unified commerce and is adjustable for alternative solutions directly by the retailer or other implementation partners.

In June 2021, IBM and GK announced a global partnership“Accelerating Retail Innovation with GK Software and Hybrid Cloud for Retail”.. This partnership put IBM in a position to offer a full portfolio of solutions for the retail store.