Dive Brief:
- Yesway has tapped fuel supply chain software company Gravitate to supply the operating platform for the retailer’s fuel supply and logistics operations, according to an announcement last week from Gravitate.
- Gravitate’s software is designed to give Yesway better visibility and facilitate automated decisionmaking on inventory and logistics across its 450 convenience stores in the Midwest and Southwest, according to the announcement.
- As retail dynamics become more complicated and decisions need to be made more quickly, AI-powered technology is becoming an increasingly popular choice for convenience retailers.
Dive Insight:
Yesway’s previous fuel supply system did not automatically collect and present critical data to the retailer, according to the announcement. The legacy system also required manual updates and phone-based coordination to track order status and site inventory.
Yesway will now use Gravitate’s system, which automatically collects live tank readings, real-time supply pricing and allocation data to create daily supply directives for each site.
Gravitate’s system includes a connectivity layer that links Yesway directly to its carrier network. This will transmit planned orders, completed-order data and real-time ETA updates through a single integration layer, rather than depending on manual data entry.
Gravitate’s software uses machine learning to make sourcing decisions based on the inventory data it’s being fed, along with live market data. This aims to help Yesway make faster, more data-driven decisions about its fuel supply chain.
“Our previous platform was built for a different era of the fuel supply business, and the gap between what it could do and what we needed had grown too wide,” said Darren Renwick, director of fuel for Yesway.
Yesway, which went public in April, is coming off the strongest quarter in its history. In its second-quarter earnings call, the company reported records across several key metrics, including fuel gallons sold, fuel gross profit, inside merchandise sales, inside merchandise gross profit and store contribution.
