REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — October 7, 2025 — Tote.ai, the first AI-native point-of-sale (POS) system designed specifically for fuel and convenience stores, today announced it will showcase its system at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show in Chicago. Attendees can experience the system at booth #S4894, October 15-17, 2025, McCormick Place Convention Center.

Convenience stores are one of the largest retail categories in the US, transacting nearly a trillion dollars each year, according to NACS. This rivals or exceeds the airline, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries. Yet sales volume is down 4.3% during the 12 months ending February 23, 2025 (Circana, Feb. 2025), highlighting the need for smart solutions that help retailers entice more in-store sales and loyalty. 

“Fuel and convenience stores are fighting for every customer and every dollar,” said Shyam Rao, Founder and CEO of Tote.ai. “Using technology like AI can be a game-changer for boosting revenue streams, but the industry is held back by decades-old point-of-sale systems that cannot run new technology. We built Tote.ai to be AI-native from the ground up to easily layer on top of existing hardware, giving the modern AI and shopping experience customers expect, without ripping and replacing what they already have.”

Why A POS That’s AI-Native Matters

AI-native means intelligence is baked into the DNA of the system, not bolted on after the fact. Bolt-ons are simple chat bots that can’t keep up with real-time analytics, personalization, or omni-channel consistency.  Unlike legacy systems that bolt AI onto decades-old code, Tote.ai's architecture allows AI agents to access live system data, take direct actions, and collaborate with each other to complete complex workflows. For example, if there’s a pump error or inventory shortage, the system can restart the pump or trigger an inventory workflow request.  

The AI-native method is also future-proof, ready for the impending multi-agent ecosystem for example. Bolt-ons are not ready for whatever AI innovations may come next. 

The company’s “one customer, one cart” approach lets customers shop at the store as easily as they do online. They can place an order on the app in advance, see a personalized offer or loyalty discount at the pump and add the item to their virtual cart, walk in and pick up an impulse purchase in the store. All items can be merged into a single cart, without rescanning, providing a seamless journey that drives higher basket sizes, unlocking new revenue for fuel and convenience retailers.  

The system recognizes customers at the forecourt and delivers personalized promotions that drive in-store visits and high-margin purchases. For on-the-go customers who expect a customized, app-based experience, Tote.ai brings true convenience back to convenience retail.

Streamlined Operations: Tote.ai Device Cloud

Tote.ai gives fuel and convenience store leaders real-time visibility into operations, productivity and conversions across all devices, systems and stores, radically improving store operations. 

Currently, stores can wait months for IT to deploy changes and pay thousands to tens of thousands of dollars for updates that will be outdated by the time they go live. Tote.ai makes changing the system as easy as dragging and dropping.

With Tote Device Cloud, operators have visibility into all aspects of the store. Tote Device Cloud provides centralized store device management regardless of vendor, including real-time monitoring of pumps, printers, kiosks, and terminals, and alerts for equipment malfunctions. This vendor-agnostic approach allows retailers to extend the life of existing hardware while reducing dependence on individual equipment vendors.

Employee Empowerment

In an industry that struggles with rising training costs, along with compliance to complex procedures, Tote.ai makes training materials easily accessible. Employees no longer have to hunt for yellowed, ancient training manuals. 

Tote.ai’s Associate AI Agent (Genie), offers task guidance, policy lookups, and troubleshooting at the moment employees need it, in their preferred language. Associates can access help directly from the POS, seeing up-to-date training content, videos, and operating procedures via natural language queries. When Genie can’t solve the issue, it automatically escalates the problem to live support with full context, reducing downtime and frustration.

Tote.ai’s POS system is available now for fuel and convenience stores in the United States.