--- title: "C-Store Retailers Explore Real-World Applications for AI, Personalization" url: https://burnaze.com/article/c34af7d5-1da3-481d-9c80-c57d196f8be8 source: "CStore Decisions" original_url: https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-retailers-explore-real-world-applications-for-ai-personalization/ author: "Erin Del Conte" category: "C-store & fuel" industry: "Retail" segment: "C-store & fuel" topics: ["Technology"] published: 2026-05-14T17:53:48.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:17:46.205Z image: https://cstoredecisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Friendly-Express-app-.jpg --- # C-Store Retailers Explore Real-World Applications for AI, Personalization **TL;DR:** Friendly Express, Lassus Bros., and Loop Neighborhood Market are testing AI tools to optimize retail operations and marketing data analysis. The convenience store chains are focusing on productivity and efficiency gains through AI adoption. *By Erin Del Conte, originally published in CStore Decisions on 2026-05-14. [Read the original](https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-retailers-explore-real-world-applications-for-ai-personalization/).* ## Story Friendly Express, Lassus Bros. and Loop Neighborhood Market are testing AI tools for operations, marketing, data analysis and real-time store monitoring while focusing on productivity and efficiency gains. At Friendly Express, which operates 38 convenience stores in Georgia, “AI-monitoring operations in the stores” is one of the biggest tech trends Amy Wood, director of enterprise IT, is watching. The chain is in the early stages of adopting AI across the business. “Early on, we tested an AI solution focused on foodservice monitoring, but it did not ultimately deliver the results we were looking for based on our specific goals. That said, we believe we were early in the process, and rather than being discouraged, we have viewed it as a valuable learning experience,” Wood said. More recently, Friendly Express has started employing AI in “more practical ways to support operations and marketing, including analyzing data, helping retrieve information more efficiently, and refining existing code and queries to better access the data we need,” Wood further explained. In 2026, Friendly Express is focusing its approach to AI on “learning, testing and identifying the areas where AI can create the most value,” Wood said. At Lassus Bros. Oil Inc., with 35 c-stores in Indiana and Ohio, AI-powered solutions to monitor safety, security, customer service and store conditions in real time is the biggest tech trend on the company’s radar. “Our approach to AI today is practical and focused on productivity,” explained Brittany Wilchar, director of sales & marketing for Lassus Bros. The convenience store chain is currently exploring how AI can help with marketing content creation, data analysis and operational planning. “For a small but growing marketing team, tools that help streamline content creation, analyze performance data and identify trends allow us to move faster and be more strategic,” Wilchar said. “We view AI as a tool that supports our team rather than replacing it, helping our people spend more time on strategy and less time on repetitive tasks.” Sanjit Bajimaya, director of IT for Loop Neighborhood Market, which operates 156 c-stores in California under the Loop Neighborhood Market and Poppy’s Market banners, is watching the aforementioned agentic AI trend unfold. At store level, Loop is rolling out generative AI, i.e., AI that can generate text, images, code or other content based on prompts, for standard operating procedures and for question-and-answer applications. “We have some form of AI in data; still progressing though,” Bajimaya added. While AI is making a major impact and is widely seen as today’s most important emerging technology, it’s far from the only technology influencing convenience store operations today. Other big tech trends on Bajimaya’s radar, for example, include payments and store operations automation. “For payments, we are looking into mobile payments, ACH (Automated Clearing House), loyalty payment, speed of processing, etc.,” he added. On the automation end of the tech spectrum, Loop is currently testing Mashgin self-checkout kiosks. It also rolled out car wash subscriptions two years ago and is seeing good adoption from customers. At Lassus Bros. stores, Wilchar is monitoring trends in frictionless checkout, digital loyalty ecosystems and personalization. Over the past year, the convenience store chain has been heavily focused on expanding its digital loyalty ecosystem through its LassusGo Rewards program. “We are shifting away from physical loyalty tags and are focused on increasing digital registration and engagement,” Wilchar said. “This allows us to communicate with customers through push notifications, personalized offers and targeted promotions. While still early, we’re seeing stronger engagement from loyalty users and improved promotional performance.” Loyalty personalization is also a key trend that Wood is paying close attention to at Friendly Express. “We added online and mobile ordering to offer more convenience to our customers. While it has not taken off as much as we expected, it has given us a good foundation to build on, and we are looking at additional ways to increase usage,” she explained. “We also launched a new mobile app this year. We have been able to increase engagement and offer personalized offers to our customers and our employees.” ## Entities - Retail (sector) - CStore Decisions (publication) - ai adoption (topic) - personalization (topic) - Erin Del Conte (person) - retail operations (topic) - convenience store retail (topic) - Loop Neighborhood Market (company) - Lassus Bros. (company) - Brittany Wilchar (person) - Friendly Express (company) - Amy Wood (person) --- Originally reported by Erin Del Conte, CStore Decisions (https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-retailers-explore-real-world-applications-for-ai-personalization/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c34af7d5-1da3-481d-9c80-c57d196f8be8).