Browse SG’s Complete Article Library
How Digital Experience Is Redefining Branded Dealer Relationships
In today’s competitive fuel distribution market, branded dealers expect more than reliable supply and competitive pricing; they expect frictionless access to information. For suppliers, that shift is significant. The companies that make it easiest for...
Setting Your New Credit Manager Up for Success
Hiring or promoting an internal candidate into the credit manager role is a critical step in strengthening your company’s financial health. To ensure they thrive in their role, it’s essential to establish clear, concise processes...
From AI Assistant to Agentic Commerce: What Convenience Retailers Need to Know
By Shyam Rao, Founder and CEO, Tote.ai If you read my last article in this newsletter, you walked away with a framework for evaluating AI claims in convenience retail. Five questions to ask vendors. Ways...
When Fuel Markets Move at War Speed
The call comes before most traders have finished their first coffee. Overnight, a drone strike on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf hits the news. By the time U.S. futures markets open, Brent crude...
Enable Your Team to Perform Even When They’re Slammed: 5 Strategies to Stay Consistent Under Pressure
By David J. McClaskey, President, and Billy Schaefer, Vice-President If you lead a convenience store or manage fuel delivery operations, you know the feeling. Your best team member just called out sick, a delivery is...
The Store Is the Message
By John McCauley, Partner and Director of Brand Design, Paragon Solutions Two independent data sets landed on the same day recently, and together they tell a story that every convenience retailer should be paying attention...
Across the Board, Here’s What SG Members Are Talking About
After every Study Groups meeting, participants are asked to reflect on where they found the most value during the two or more days spent together. Across groups of 8–15 industry peers, the feedback has been...
The 15% Solution: How Writing Processes to 100% Transforms Revenue and Operations
You walk into a convenience store at 7:00 AM, needing coffee before a critical meeting. The team member is stocking shelves, doesn’t look up, and offers no greeting. You wait. And wait. Now imagine the...
Why AI at the Point-of-Sale Matters for Fuel and Convenience Retail
By Shyam Rao, Founder and CEO, Tote.ai If you’ve been in fuel and convenience retail long enough, you know the technology powering most stores hasn’t fundamentally changed in decades. Point-of-sale (POS) systems still operate largely...
Spotting Trouble Early: Managing a Declining Customer Account
When a reliable customer’s payment habits begin to slip, it is a signal you can’t afford to ignore. A variety of factors — new ownership, management changes, divorce, loss of a key customer or broader...
Modern Customers Expect Modern Tools: Why Portals Are a Must-Have for Fuel Marketers
For decades, petroleum marketing has been built on relationships. Trust, responsiveness, and long-standing partnerships have fueled growth in an industry where reliability matters as much as price. That hasn’t changed, but customer expectations have. Today’s...
The Future of Autonomous Fuel Supply Chains: How Close Are We Really?
It’s 9:00 PM. A major terminal goes down; prices are spiking 20 cents at midnight, and two drivers just called in sick. In the traditional fuel world, this is where the firefighting begins. What follows...