New England grocer unifies customer experience at point-of-sale

Big Y is combining payment processing, loyalty and merchandising on a single platform.

The Springfield, Mass.-based independent grocery chain is deploying the NCR Emerald cloud-based retail POS solution across its 85 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Big Y will use NCR’s technology to integrate its grocery and convenience stores with a unified platform and promotion tool.

By running the agile NCR Emerald platform, Big Y hopes to create a consistent customer experience, while also gaining the ability to dynamically adapt to changing market needs. Big Y will run the solution on all POS checkout terminals, connecting the entire store including grocery, fuel, pharmacy, self-service, gift cards, and PIN pads. As a result, the retailer intends to deliver a consistent, elevated customer experience, across all touchpoints both in-store and online.

“With our platform approach, we help retailers deploy new customer-facing applications quickly, so they can keep on top of changing customer demands,” said David Wilkinson, president and GM of NCR Retail.

Big Y Foods Inc. operates 85 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 71 supermarkets, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and 12 Big Y Express gas and convenience locations.