In late January, three Liquid Barcodes team members traveled from the Spain HQ to the Conexxus Annual Conference in Tuscon, Arizona.
The annual event “brings together those who are passionate about c-store innovation and technology to discuss, learn, and actively work to solve our pressing technology challenges.” Consisting of sessions, working group meetings, and networking events, the event brings together an array of retail technologists, experts, and solution providers. Read more about the Conference here.
After returning from the Conexxus Annual Conference in Arizona, the team shared some of their ‘aha’ moments, upcoming tech trends, and stories of their favorite events.
What new technology or innovation will dominate the convenience industry in 2025 and beyond, based on what you learned?
Álvaro Manresa, Lead Product Manager
The digital wallet is the future—and an exciting one! We’re moving toward a world where loyalty, age verification, and payments are integrated into a single scan, creating the most frictionless experience yet. Another big shift coming in 2025 is the transition from legacy systems to API-driven solutions. This will be a major step forward, providing the boost that the loyalty solutions are waiting for.
José Santiago, Chief Customer Officer
AI is poised to play a transformative role in the future of the industry, driving smarter decision-making, enhancing customer personalization, and optimizing operational efficiency. Its ability to analyze vast amounts of data in real time will unlock new opportunities for businesses to anticipate consumer behavior, streamline processes, and deliver highly targeted experiences.
In addition, the digital wallet is undeniably the future of customer engagement and transaction management. It represents a seamless, all-in-one solution that the industry is rapidly embracing. With just one simple scan, customers can access a range of functionalities—including coupons, loyalty clubs, age verification, and payments—all integrated into a unified, frictionless experience. This not only improves convenience for consumers but also provides businesses with richer data insights, greater operational efficiency, and enhanced security. Together, AI and digital wallet technologies are set to redefine how brands connect with their audiences and create value in the years ahead.
Madhava de la Ossa, Lead Project Manager
AI was a major theme, and it’s clear that it has the potential to transform the industry—from personalization to automation and smarter decision-making. However, there are still a lot of uncertainties about how quickly businesses will adopt it, how regulations will evolve, and how customers will respond. It’s an exciting space, but there’s still a lot to figure out.
What was your favorite takeaway from the event?
José Santiago, Chief Customer Officer
Having the opportunity to connect with other industry technology leaders outside of a sales-driven environment is invaluable. It fostered genuine, open conversations where the focus was on sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and discussing common challenges and opportunities. Engaging in these authentic discussions provided deep insights into industry trends, best practices, and innovative approaches that can inspire new strategies and perspectives. It also helped build meaningful relationships based on mutual respect and knowledge-sharing, rather than transactional interactions.
Madhava de la Ossa, Lead Project Manager
The best part was having the chance to spend several days surrounded by industry leaders, learning about their challenges, strategies, and how companies can work together. It’s rare to have an open space where people with similar interests are eager to connect, share, and collaborate—it made for some really insightful conversations!
Álvaro Manresa, Lead Product Manager
My biggest takeaway from the conference was realizing that we all have the opportunity to shape the future of industry standards. It’s empowering to know that we can voice our concerns and highlight opportunities that could drive the industry forward.
What conversations relating to Liquid Barcodes solutions did you find most interesting or hear most often?
Madhava de la Ossa, Lead Project Manager
The most interesting discussions were around how loyalty is evolving in the convenience industry. Many were curious about how we personalize offers, integrate seamlessly with existing systems, and drive real customer engagement. Subscription was a big part of the conversations and how interesting it is for the business to have this recurring income and how subscription is the ultimate loyalty solution since the customer will come again and again to the store.
Álvaro Manresa, Lead Product Manager
People were really interested in our approach to carwash subscriptions that rely solely on the local connection between the carwash machine and the POS without requiring additional hardware or software services. The fact that this integration follows Conexxus standards made it even more relevant for many members.
José Santiago, Chief Customer Officer
The Liquid Barcodes journey in the U.S. has been truly remarkable, showcasing the extensive market knowledge we’ve gained along the way. Our international experience with industry leaders like 7-Eleven and Circle K was well-known by the attendees I met, further reinforcing our credibility. Additionally, our ability to deliver a next-level digital experience through our app platform and advanced gamification features sets us apart.
What was a memorable experience from the conference?
Álvaro Manresa, Lead Product Manager
The people at the event were amazing! Everyone was so open to meeting new members and having insightful conversations. Plus, the week was organized with very cool activities, and the Arizona landscape made it even more special!
José Santiago, Chief Customer Officer
The atmosphere was truly outstanding. Everyone engaged in genuine, meaningful conversations, creating a supportive and friendly environment that feels welcoming and inspiring. The sense of connection and openness is refreshing, making it easy to exchange ideas and build relationships.
Additionally, the visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum was an incredible experience. The exhibits are fascinating, offering a deep dive into aviation and space exploration history.
Madhava de la Ossa, Lead Project Manager
Outside of the conference, one of the highlights was visiting the aviation museum in Tucson and the incredible aircraft boneyard. Seeing so many historic planes up close was a surreal experience. Before joining Liquid Barcodes, I worked as an aerospace engineer, so being surrounded by these aircraft—each with its own story—felt truly special. It was also a great reminder of how technology constantly evolves, shaping industries in ways we sometimes don’t expect.
About Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes is the leading loyalty platform for convenience retailers. Unlike other solutions, ours has been designed from the ground up to retain member engagement and activity. Every aspect, from the fundamental system architecture to the small details that make our loyalty apps such a joy to use, is crafted to ensure a highly personalized, gamified experience.
Our loyalty programs are so engaging and visually appealing that members remain active over time, making us better than any other solution at retaining your members’ attention. Increased attention, translates into increased impact. Ultimately, these differences will make your loyalty program a more powerful and effective tool, when you work on increasing basket size and visit frequency.
Learn more about Liquid Barcodes at liquidbarcodes.com.
About the Author
Carolyn Schnare, Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes
Carolyn Schnare has been involved with the convenience retailing industry for two decades with extensive knowledge of customer engagement and marketing, sustainability, and community outreach. Before Liquid Barcodes, Schnare worked at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) in a variety of roles from event production to membership and most recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives and host and producer of the popular industry podcast, Convenience Matters. Schnare currently anchors the popular Future of Convenience podcast, produced by Global Convenience Store Focus media group.
