The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for grocery retailers to modernize their point-of-sale systems and create more flexible shopping experiences. As consumers increasingly relied on supermarkets for essential purchases, grocers faced growing pressure to improve checkout efficiency, integrate digital services, and support changing customer expectations.
Cloud-based retail technology emerged as an important solution, allowing grocery chains to connect payment processing, loyalty programs, merchandising, and self-service capabilities through unified platforms. Big Y’s decision to implement NCR’s Emerald point-of-sale system across its stores demonstrated how retailers were investing in integrated technology to improve operations and deliver a more consistent customer experience.
Grocery Retailers Accelerate POS Modernization
Grocery stores have become an essential and expanding hub of in-store retail during Covid-19. Most need more flexible and integrated store systems. An example is Big Y partnership with NCR’s cloud-based Emerald system.
Changing Consumer Expectations Drive Retail Technology Upgrades
Many grocers are leveraging the higher store traffic and sales volume to upgrade store systems especially those impacting the customer experience for payments, loyalty, and marketing offers. Shoppers are also looking for more self-service options with mobile playing a role in this as well in order to avoid waiting in checkout lines.
Big Y Adopts NCR Emerald Cloud-Based POS Technology
The following excerpt from a Chain Store Age article reports more on the topic:
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’s adoption of NCR Emerald highlighted the growing importance of integrated point-of-sale technology in grocery retail. By connecting payments, loyalty, merchandising, and checkout operations, the retailer aimed to simplify store management while delivering a more consistent shopping experience.
The pandemic reinforced the value of flexible retail systems capable of supporting self-service checkout, mobile interactions, and evolving consumer preferences. Cloud-based platforms offered grocers opportunities to introduce new capabilities without relying entirely on traditional, disconnected store infrastructure.
For grocery retailers, investments in unified commerce technology represented more than operational upgrades. They provided a foundation for improving customer engagement, streamlining transactions, and responding more quickly to changing market conditions. Big Y’s initiative demonstrated how modern POS systems could support both immediate retail challenges and longer-term digital transformation.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group