Payment processor Propelr and AI self-checkout platform Deligo have integrated their technologies into a single point-of-sale stack aimed at convenience retailers and food service operators, the companies announced Oct. 1. The deal embeds Propelr's card-processing infrastructure directly into Deligo's visual AI kiosks, eliminating the need for operators to bolt on a separate payment system.
How the Technology Works
Deligo's platform uses computer vision to identify items without barcode scanning or manual SKU selection — a common bottleneck on high-volume forecourts and quick-service counters. Once a customer places an item at the kiosk, the system recognizes it visually and routes directly to tap-to-pay, with Propelr handling the back-end transaction. Payment security runs through PCI-certified point-to-point encryption and tokenization, keeping cardholder data off operator systems.
"Convenience and food service operators can't afford friction at checkout — it's the last impression they leave with every guest," said Charles Willoughby, Head of Global Partnerships at Deligo. "Pairing Deligo's visual AI with Propelr's payment infrastructure means the entire transaction, from item recognition to tap-to-pay, happens in seconds."
Why It Matters for Operators
For single-store operators and regional chains alike, managing separate checkout and payment vendors creates integration overhead, redundant contracts, and more failure points during peak hours. A unified solution reduces that complexity while keeping transaction speeds competitive with staffed lanes — a growing priority as labor costs continue to pressure c-store back-of-house budgets.
Paul Guidone, Executive Director at Propelr, framed the partnership around throughput economics: "Modern convenience and food service businesses operate in high-throughput environments where every second at the counter impacts revenue and customer satisfaction. We're equipping merchants with a unified, secure system that speeds up lines and drives long-term operational efficiency."
The self-checkout category in c-stores has gained momentum as operators look to offset wage inflation without degrading the guest experience. According to NACS research, labor remains one of the top controllable cost pressures for convenience retailers, and self-service technology — from dispensed beverage stations to autonomous checkout — has become a recurring capital priority. Integrating payment acceptance natively into the kiosk removes one more integration layer operators would otherwise manage.
What's Next
Neither company disclosed specific deployment counts or named retail partners in the initial announcement. Propelr describes its client base as ranging from small-to-mid-sized businesses to global brands, suggesting the combined solution could scale across SSOs as well as larger chain environments. Deligo's visual AI approach also positions the platform for food service operators beyond traditional c-store formats, including campus dining, sports venues, and quick-service concessions — all segments where scan-based checkout creates dwell-time problems.
For c-store operators evaluating self-checkout, the Deligo-Propelr integration represents the kind of turnkey foodservice technology pairing that reduces vendor sprawl — a consideration that often stalls technology adoption at the store level.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
