ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Shell has partnered with Gilbarco Veeder-Root to deploy its Invenco iNFX payment solution across the Shell U.S. network of nearly 13,000 locations by the end of 2024.

“Shell was looking for a seamless way to transition its retailer locations to a new payment system that would facilitate faster transactions, quicker time-to-market with new features and a simplified management platform through cloud services, and we are delivering a scalable, flexible and extensible payment solution to accelerate growth in its site network,” said Karthik Ganapathi, president of Gilbarco Veeder-Root Retail Solutions.

The Invenco iNFX payment solution and corresponding cloud management platform will replace Shell’s legacy payment platform with a flexible, hardware-agnostic and microservices-based solution to give Shell’s branded retailers faster transactions, greater uptime and the ability to launch new capabilities and features, according to a statement. iNFX is a cloud managed, fit-for-purpose IoT-based microservices platform, including the electronic payment server (EPS) for Shell. 

“Shell has an objective on delivering outstanding consumer value propositions with a focus on payments and compliance," said Walt Gothard, North American business technology manager at Shell. "[The] Gilbarco Veeder-Root Retail Solutions team stepped up to the challenge to upgrade the retailer network EPS system by leveraging Invenco’s iNFX platform to roll out the solution to the nearly 13,000 sites.”

Invenco's iNFX platform feature includes: 

• Digital agility: Decoupling EPS from a monolithic site architecture allows Shell the flexibility to add new capabilities and features quickly, expedites digital transformation without disrupting site operations and harmonizes core payment systems based on global standards.
• Faster transactions: iNFX removes inherent latency associated with legacy site architectures, leveraging quick chip. In the world of EMV, this is vital for a great customer experience and efficient management of high-volume sites.  
• Rapid deployment: Standards-based APIs and plugins are used extensively to enable efficient integration with minimal customization. The iNFX SDK supports third-party development of plugins to further reduce the integration effort. 

“This relationship between Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Shell promises to change the retail customer engagement landscape and unlock new opportunities to drive productivity and loyalty for Shell branded retailers. This collaboration will empower innovation and pave the way for new capabilities while delivering unmatched value to their network,” according to the statement.

Early this year, Shell purchased EV charging company Volta for $169 million in an all cash deal. "The shift to e-mobility is unstoppable, and Shell recognizes Volta's industry-leading dual charging and media model [which] delivers a public charging offering that is affordable, reliable and accessible,” said Volta’s interim CEO Vince Cubbage.

“While the EV infrastructure market opportunity is potentially enormous, Volta's ability to capture it independently, in challenging market conditions and with ongoing capital constraints, was limited. This transaction creates value for our shareholders and provides our exceptional employees and other stakeholders a clear path forward," he continued.