In a joint effort to transform customer experience at a critical time for retailers, Alimentation Couche-Tard and McGill University have launched a retail innovation laboratory at McGill University’s Bensadoun School of Retail Management. Located on the university’s campus in downtown Montreal, the lab allows researchers to carry on-site experiments and develop new technologies to improve the customer experience in these times of pandemic. Couche-Tard, a leader in the Canadian convenience store industry, plans to implement the research projects successfully tested at the lab in some of its 14,220 stores across its global network. Inside the lab, a Couche-Tard Connecté section is specially designed with frictionless technologies to allow autonomous checkout. Using a mobile app, customers can unlock the door to walk into the