Updating the C-Store Profile

The convenience store - is it where consumers gas up, buy beverages or stop for lunch?  The answer should be all three choices. C-stores serve multiple consumer needs but are facing serious competitive pressures.

A recent TNS Retail Forward report indicates that up to 1/3 of all consumers are now purchasing gas at alternate locations such as supermarkets or supercenters. Since nearly ¾’s of C-store sales are derived from fuel sales, operators need new marketing campaigns to drive consumer traffic.

Nearly 4/10’s of consumers regularly visit these outlets to buy gas and other sundries and spend at least $17 per visit. Here are the items with the fastest growing sales when it comes to C-store purchases:

• Alternative beverages
• Bottled water
• Cigars
• Ready to drink iced tea
• Other salty snacks

Review these trends with your C-store operator clients and design a new marketing campaign to encourage more frequent consumer visits and gasoline purchases.

[Sources: Mahoney, Sarah. “Report. Gas Prices to Clobber Convenience Stores,” Mediapost.com, 7.14.2008; Convenience Stores, “Facts, Figures & the Future,” July 2008.]

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