General Mills has offered advice on how c-store retailers can make the most out of the increased summer traffic.

As the summer driving season approaches, convenience stores can expect to see an increase in traffic, as more consumers will be stopping by to refuel and to stock up on snacks for their trips. In an effort to help c-store retailers to capitalize on the increased traffic that they will soon encounter, the Consumer Insights team from General Mills Convenience and Foodservice has created an infographic, “Making the Most Out of Summer Snacking in C-stores,” identifying the top snack products c-store look for during the summer.

“Summer is an exciting time for c-stores; however, retailers need to ensure they are prepared and plan ahead with their promotions to maximize their potential for success,” said Kelly Kees, global consumer insights researcher at General Mills Convenience and Foodservice. “If nothing else, retailers need to take stock of their snack selection and optimize shelf space for the top summer categories, which may surprise them.”

For instance, Kees says the warehouse salty and grain bar categories actually index higher during the summer than soft drinks and candy—traditionally popular categories. Further, there are a number of categories that decline in the summer such as soup, baking products and other grocery items. Therefore, it may make sense to re-prioritize some categories during shelf reset time.

“Summer is all about snacking, and there are certain snacks that c-stores will want front and center in the high traffic areas of their store,” said Kees. “Categories with higher sales in summer include seeds, nutritional bars, yogurt, trail mix, granola bars, nuts and meat snacks. Retailers should highlight these snacks whenever possible and time promotions and in-store marketing activity around the summer months to drive even more sales.”

With lower gas prices resulting in more disposable income for shoppers, Kees adds that retailers should take advantage of the increase in disposable income by co-promoting “hot” snack brands alongside average performing category brands, such as nutrition bars with soft drinks, in order to incent an increased basket size.