Travel app GasBuddy and convenience retail software provider Professional Datasolutions Inc. (PDI) this week issued their first joint report that examines how the pandemic has influenced shopping behavior in the $650 billion fuel and convenience industry.
The “Buddy Up: C-Store Shopper Insights” report combines GasBuddy consumer survey data from more than 15,000 convenience retail consumers across all key U.S. geographic locations and PDI consumer-buying data from 5,500 mid to large-size convenience retail sites across all key U.S. geographic locations from its Insight Cloud solution. The inaugural report’s focus, The New Pandemic Consumer, utilizes this data to identify changes in c-store shopping habits from 2020 to 2021.
Key Findings
- C-store shoppers have grown over 4% in the past year compared to 5% growth in grocery and 6% in dollar stores.
- Younger, female shoppers make up a majority of the c-store customer base.
- 75% of consumers are shopping for fuel in 2021, up from 68% saying so in 2020.
- 86% of respondents are paying close attention to retailers’ commitment to the safety of their employees.
“By integrating GasBuddy’s vast consumer data insights with PDI’s already robust capabilities, it provides a more comprehensive view of the fuel and convenience retail industry,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “This report highlights how our industry is ripe for growth as the pandemic has caused consumers to value convenience more than ever. Brands that are optimizing for this new breed of shopper — like providing delivery services and special offers on food or gasoline, and focusing on cleanliness — are seeing more transactions and customer loyalty.”
PDI acquired GasBuddy in April 2021, furthering innovation across the spectrum from wholesale to retail, from canopy to store. The “Buddy Up: C-Store Shopper Insights” report is the first of a series of quarterly joint reports, combining PDI transactional data with GasBuddy consumer survey responses.
It is also one of many reports that PDI provides, accompanying the PDI C-Store Shopper Trends Monthly Report, Custom Fuel Pricing Benchmark Report and others.
The report also provides findings about the delivery industry and basket share.
PDI helps convenience retailers and petroleum wholesalers thrive through digital transformation and enterprise software that enables them to grow topline revenue, optimize operations, and unify their business across the entire value chain.
GasBuddy is a fuel savings platform providing North American drivers with the most ways to save money on gas. GasBuddy provides real-time gas price information at more than 150,000 stations, offering cash back rewards on purchases with brand partners, and through the Pay With GasBuddy payments card that offers cents-off per gallon at virtually all gas stations across the U.S.