The first full day of the NACS Show began on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the Georgia World Congress Center, with educational sessions covering a wide variety of industry news.
Foodservice Strategies
In a session titled “Innovating Your Menu,” speakers Jessica Williams, Stephanie Hurt, Tony Sparks and Chad White discussed the changing nature of the foodservice industry through the lens of a c-store retailer, including strategies that have proven to be useful for operators looking to grow their foodservice programs.
Williams, founder and CEO of Food Forward Thinking, noted that c-store operators must be leading the innovation process through extensive planning.
Williams noted that retailers should be using the following five steps to lead innovation:
- Define
- Explore
- Design
- Launch
- Measure
Additionally, she stated that an important part of the process is documenting the progress, inviting collaboration and sharing regularly.
Williams believes that curiosity can often end up improving design when it comes to developing a foodservice program, and that you need to be curious in order to improve and innovate.
Hurt, head of food innovation and development for QuikTrip, noted that “innovation is the process through which we turn strategy into new products or services.”
In order to expand on that idea and drive innovation, QuikTrip runs 10 different product innovation strategies, including:
- Breakthrough innovations
- Cost improvement
- Line extension
- LTOs
- Product improvement
- Relaunches
- Disruptive innovation
- Sustainable innovation
- OPS simplification
- Operational innovation
Hurt provided examples from brands such as Walmart and Taco Bell which have implemented foodservice strategies that have fully reimagined their programs and customer reach.
Sparks, head of customer “wow!” at Curby’s Express Market, mentioned that there is a rapidly growing foodservice market that focuses solely on beverage options.
Curby’s is following companies like Starbucks, HTO, Soda Shack and more that are devoting more and more energy to the beverage category. He noted that the category is incredibly effective in garnering repeat customers, creating a unique customer experience and earning the loyalty of customers.
Curby’s has implemented a vast array of specialty beverages, including more than 40 iced tea flavors and customizable, proprietary energy drinks.
White, foodservice category manager at Rutter’s, emphasized the importance of simplicity when it comes to foodservice offerings. He noted that retailers should be focusing on offering a concise selection of high-quality, popular items.
White mentioned that operators should “drive profit while limiting complexity,” specifically in foodservice menus and offerings.
Additionally, by utilizing effective inventory management practices, retailers can reduce waste and control costs.
How to Successfully Leverage a Mobile App
In a subsequent educational session titled “Building a Mobile App Strategy Through a Retailer’s Eyes,” Jeffry Harrison, co-founder of Rovertown, and Nick Triantafellou, director of marketing and merchandise at Weigel’s Stores, discussed how retailers can implement unique strategies and ideas to make the most of their mobile app.
Harrison and Triantafellou stressed the importance of having an effective mobile app, with c-store apps being the fourth most frequently used e-commerce app by consumers looking for deals and promotions.
Harrison went through these five app strategies that have proven to be effective and useful for c-store operators:
- Day of the week deals
- Mobile games
- App-only offers
- Opening your app to everyone
- Employee appreciation
While implementing these strategies, Harrison noted that retailers should be assessing their effectiveness by using metrics such as active users, app reviews, redemptions and employee usage.
Weigel’s has implemented these app strategies successfully with the following three goals in mind:
- Engagement
- Funding opportunities
- Integration
The NACS Show will continue throughout the week until Friday, Oct. 6.
