As convenience stores tackle inflation, competition, evolving product trends and innovation, category managers must stay ahead of the curve every day to keep loyal customers and attract new regulars.
At Road Ranger, with 54 truck stops in seven states, Eric Arnold challenges himself in his category manager role to anticipate customers’ needs and find ways to keep products affordable for them.
“Although it is a lot to keep straight, because you get pulled every which way, because every category is so different, it also makes it fun, because there’s not one day that’s the same, no matter what category,” said Arnold.
CStore Decisions is acknowledging Arnold’s hard work, creative ideas and successful problem solving with a Category Management Award.
Getting Started
Arnold ran a family-owned maintenance company out of college, but he had family in the c-store industry and was intrigued by their accounts of daily life. When he transitioned to Road Ranger in 2014, he began by working as a merchandiser, which he did for two years before taking on the role of category manager.
“The role I started in required a keen eye for detail, strong organizational skills and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment,” he noted.
Arnold’s role over the past eight years as a category manager has expanded to include cooler; packaged beverage; candy; general merchandise; health and beauty; beer, wine and liquor; frozen; and trucker categories.
In his role, he develops and executes strategic plans to optimize sales, profitability and market share for his categories.
“This entails analyzing sales data, monitoring market trends and working closely with our stores to create an assortment that meets the evolving needs and preferences of our customers,” Arnold continued.
Arnold thrives on the different challenges each day, week and month brings. He enjoys the variety and unpredictability as it keeps him engaged, motivated and constantly learning.
One particular aspect he favors is determining planograms and ensuring each item is in the best spot. “It’s like playing Tetris,” he said.
Looking ahead, Arnold is eager to grow his skills in data analysis, build even stronger relationships with vendor partners and hopefully take on exciting new projects. “I’m always excited to see all the new products and technologies that are going to hit the market over the next few years at trade shows,” he said.
Arnold is committed to looking for ways to optimize processes, embracing cutting-edge technologies and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
“I pride myself on knowing I have a forward-thinking mindset that can help drive the company’s success,” he said.
Bargain Bins and Energy Drinks
Since becoming category manager, Arnold has launched the “Bargain Bin,” redesigned the in-store layout and established an energy club card.
Started four years ago, the Bargain Bin was a way for Arnold to offer customers a unique product that was price friendly. Through a partnership with a newly sourced apparel company, Road Ranger introduced $1 T-shirts and $5 hoodies.
“Customers were telling us they were going to Road Ranger specifically for these items. You’d see something posted on social media about it. And the best part was it wasn’t just, as we say, for a four-wheel customer; truckers were also excited, seeing that they had told us it’s cheaper to buy $7 worth of T-shirts than to do a week’s worth of laundry,” he said.
The Bargain Bin turned into a $500,000 program.
In addition to the Bargain Bin, Arnold redesigned the in-store layout.
“It allowed us to merchandise programs differently and have a destination within the store … and then you have the LED lights and just a newer, modern feel to what we used to have,” he said.
The redesign, which took approximately six months to complete, is now in another 15 stores that have been opened since then.
One of his most exciting programs on which he worked, however, was the energy club card that allowed customers to buy six energy drinks and get the seventh free.
“As an avid energy drink consumer myself, I noticed a lack of such programs in the category, which has been a top performer in our coolers for the past two to three years,” Arnold said.
Due to the program’s exponential growth, Road Ranger’s partners in the category have agreed to do the program again in 2025.
“To be able to incorporate that in our app was a big deal to me,” he noted.
Finding What Works
Some of Arnold’s many different categories see the effects of inflation more than others, which affects consumer spending patterns, a phenomenon he believes is one of the biggest issues with which category managers must contend.
“That alone requires a deep reevaluation of strategies and tactics,” he said.
He is constantly trying to determine how to keep products cost effective for customers so they don’t gravitate toward bulk shopping at big-box stores as opposed to stopping inside Road Ranger stores more frequently.
“There’s a bigger demand to leverage data analytics and market insights to make informed decisions about product assortment, pricing, performance, promotions and inventory management,” Arnold said.
Arnold spent the second half of 2024 narrowing down the promotions that worked best. He determined that promotions containing “buy” or “get” outperformed two-for or three-for deals, noting that psychologically this feels like a bigger win for the consumer.
“I still obviously wanted to try to provide the discount to the customers. I’m just trying to do that at the highest possible take rate,” he elaborated.
Going into 2025, he is using those same insights to establish the promotions that will provide the discount customers need while also increasing basket ring.
“The other piece of the puzzle is really staying on top of your pricing strategy and buying trends,” Arnold said. “Keep a pulse on what’s happening in the market and with your competitors. Be surgical about which products you put on promotion and when. And don’t be afraid to get creative — sometimes a unique spin on a classic deal structure can really cut through the noise and get customers’ attention.”
