Promoting a convenience store’s foodservice items isn’t complicated and can be very rewarding if done right. The first and most important step is, of course, to make sure you are offering good food. Otherwise, money and time spent on marketing the program could be wasted. Next, make sure you’ve got a strong presence across social…

Dollar sales in both the chocolate and non-chocolate candy categories in convenience stores are rolling in strong with help from rising prices, even as unit sales dip across many segments. Retailers are reporting that customers today are seeking excitement and newness from the chocolate and non-chocolate categories, and seasonal chocolate and novelty candy unit sales…

Are consumers searching for wine in convenience stores? The short answer is yes, for a couple of reasons, assuming the wines being stocked are good quality at popular price points, line up with current trends, offer a choice of packaging, are merchandised attractively and spoken of favorably by store personnel. One reason is that visiting…

Money and pay raises are great when it comes to helping retain quality employees, but convenience store retailers can take another step in cementing their people in place: being there for them. Forging that personal connection with employees, letting them know that they are more than just items in the labor budget and that you’ve…

Successful merchandising requires having a detailed plan for showcasing a convenience store’s products in a way that serves customers’ needs while generating maximum sales. Nearly a century ago, Paul Mazur — a senior partner of Lehman Brothers, an investment banker and respected contributor to the Harvard Business Review — coined the phrase “five rights” of…

Convenience store operators who aren’t up to date on direct-current (DC) fast chargers will need to get up to speed, since more and more of their customers who drive electric vehicles (EVs) will be asking about it. DC fast chargers convert alternate current (AC) power to DC power within the charging station. They then send…

The great thing about working to boost salty snack sales is that customers walk through the door already loving salty snacks. But convenience store operators can always do more to showcase their offering. Deciding what to stock, which items to prioritize and the best snacks to promote begins with knowing which of the plethora of…

Convenience store operators asking themselves whether a proprietary foodservice program is right for them are really asking another question: is trying to reinvent the wheel worth it? Oddly enough, in certain circumstances, it can be. With foodservice playing a more important role than ever before in the convenience store channel, originality and uniqueness may set…

Independent convenience store operators who aren’t yet taking full advantage of customer loyalty programs are missing multiple opportunities that could easily be theirs and provide long-lasting benefits. Loyalty programs — rewarding customers for their repeat business with exclusive benefits — enhance relationships between retailers and their shoppers and aid significantly in customer retention and building…

Convenience store personnel are generally pretty good at answering customers’ questions and speaking knowledgeably about the products they sell, but they have a harder time doing so when it comes to the varieties of smokeless tobacco — for example, the differences between moist and dry snuff — if they don’t understand how they work. Indeed,…