The number of Americans who both look after their health and enjoy drinking alcohol is growing — and for savvy convenience store retailers in states that permit them to sell adult beverages, that spells opportunity. While healthy trends have seen innovation growth in every category to varying degrees, alcoholic beverages have undergone a health kick,…
Should I Invest in Self-Serve Technology?
Convenience store retailers asking themselves whether they should invest in self-serve technology are increasingly coming to the conclusion that — assuming they can afford it — the answer is yes. The reason is obvious: from frictionless checkout to pay at the pump, foodservice kiosks and more, a growing number of consumers in America and around…
What Are the Top Candy Trends for 2024?
Chocolate looks to trend for 2024, along with novelty candy and health-forward options. Price increases and decreases are largely swaying customer purchase decisions, as evidenced by Circana data, which shows chocolate unit sales dipping slightly due to a 12.1% price hike. However, this has allowed dollar sales to increase 7.9%. Among chocolate unit sales, snack-sized…
How Do I Promote My Foodservice Items?
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…
Are Customers Searching for Wine at C-Stores?
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…
How Can I Be There for My Employees?
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…
What Should My Merchandising Strategy Be?
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…
What Are Direct-Current Fast Chargers?
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…
How to Boost Salty Snack Sales
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…
Is a Proprietary Foodservice Program Right for Me?
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…