Total industry inside sales increased 1.5% to a record $255.6 billion in 2020, according to newly-released NACS State of the Industry (SOI) data. While total transactions declined 13.9% for the year, basket sizes increased 18.4% compared with 2019. The average basket size was $7.34 in 2020 vs. $6.20 in 2019. The in-store increase also came…
New Report Probes the Prospects for Fuel and Convenience Retailing
Throughout the decade, fuel and convenience retailers will be tasked with answering a simple question: “why will the customer of 2030 visit my store?” Roadside retailing faces a variety of disruptive headwinds that threaten long-successful business models. The report’s five authors call for an immediate repositioning around the needs of people rather than vehicles. “The…
Retailers Look Forward to Pre-Pandemic Levels of Summer Traffic
Convenience retailers anticipate that leisure travel and routine customer trips will return to pre-pandemic levels this summer, according to the results of a new NACS survey of U.S. convenience store owners. Convenience stores, which sell 80% of the fuel purchased in the country, experienced a 13% decrease in fuel sales and less customer traffic throughout…
CBD Health Benefits Propel Market Expectations
A February report from Grand View Research, the “Cannabidiol Market Size, Share and Trends Analysis Report,” found that consumer demand for hemp-derived CBD is on the rise due to its wellness properties. Those wellness properties include anti-aging, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits have spurred a rapid increase in use. Manufacturers have noticed. The report cites an…
Study Shows Three-Quarters of Consumers Crave Salty/Sweet Snacks
A new study commissioned by Coca-Cola revealed that three quarters of people crave salty/sweet snacks, and at their ‘hangriest,’ nearly half (48%) of the nation would walk over a mile to fulfill this craving. With March Madness snackers glued to their couches, Coca-Cola uncovered America’s favorite salty/sweet combinations to spice up snacking routines everywhere. See…
C-Store Survey: Prepackaged Food, Adult Bevs Shine in 2020
Convenience retailers say that in-store sales grew in 2020, with twice as many reporting an in-store sales increase than a decrease (59% vs. 30%, respectively) in 2020, according to the results according to a new National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) survey of U.S. convenience store owners. Convenience stores, which sell 80% of the fuel…
The 2021 Social Media Awards
CStore Decisions, for the ninth consecutive year, is recognizing convenience store chains standing out on social media. If there was ever a year where social media outreach proved vital to c-store chains’ success, it was 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought about social distancing and lockdown rules that drove customers inside. Those brands with a…
CBD Does Not Impair Driving, Study Finds
A recent study on the effects of cannabidiol products and driving ability should provide some peace of mind for consumers of wellness and topical cannabidiol products, as well as those whose worry about those effects may be preventing them from using CBD products. An Australian study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical…
Data Shows Customers Favor C-Stores With Delivery
A recent poll of customers on Vroom Delivery, an e-commerce platform specific to the c-store industry, indicated that 80.6% of delivery customers would not have otherwise visited the same store in-person to make a purchase had home delivery not been available. Of those customers that would not have visited the store, 27% indicated that they…
Consumers Eating More Baked Goods During the Pandemic
According to a nationwide survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by General Mills Foodservice, more than one in four Americans (28%) are eating more baked goods as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past six months. Items such as cookies (57%), bread (50%) and cake (42%) top the list of baked goods Americans…