CStore Decisions, a leading convenience store industry publication, and SparkCognition, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions perfected for business, announced a partnership and call for participants for a study using visual AI to understand electric vehicle customers’ behavior at convenience stores and gas stations. Using SparkCognition’s cutting edge AI technology, the study will focus on who the electric vehicle customer is, when and where they visit, and how they are spending their time while charging their cars. These insights are valuable to the $37.3 billion convenience store and gas station market, as customer experience and loyalty is a top priority for many operators.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales are on the rise and the growth of electric cars will have both a short- and long-term impact on the convenience store industry. Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure has nearly doubled from late 2019 to late 2022, with over 140,000 charging stations installed.
This trend will impact future gasoline sales and reduce overall trips to the convenience store. But it can also present new opportunities. These new opportunities are the focus of a groundbreaking study launched by SparkCognition and CStore Decisions. The goal of this study is to understand what customers are doing in the 30 or so minutes it takes to charge their vehicle and explore opportunities to drive them into the convenience store for foodservice, beverages, or snacks.
Retailers interested in participating in the study will receive exclusive data on their customers shopping and EV charging habits.
“While much of the attention paid to EV has focused on building a charging infrastructure and ramping up production of electric-powered cars and trucks, little attention has been paid to how the growth of these vehicles will alter the convenience retailing landscape,” said John Lofstock, Editor of CStore Decisions and the Executive Director of the National Advisory (NAG). “Partnering with SparkCognition, we hope to get an accurate picture of who is visiting convenience stores to charge their cars, what they are doing during the time the car is charging and exploring ways to cater to them using existing c-store services such as foodservice, indoor seating, Wi-Fi, and snacks.”
The landscape of gas stations is focused on convenience, which is readily available and quick. Although charging is seemingly getting faster by the day, it is still a slower process than filling a tank of gas that will keep customers on c-store lots longer, potentially giving c-store owners a new opportunity to cater to these customers.
Convenience store and gas station operators interested in participating in the study can apply here.
About SparkCognition
SparkCognition’s award-winning AI solutions allow organizations to predict future outcomes, prescribe next best actions, and help ensure worker safety. We partner with the world’s industry leaders to analyze, optimize, and learn from all types of data, augment human intelligence, drive profitable growth, and achieve operational excellence. Our patented AI technologies including machine learning, deep neural networks, natural language processing, and computer vision lead the industry in innovation and accelerate digital transformation. Our solutions allow organizations to solve critical problems—prevent unexpected downtime, maximize asset performance, deliver net-zero initiatives, and eliminate accidents, all while avoiding zero-day cyberattacks. To learn more about how SparkCognition’s AI solutions can unlock the power in your data, visit www.sparkcognition.com.
