According to Paytronix, c-stores should offer rewards for loyalty members in the days leading up to the Memorial Day weekend, as well as the Friday after Memorial Day.
“Paytronix data suggests that Memorial Day weekend generally sees a lull or a dip in Loyalty activity,” said Andrew Robbins, president and co-founder of Paytronix. “Since people generally travel away from their homes and neighborhoods around Memorial Day weekend, they are not likely to visit their usual convenient store loyalty locations, and thus not use their loyalty programs. As such, c-stores need to think about offering rewards for loyalty members in the days leading up to the holiday weekend and the Friday after Memorial Day as Paytronix generally finds that these are the days more people are visiting the pump to fill up their gas tanks.”
Additionally, Paytronix said that rural c-store locations generally like to spread out traffic days. Because they don’t have the same supply of gas as urban c-stores, they are in danger of running out if they see a big spike in traffic. Furthermore, they often don’t want to see huge lines at the pump or in store, as that can result in unhappy customers.
To avoid this, convenience stores should consider sending gas offers that are valid prior to the big rush (i.e., Wednesday/Thursday before Memorial Day) as well as for the days immediately following the holiday.
This year, according to AAA, nearly 43 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend, and 37.6 million of those will be traveling by car. This year’s travelers total 1.5 million more than last year and it will be the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000.
