Whether it’s embracing healthy snacks or sticking with tried-and-true brands, convenience stores must closely monitor sales data to track what their customers are buying in this important core category. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor Recent consumer research seems to suggest that many convenience store customers looking to buy salty snacks leave the store empty-handed. Knowing [...]
Today’s card capabilities surpass the features offered by many checking accounts. These features include managing prepaid purchases through mobile devices and social media accounts and the ability to make person-to-person transfers. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Prepaid cards can be tied to financial services such as remittance and bill payments, but that may mean competing [...]
The newest safes and interactive security systems, including those that tie neatly into a point-of-sale (POS) system, can help operators track cash and monitor employees on a shift-by-shift basis. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Follow the money is good advice when it comes to unraveling conspiracies, but it is even more important when it comes [...]
Emphasizing quality and a dynamic product assortment has had positive effects on food sales at the roller grill. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Rollers grills can do a lot, but they do not sell for themselves. Managing roller grill food sales is no different from other foodservice categories in that convenience store operators need to [...]
From healthy foods to a radical shift in goods and services, retail futurists offer a glimpse of the changing consumer needs that could shape the convenience store industry over the next 10-20 years. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Customers seeking today’s newest phone apps. Electric fueling stations rather than gas islands. Stores that change format [...]
Americans aren’t eating out as much as they used to, but they are eating more chocolate, which means the time has come for c-store retailers to rethink, revamp and restock their chocolate sets. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Data from Experian Simmons research group noted that, among chocolate eaters, 56.4% have visited a c-store in [...]
From PCI compliance to loyalty programs, ensuring customers that their private information is secure and being used appropriately is essential in gaining their trust. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Consumers trust retailers with vital personal information every day. For their sake—and yours—protect it. It’s not as hard as some may fear. There are some basic [...]
More Americans than ever are eating pizza, according to data from consumer research firm Technomic. A full 41% of respondents to a Technomic survey said that they now eat pizza at least once a week, up from 26% two years ago. Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Americans’ love affair with pizza isn’t likely to end any [...]
The near-term future of beer sales in convenience stores involves flavor, value and craft products geared toward specific age groups. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. The good news about beer for c-stores is that consumers absolutely love it. The bad news is that consumers love lots of different types of beer—and there are more places [...]
Our nation is in the midst of an energy crisis. And it has nothing to do with the price of oil. Sleep-deprived and overworked, Americans crave anything with the word “energy” on the label. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Energy drinks are of course wildly popular, but energy shots—those two-ounce packages loaded with concentrated doses [...]
The meat snack industry has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade. With beef jerky leading the way, the industry has seen double-digit growth in eight of the last 10 years. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Meat snacks like beef jerky, meat sticks, nuggets, pork rinds and more have long been convenience store mainstays, but [...]
Little cigars are gaining a loyal following with older demographics based on affordability. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Consumption of little cigars, which have lower taxes and fewer marketing restrictions than cigarettes, has increased dramatically over the past three years. And while convenience store retailers can apply the usual merchandising techniques to them, an in-depth [...]
Squeezable pouches, which have been the preferred packaging on children’s products for many years, are emerging as a big hit for alcohol marketers. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Retail dollar sales of alcoholic beverages in pouches were only $12 million for the 12-month period ending August 2010, according to Nielsen. For the same period ending [...]
Roller grills, the backbone of many convenience store foodservice programs, continue to provide chains with an inexpensive, labor-friendly foodservice concept that allows store operators to expand their fresh food offering. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Discussions about trendy ethnic roller grill items require participants to learn a number of words in Spanish. Now, as retailers [...]