{"id":28551,"date":"2016-06-01T14:58:11","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T18:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/creating-the-ideal-c-store-experience\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T12:13:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T16:13:29","slug":"creating-the-ideal-c-store-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/creating-the-ideal-c-store-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating the Ideal C-Store Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re the owner of a grocery or convenience store, having loyal customers is probably a priority of yours.\u00a0 If not, it should be.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 When you have customers that value your business and actually prefer to spend their money at your store, your overall success is much more likely.\u00a0 The more loyal customers you have, the more you can count on a certain amount of sales each month, and year.\u00a0 The challenge to achieving this, however, is having a store that customers WANT to come to and become loyal to.\u00a0 Of course, every person is different and therefore has different reasoning for choosing the stores they spend money at, but we can help you narrow down who your most likely consumers are and what they actually look for in their ideal convenience store.<\/p>\n

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Know who\u2019s coming to your store<\/strong><\/p>\n

Studies have shown that the Millennial generation (those aged 18-34) not only make up most of the population, but also are the key segment of shoppers in the convenience store industry.\u00a0 Due to their always-on-the-go lifestyles and dependency on technology, these millennials can also be a very demanding demographic to serve as a retailer and are shaping the way many businesses operate. \u00a0With an average weekly convenience store visit count of four times, this group should basically be the core of your business.<\/p>\n

While knowing the key demographic of convenience store shoppers is very important, it\u2019s equally important to understand how this group is divided by types of shoppers as well.\u00a0 Retail Customer Experience<\/a> published a great article in 2010 that details the four key c-store shoppers. Understanding all of these people, their needs, and which of them you\u2019re either already catering to or aiming to serve is an excellent first step in ensuring your store\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Another part of identifying your customer is knowing the demographics of the people in your store\u2019s neighborhood.\u00a0 These are the people who will get the most use of your c-store and are most likely to become loyal.\u00a0 Understanding their income level, ethnicity, age, family size, and even their typical daily activities can be a great way to determine what products they want, when they\u2019ll come in, and how they typically shop at your store.<\/p>\n

Convenience first<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, people look for convenience first when shopping at a convenience store.\u00a0 Although their idea of convenience can change depending on what brings them in to the store, the general notion of having as much as possible right at your fingertips is always ideal.\u00a0 The majority of convenience store shoppers seek speed in their trip to the convenience store as well.\u00a0 You want to make sure you\u2019re making the products they need and want available, and allowing them to get in and out as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most important part of making sure you are keeping your c-store customer satisfied is making sure that you store is organized and set up just for them.\u00a0 Having a clean, well-stocked and organized store that is easy to navigate through is key to having a truly \u201ccustomer-centric\u201d c-store.\u00a0 Also, ensuring your consumer can checkout and complete a payment transaction quickly with ease provides you a great advantage over the competition that isn\u2019t paying attention to their customers\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n

If you have a gas station, and your consumers are primarily stopping for gas, you have a wonderful opportunity to utilize pump technology and space for easy shopping.<\/p>\n

Product diversity matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

As already mentioned, even when you have a core demographic for your c-store shoppers, there will always be a variety of reasons customers come in to shop.\u00a0 Of course your store will gain \u201cregulars\u201d that remain loyal to one or few brands.\u00a0 However, as the industry and demand changes, it would not be wise to continuously stock the exact same products.\u00a0 Just as technology and society\u2019s dependence on it changes, so do our preferences for food and beverages.\u00a0 Gone are the days when the convenience store was characterized by the heavy sales of junk food and only \u201cgrab-and-go\u201d items. Now, there are more c-stores than ever and they are growing their product offering to include:<\/p>\n