By CSD Staff
Through special arrangement, what follows is an excerpt of a current article from Convenience Store Decisions magazine, presented here for discussion.
A comprehensive new study by Meyers Research Center (MRC) finds convenience store shoppers know what they want before they get through the door and are expecting to find cold beverages and friendly employees. The findings are part of Meyers' Convenience Store Close-Up Wave Six, which takes a look at behavior, attitudes and decision-making patterns of c-store shoppers in the U.S.
"C-Store shoppers are telling us that the helpfulness and the friendliness of the employees was rated high when selecting a store to shop in, along with fast checkout and cleanliness," said Jeff Friedlaender, Vice President of Meyers Research Center.
Among the key findings of the study was that nearly half of consumers surveyed said they are making sacrifices to pay higher gas prices at the pump.
"Higher gasoline prices are driving consumers to less convenient locations in search of lower prices, which are more important than finding the most convenient c-store," said Mr. Friedlaender.
Almost half of the subjects (48 percent) said they had to give up something in order to pay higher gas prices over the past summer. Most often relinquished were vacations/travel, dining out/take out and entertainment (movies, theater, ball games). To a lesser extent, people also cut back on shopping, particularly of apparel and DVD movies/games. Two percent said groceries or utility bills were sacrificed.
Employees Outweigh Other Factors in C-Store Selection.
Seventy-five percent of shoppers surveyed said, "Helpful, friendly employees" outweighed factors such as good prices (38 percent), fast checkout (38 percent), wide selection (27 percent) and prepared foods (three percent) when deciding on a c-store to shop in.
Planned Purchases On the Rise -- In-Store Influences Declining.
The influence of in-store factors in c-stores has dropped since the study was last conducted in 2004. At that time, in-store factors influenced 12 percent of purchases. The latest numbers show that dropping to four percent. Either there is less being done to spark impulse purchases or tactics being used are less compelling to consumers.
"Convenience store shoppers are making purchasing decisions based on category planning and the role that the c-store plays in their day-to-day activities," said Mr. Friedlaender.
"Dashboard dining" remains popular. Over 85 percent of products purchased at the c-store are consumed within 30-minutes of checkout and over half within five minutes, usually by the shopper and nobody else. More than half (56 percent) of shoppers said that they plan to consume their purchases in the car while traveling.
Typical Purchases
A cold drink purchase is made by about half of the shoppers -- the most typical purchase by far. Shopping for snack food and cigarettes is also highly prevalent. Gas is frequently purchased at stores selling gas; among the shoppers buying merchandise in a c-store with attached gas station, currently 25 percent were purchasing gas, slightly lower than in 2004 (30 percent).
What Drives People To C-Stores?
Purchasing a cold beverage leads the list of destination drivers to c-stores. The purchase of gas and cigarettes also plays a very important role in driving much convenience store traffic. However, presently gas is slightly less of a destination driver to c-stores than in 2004, being replaced by snack food and lottery ticket purchasing.
Discussion Questions: What is your takeaway from the Meyers research? What findings surprised you most?