March 31, 2026
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Have Human Connections Become More Critical to C-Store Loyalty?
At least at c-stores, familiarity breeds loyalty, according to a new survey.
The national survey of over 600 U.S. drivers from Vontier, a provider of automation technologies, found the 24% who stop multiple times a week — described as “Super-Users” — aren’t heading to c-stores primarily for discounts. The most loyal c-stores customers are returning “because the store feels familiar, safe and part of their daily rhythm.”
Among the findings:
- Friendly service over rewards: Frequent visitors value “being known more than being discounted.” Vontier writes, “For them, loyalty is social, not mathematical. It is the nod from the cashier, the predictable rhythm of the stop and the feeling that this is their store.”
- Safety and predictability: About two-thirds of drivers prioritize well-lit, reliable sites. Vontier writes that such conditions “elevates the convenience store into a third place — the space between home and work where people feel grounded and welcome.”
- Food as culture: With 64% of millennials and 67% of Gen Zers stopping specifically for food and beverage, food offerings help establish c-stores as community hubs. Vontier states, “Food choices signal identity, taste and belonging, and younger drivers treat the convenience store as a place to express that. It is not just fuel; it is flavor, routine and micro-community.”
Vontier’s underlying message was that enhanced automation can free up c-store associates to bring more of the human connection to customers.
“If you want a customer to visit once a month, talk to their wallet. If you want them to visit every day, you have to talk to their heart,” said Andy Bennett, group president of Convenience Retail at Vontier.
Convenience, Loyalty, or Both: C-Stores Find Their Footing in a New Retail and Service Era
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Convenience Store Study 2025 found c-stores providing quality food and beverage options “in a clean and convenient setting” earning the most favor with consumers. Kwik Trip, Wawa, and Sheetz scored the highest grades in their study last year.
Forrest Morgeson, a marketing professor at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI, said, “The brands rising to the top are doing more than just selling coffee and snacks. They’re building communities inside their stores.”
The NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) 2025 Convenience Voices survey still found 23.8% of shoppers typically only purchase fuel on their shopping occasions to a c-store, although more than three quarters (76.2%) will go into the store on some of their visits.
Asked what would most encourage them to step into the store, the top five responses were: better discounts, sales and promotions (38.1%); a loyalty or rewards program (24.7%); fresher/healthier options (24.4%); cleaner restrooms, (23.5%); and faster service/self-service checkout, (23.2%).
BrainTrust
Tom Ryan
Managing Editor, RetailWire
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Is the human touch and community building any more or less important for c-stores than other retail channels?
Has elevated food options changed the loyalty drivers for the c-store channel?
Poll
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I wouldn’t go far as to say the human touch and community building are more important for c-stores than other retail channels, but the reality is that c-stores are often an important fabric of the community they support. C-store owners often talk about the joy of serving 3 generations from the same families. The ability to make a true connection with their customers removes them from just being another store with products on a shelf with prices. The best operators know that they have the opportunity to create a great, if short, experience for their customers.
The most loyal c-stores customers are returning “because the store feels familiar, safe and part of their daily rhythm.”
Call me crazy, but I would think the most important factor in patronizing a convenience store is that it’s…well, convenient.
Honestly some of these “insights” strike me as either self evident – people don’t go for discounts – self-important, or just overthought: everyone values friendly service and a safe, clean environment wherever they might shop…I don’t find these demands to be peculiar to the C-store segment.
The topic of this article didn’t surprise me. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked extensively in the convenience store industry as both a speaker and consultant, and one thing is crystal clear: the human connection is no small thing. Retailers and customers alike thrive on the relationships made at their favorite stores. In this business, loyalty isn’t just important, it’s everything.
Of all the food retail shopper motivations researched (low price, quality, variety/selection, convenience, customer service), convenience is the most obvious anchor as c-stores have large numbers strategically located close to neighborhoods. But convenience and prices don’t differentiate one store from the many others. So c-store owners have significant sales upside in repeat shopper trips by committing their store brand to being of the local community via more local product selection, fresher food, friendly service, and recognizing customers by name. Customers notice and will reward stores who are dedicated to it … aka WaWa, Sheetz, Bucees, Maverik.
And please, owners, always spend more money on the restrooms. Why are so many still built and equipped as if they are operational for a post-apocalyptic world?
Without the human-to-human connection, the store becomes a commodity, a “store with stuff.” The only things that get customers to come back are convenience and prices. A friendly employee who interacts with regular customers creates a connection that becomes a competitive advantage, getting customers to come back.
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I wouldn’t go far as to say the human touch and community building are more important for c-stores than other retail channels, but the reality is that c-stores are often an important fabric of the community they support. C-store owners often talk about the joy of serving 3 generations from the same families. The ability to make a true connection with their customers removes them from just being another store with products on a shelf with prices. The best operators know that they have the opportunity to create a great, if short, experience for their customers.
Call me crazy, but I would think the most important factor in patronizing a convenience store is that it’s…well, convenient.
Honestly some of these “insights” strike me as either self evident – people don’t go for discounts – self-important, or just overthought: everyone values friendly service and a safe, clean environment wherever they might shop…I don’t find these demands to be peculiar to the C-store segment.
The topic of this article didn’t surprise me. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked extensively in the convenience store industry as both a speaker and consultant, and one thing is crystal clear: the human connection is no small thing. Retailers and customers alike thrive on the relationships made at their favorite stores. In this business, loyalty isn’t just important, it’s everything.
Of all the food retail shopper motivations researched (low price, quality, variety/selection, convenience, customer service), convenience is the most obvious anchor as c-stores have large numbers strategically located close to neighborhoods. But convenience and prices don’t differentiate one store from the many others. So c-store owners have significant sales upside in repeat shopper trips by committing their store brand to being of the local community via more local product selection, fresher food, friendly service, and recognizing customers by name. Customers notice and will reward stores who are dedicated to it … aka WaWa, Sheetz, Bucees, Maverik.
And please, owners, always spend more money on the restrooms. Why are so many still built and equipped as if they are operational for a post-apocalyptic world?
Without the human-to-human connection, the store becomes a commodity, a “store with stuff.” The only things that get customers to come back are convenience and prices. A friendly employee who interacts with regular customers creates a connection that becomes a competitive advantage, getting customers to come back.