Restaurant Customers Migrating too Convenience Stores

Higher food and labor cost continue to drive up the cost of a restaurant meal in fact t U.S. restaurant menu prices in June were up 2.3% on a year-to-date basis, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data. If success does leave clues and it does according to Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson.  One clear clue is that when and industry capitulates customers over time its leadership diminishes as well.

In a new study by GasBuddy and Cuebiq, that examined foot traffic of GasBuddy users to convenience stores and gas stations across the United States.  Leveraging Cuebiq's proprietary intelligence platform and data collection methodology to analyze anonymous geo-behavioral patterns, the study provided insights into GasBuddy users' offline behavior, such as frequency of station visits, fueling patterns, how long they spend at a location and brand loyalty. Key study highlights include:

1.       Individual visit frequency increased during Q2. The number of GasBuddies visiting gas stations and c-stores once a week or more climbed from 48 percent to nearly 53 percent. According to a recent GasBuddy survey, 74 percent of respondents say they stop at stations and stores for something other than fuel.

2.       Dwell time decreased. The number of customers spending more than two or three minutes at any location — the time it takes to fill a tank of gas — decreased from 72 percent to 68 percent.

3.       June was a busy month for gas stations. The last week of the month captured the most gas station visits during Q2 as GasBuddy users geared up for the July 4 holiday. The weeks of June 4 and June 11 ranked second and third, respectively. Memorial Day weekend came in ninth during the quarter.

4.       Good coffee drives foot traffic. On average, gas stations received 16.67 percent of their daily traffic between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. during Q2. Locations with excellent coffee ratings in the GasBuddy app receive 18 percent of their daily traffic during these hours, which is relatively 12.5 percent more than stations with below average coffee ratings.

The study was conducted during the second quarter of 2017 and analyzed more than 23 million consumer visits. Mix and Match meal component bundling are key drives of grocerant niche success and C-stores have a price and product mix advantage currently or the restaurant sector garnering customer migration.

Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed, Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us