Grocerant Fresh Prepared Food Needed to Fuel C-store Frequency

Urban dwelling millennials, electric autos, hybrid cars, combined with fewer consumers smoking cigarettes are all things that are contributing to changing why consumers visit conveniences stores today according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®

In a recent study conducted by AlixPartners found “foodservice (prepared food and hot, cold and frozen dispensed beverages) is the No. 1 reason consumers shop at c-stores for in-store merchandise (excluding motor fuel), with monthly store-dining frequency jumping 13 percent over the past five years, compared to flat growth for many restaurant formats.”

Eric Dzwonczyk, global co-head of the Restaurant, Hospitality and Leisure Practice at AlixPartners  stated that for C-stores  to continue that growth, c-stores need to move beyond the 52.9 percent of people who visit late at night or for snacks and compete more for breakfast, lunch and dinner business”

Dzwonczyk continued “To drive more consumer visits, c-stores need to offer additional healthier options. Almost half of consumers surveyed (45.6 percent) said “better-for-you” options are important to them.

In addition, c-stores face a big challenge on the horizon in the form of Amazon Go, Amazon’s new cashierless store concept. Other important findings from the survey include:

1.       More than 43 percent of survey respondents said if an Amazon Go opened nearby, they would shop less at traditional c-stores.

2.        About four in 10 respondents (42.6 percent) said snacking is their most common c-store meal, well ahead of other important dayparts: breakfast (14 percent), lunch (21.1 percent), dinner (12 percent), and late night (10.3 percent).

3.       The most-important technologies per c-store selection: mobile loyalty programs, self-checkout, and mobile coupons.

4.       Millennials (63.1 percent) and Generation X (61.3 percent), in particular, view loyalty programs as “important” or “very important” to them.

5.       About 70 percent of survey respondents are interested in delivery from c-stores; 46 percent would prefer to order directly and 37.6 percent would prefer to schedule deliveries in advance.

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 a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us