In your typical C-Store or small grocery store, every item on every shelf has an image and writing on it and the same goes for everything on your walls and windows. With all that visual “white noise” consumers report noticing virtually no signage in a typical c-store or small grocery (1). So if customers report being tuned-out to the white noise of signage, why is signage so incredibly critical? Signage – whether consciously or unconsciously – guides the customer inside, guides the purchase,...

You’ve probably found that the way in which people shop, including the way they pay, has evolved a great deal over the last decade. Likewise, it’s no secret that mobile devices have changed the way we do almost everything in our lives. You can order food on your phone, change the TV channel with your phone, or even check your heart rate, and so much more! Now you can even pay in person without so much as the presence of even a credit card, just with a phone.

One key factor in maximizing your sales is paying close attention to the trends in your sales as the day goes on. In the c-store industry, the different times of the day have long been referred to as “dayparts” and they have been the cornerstone upon which many stores have built their sales and marketing strategies. If you aren’t sure what dayparts are or why they matter to your business, this NACS presentation can help. Today, there a quite a few details to keep in mind when deciding how you...

As an entrepreneur, your goal is to see your business thrive and of course to make more money. One of the key ways to boost sales, is to increase foot traffic inside your store. When you increase the visits to your store, you also have the opportunity to increase the number of customers who are referred to your store as well as those who will become loyal shoppers. With small budgets and limited manpower, advertising can be tough. One tried and true way to reward your customers and of course...

As the year 2016 has continued on, we’ve seen a number of changes to the convenience and grocery industry. From the use of the new “chip card” technology to the growing popularity of grab-and-go meals and foodservice, the convenience store as we knew it before is pretty different. One thing that has remained and probably will well into the future, is the importance of snack items in the c-store industry. While the need for a good variety of snacks has always been a priority for store owners,...

As a small store owner, it can often seem like you’re in a deadlock when wanting to add to your store and build your business. Obstacles often present themselves in a number of ways. We’ve heard from merchants that site property limitations, small budgets, legal hurdles, security concerns, and even staffing struggles as some of their key pain points in continuing to enhance their store and grow their profits. What we also know, is that businesses that can’t keep up with the changing demands or...

In the past few years, millennials, their habits, and their influence on the world have become hot topics. The term “millennial” has become a way for the earlier generations to stereotype their younger counterparts and almost an ongoing joke about the behaviors of 20-somethings today. Although the prevalent narcissism and entitlement in the millennial generation, as well as their attachment to technology does lend itself to jokes from others, everyone running a business should be paying close...

If you’re the owner of a grocery or convenience store, having loyal customers is probably a priority of yours. If not, it should be. 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. The more loyal customers you have, the more you can count on a certain amount of sales each month, and year. The challenge to achieving this, however, is having a store that customers WANT to come to and become loyal...

Hardworking entrepreneurs rely on the vendors they use for various services, including payment processing, to provide the quality service they need to continue building a successful business. In today’s world, businesses rely heavily on electronic payments to process their daily transactions and make money. When you are the owner and operator of a small business, like a convenience store, you know that any amount of time spent without reliable payment processing can be very detrimental to daily...

Even as electronic payment processing continues to evolve with the use of cards, and now even contactless payments, cash transactions are still very important. As cash continues to be a need for consumers, ATMs remain an important piece of technology as well. Businesses can benefit a great deal from having an ATM inside their own establishment, especially those in the c-store industry.