It’s that time of the year again. It’s January and half of America’s new year resolution is to start the gym and focus on reducing that waist line by losing a few pounds. It is a hard challenge. Going to the gym is only a part of the weight loss goal. There are other aspects that come into play and as a merchant this is an opportunity you must take advantage of. 

Recently there has been much debate on which alcohol and tobacco products should and should not be available to the public and where they can be purchased.  While some people believe that the customer should have the right to purchase anything they like as long as they are not against the law, there are groups who are pushing to change the regulations that dictate what is available for purchase and where based on the potential health effects products could have.

Consumers continue to want a healthier, greener, and more organic lifestyle, so their switching up everything from their cars to the water they drink. Consumers still enjoy the bubbly fizz soda offers, but desire the health benefits of water. That’s why we’ve seen a spike in sales for sparkling water. Over the last five years, the sales of sparkling water have grown by 42%. The drink offers the fizz like a soda, but most have little to no added sugar or artificial ingredients that a soda does.

It takes a lot of hard work and long hours to make your dreams come true. C-Store owners everywhere know this to be true. There are different challenges you face everyday, but the success you see makes it all worth while. In a competitive business like the c-store industry, there are always new trends  and products customers want. The good thing is, you're not in this alone, there are many c-store owners just like you looking for ways to be successful. When the hard work pays off,  be sure to...

Fresh foods are one of the fastest growing trends in retail and grocery. As supermarkets have adapted to consumers’ evolving eating habits by offering more organic and healthier products, convenience stores have also started to make the change. Aside from healthier foods, they want fresh food, food that is prepared just before they purchase it. Selling fresher and more nutritional foods may seem like a challenge at first, but it is a small change that could have payback. 

Although technology has changed shopping to a mostly seamless digital experience for most of us, life is still not as convenient for all consumers. Especially consumers who are primarily low income, unbanked, or underbanked and left without access to online shopping or to debit cards. These also happen to be the consumers that visit c-stores the most.

Many c-store owners think that signage is something they don’t really have to focus their attention on.  However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Signage is how you communicate with your customers when you can’t speak with them directly.  The signage outside your store is how you communicate with them before they even get into your store.  If you aren’t looking for ways you can give the outside of your store a new look and increase your traffic, you should really be evaluating your...

Customers stop at convenience stores to get a variety of things: gas, food, coffee, soda, tobacco products, but have you ever thought about what products make your c-store so valuable? People don’t go to convenience stores to shop around like they would at a grocery store. They go in looking for a specific product. Often it’s an unplanned trip to buy something they’ve forgotten or needed suddenly.

We’ve written posts before about the importance of making sure that your store is ready to serve the specific customers in your area.  To do this, you should not only understand the interests of your customers, but also the challenges to seeing success at your store’s location.  While you can look at the trends in your city or even state, you should probably start by just looking at what’s happening in the region of the United States where you’re located.  In every region in the United States,...