One demographic that often gets missed in the convenience store world is the college crowd. Often looked over due to misnomers about a “lack of disposable income,” students are large contributors to the success of convenience stores within proximity to their dorms and apartments.
Let’s face it: there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to running a convenience store. Between all the vendors, distributors, and various company reps, sometimes it’s amazing that you find time to do anything else.
Navigating the challenges of working with suppliers and distributors can be an exercise in futility. However, they don’t have to be. Here are some ways you can manage these tasks effectively, and keep your sanity in check!
With so many different brands of gas to choose from, how does a fuel consumer choose one? While many people swear by the quality of the gas from their preferred fuel retailer, does it really make any difference? Are you really “shopping local” by purchasing your gas from “Dave’s Gas” up the road?
If you’re thinking of getting into the gas station game; read on and discover how fuel retail works, an the difference between unbranded and branded gas stations.
Sadly, Instagram marketing is an overlooked aspect of retail store management. Do customers really care what your store is up to? After all, feeds from corporate chains aren’t exactly inspiring.
For small to medium sized retail shops, customer engagement can be the difference you’re looking for. Of all social media platforms, Instagram offers the best opportunity to present a personal persona for your brand. For a non-corporate retail store, this is crucial.
Prepaid gift cards are not a new thing to most of us in the United States. In fact, the US has been seeing a steady rise in the prepaid card industry for the last 20 years. There are many kinds of prepaid cards to choose from: phone cards, gift cards for local businesses, or even gift cards backed by major credit card companies.
These common items not only represent a large, and growing industry; they’re also a steady source of reliable revenue for many convenience store and gas stations.
So your retail store is selling quite well. You might even have your own line of products. All is going well, for the most part. That is, until you hit that dry month. Nobody knows why. Your customers could be losing interest. It could be a retail management error. Some months bring almost no revenue. One month turns into several. At that point, you have a trail of uncertainty to worry about.
As C-stores continue to adopt fresh food items and grocery store influences, an emerging trend is grocery chains launching their own c-store offerings. This turn of events makes sense, as larger grocers have the experience in providing produce and made-to-order deli items.
We’ve all seen the trend and heard the rumors surrounding spikes in gas prices around Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day; but are those rumors and trends true? If they are true, what causes spikes in gas prices at those specific times throughout the year and how can your business best manage these occasions?
In this world of social media, it can sometimes be easy to ignore the old tried and true methods using signage to inform and educate customers. And while a good sign can’t track usage or provide analytics: there’s a reason we still fall back on the classics.
