When you think about using coupons, you’re likely to picture the grocery store, or a department store. But many brands are eyeing convenience stores as a great untapped market, where a well-timed offer can nudge you to go inside and make an unplanned purchase while you’re fueling up.
Do commuters and travelers really want to go couponing at the gas station though? A new survey finds that many do – but the most frequent convenience store visitors are more interested in a place they feel welcome than they are in coupons.
“Our research shows that the most frequent visitors are not chasing a cents-off coupon; they crave the feeling of community,” Andy Bennett, Group President of Convenience Retail at Vontier, said in a statement.
Vontier provides technology solutions for convenience retailers. So it surveyed hundreds of drivers to find out what they look for when fueling up on gas and/or food on the go. Many said they typically just fill up their gas tanks without ever going inside the store. But 57% said they frequently go inside to buy food or a drink, and 66% of those who visit more than once a week said they go shopping most or every time.
Those “super users” are the ones who are seeking out more than just discounts and deals. While “casual drivers still shop transactionally,” Vontier found, “the more often someone visits, the less price may matter.”
For frequent convenience store visitors “loyalty is social, not mathematical,” Vontier declared. “It is the nod from the cashier, the predictable rhythm of the stop and the feeling that this is their store.”
45% of survey respondents said they are members of at least one convenience store loyalty program. But the definition of “loyalty” goes beyond the promise of rewards – earlier Vontier research found that 61% of drivers consider themselves loyal to their favorite convenience store, and nearly 80% are willing to drive out of their way to shop there.
“For the industry’s most frequent visitors, loyalty looks less like economics and more like familiarity,” Vontier found.
Does that mean convenience stores aren’t such a great untapped market after all? That there’s no point in retailers offering discounts, or brands offering coupons, because convenience store shoppers are already set in their ways?
Not necessarily. “Super users” may crave community, but most drivers don’t mind deals. When asked what might encourage them to buy food at a convenience store, 65% of survey respondents rated low prices as “very important,” just ahead of the 58% who cited the quality of the food and beverages for sale. 34% said their most recent visit to a convenience store would have been better with a wider range of refreshments available.
And loyalty program members want better rewards, too. 89% said discounted fuel is the best reward, while 54% would like perks like free coffee and snacks.
You probably don’t think of your local convenience store the same way as the neighborhood pub or coffee shop – as a comfortable hangout where employees recognize their regulars. But Vontier says its research suggests “the operators who win the next decade will be those who use technology to reclaim the human touch, transforming convenience retail from a commodity business into a community anchor.”
“If you want a customer to visit once a month, talk to their wallet,” Bennett advised convenience retailers. “If you want them to visit every day, you have to talk to their heart.”
You may not love how much it costs you to fill your gas tank these days. But the convenience stores where you fuel up hope you feel a little more kindly toward them – no matter the price.
Image source: Vontier
