Are Women Afraid to Shop at C-Stores?
By Greg Lindenberg on Apr. 16, 2018SAN DIEGO -- Eighty percent of women rate safety as “very important” or “extremely important” when selecting a convenience store vs. only 53% of men, according to a new TrendSource report, which concluded that women are “afraid to shop alone at convenience stores.”
The 2018 Convenience Store Industry Report, which offers analysis of c-store consumers, their priorities, pain points and paths to purchase, also looks at product delivery and considers it an opportunity for c-store retailers to recapture sales and traffic lost to consumers’ safety concerns.
Here’s what the survey found on this issue …
Safety
The report shows that location and safety top the list of factors that consumers consider when choosing a c-store. Location earned the highest overall average score of 4.07 (“very important”) on a scale of importance, with 5 being “extremely important.” Safety, at No. 2, earned a 4.05.
Of the factors offered, those surveyed chose (in order of descending overall importance):
- Location (4.07)
- Safety (4.05)
- Gasoline prices (3.99)
- Hours (3.64)
- Product prices (3.57)
- Restrooms (3.33)
- Product offerings (3.27)
- Brand (2.73)
Delivery
Women are more receptive to the prospect of c-store delivery, the report said. When TrendSource asked about the likelihood of using c-store delivery, 64.3% of women said they were “slightly likely,” “somewhat likely,” “very likely” or “extremely likely” to use the service vs. 59.7% of men; 5.5% of women said they were “extremely likely” to use it compared to 2.8% of men.
“In this light, it is not too hard to understand why: They get the convenience of the store from the safety of their home,” said the report.
This presents both a hurdle and an opportunity for c-store operators, TrendSource said. “There is definitely an opportunity there for c-store operators to emphasize safety, both in practice and in their messaging. If people don’t feel safe somewhere, they aren’t going to shop there,” said Evencia Leite, director of consulting and client services for San Diego-based TrendSource.
Other channels
“For the time being, consumers are not clamoring for delivery,” the report said.
Despite women’s relative likelihood to use c-store delivery, respondents in general were not enthused about the prospect: 36.6% of respondents were “not at all likely” to use c-store delivery (40.3% male, 35.6% female).
“For all the talk of omnichannel and delivery, this hasn’t really trickled down to the c-store market,” Leite said. “Operators should continue to monitor this situation, however, as grocery and other retail delivery may eat into their market if consumers migrate convenience-store purchases to these digital channels.”
Frequency
The more frequently a consumer makes c-store purchases, the more receptive he or she is to the idea of c-store deliveries, according to the report. Thus, 11.7% of daily c-store patrons are “extremely likely” to use c-store delivery services vs. 3.2% of those who only make purchases while traveling.
“If you operate a convenience store in a rest stop in the middle of nowhere, don't start building out a delivery operation,” said TrendSource. “But if you find yourself in a crowded urban area where you know many of your patrons by their first names, maybe it's time to start thinking about going digital.”
TrendSource surveyed 2,173 respondents about their preferences, priorities and pain points when it comes to convenience-store shopping between Jan. 17 and Feb. 8, 2018.
Click here to view the full TrendSource report.