SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Despite all the talk of drone deliveries, driverless cars and other new-age forms of convenience, the reality of tomorrow’s c-store may actually fall back to a more old-fashioned trick: having what people want in the store, today.
Hitting on all the buzz concepts at CSP’s recent Outlook Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., Thom Blischok, chief retail strategist for San Francisco-based consultancy Strategy&, said the increase in online shopping, growth of the small-retail format and a sharing economy—as well as automation ranging from 3-D printing to the “internet of things”—are all pressuring c-stores to change.
Yet, getting from today to “tomorrow” may not be a straight road. Legacy automation, a clunky supply chain and old customer habits are hard to break. That said, while on the road to a new day, retailers can focus on baby steps. When asked what those steps may be, Blischok offered a few insights:
- Better quality food. Improved commissaries, more appetizing menu items and cook-at-home dinners can attract a growing number of time-starved but health-conscious customers.
- Knowledgeable staff. Employees who can speak to new products, promotions and events will differentiate the customer experience.
- Tuning into the neighborhood. The right assortment of offers, a simple pricing structure and an easy-to-shop environment tailored to specific communities can be a successful combination for today’s convenience retailers.
- Use- or need-state retailing. Preparing for backyard barbecues, post-soccer meals, high-school football games are all pivotal opportunities for c-store operators. The most important ingredient is the ability to place different items together to satisfy a specific need state. “Many top retailers can’t do cross-category [merchandising],” Blischok said. “You can win [by finding] two or three usage states.”
While technology may be facilitating change, the trick to relevance is still the store: what’s in it, what it offers and the people who provide the service.
Angel Abcede, author for the Mobile 2 Go blog, has written about convenience-store technology for more than 20 years and is senior editor at CSP magazine.
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