When it’s time to fill up their tanks, most consumers visit convenience stores where they spend time only in the forecourt—they pay at the pump, fuel up, get back in their cars and drive away. According to Technomic’s 2022 Convenience Market Annual Report, just 58% of consumers said they go into the store to make additional purchases after fueling up—which leaves a lot of opportunity for retailers to boost sales. Digital signage both in the forecourt and inside the store can help drive traffic and boost basket size by highlighting certain products and promoting store sales that entice customers to purchase more than just fuel.
Consumer purchase behavior at c-stores
According to Technomic’s 2022Convenience Market Annual Report, among the consumers who pay at the pump, just 32% go into the store every time and only 26% go in nearly every time. In other words, there’s big opportunity for retailers to harness their merchandising strategy in the forecourt and encourage consumers who are paying at the pump to go inside the store.
The top four purchases consumers make at c-stores, after fuel, are retail beverages, prepared beverages, retail food and prepared foods. To increase sales in all these categories, strategically placed digital signage can engage consumers where they’re at and encourage them to buy more when they’re in the store.
Increase revenue by engaging consumers
Digital and forecourt signage can turn fuel-only customers into in-store, multi-product purchasers. By targeting them at various points during their visit, digital signage can encourage purchases at different times, enticing consumers to spend more. For example, a few places digital engagement can be set up include:
- At the pump to engage consumers as they fill up their cars—alongside a local weather report, for instance, retailers can display an ad for a seasonal coffee drink.
- Inside the store at the coffee machine—a screen there can display promotions for baked goods when purchased with a coffee beverage.
- Inside the store at the roller grill or grab-and-go case—screens placed here can advertise deals for buy-one-get-one items or combinations paired with a fountain drink.
- On the store’s loyalty app—here, retailers can entice consumers to make additional purchases by highlighting deals and promotions, and geofencing can be used to notify them of those promotions when they are at that particular location.
An all-in-one digital solution
Shep Digital Solutions can increase foot traffic and revenue for retailers with automated technology that can be customized to fit their needs. Digital signage that features relevant content is an effective way to get the attention of customers. The technology provides an opportunity for retailers to highlight their products, services, and current promotions to fuel-only customers, and encourage them to make purchases in addition to fuel.
Beyond digital signage, Shep Digital Solutions offers tailored programs to meet the specific needs of retailers:
- Marketing automation can drive consumer traffic indoors by dynamically scheduling the distribution of retailers’ merchandising messages to target fuel customers more effectively.
- Content procurement and production provides engaging content that is relevant to customers, such as retailer-branded content, as well as local news, weather, traffic, and sports. Customizable solutions can also tailor digital shopper marketing experiences based on retailers’ needs, from loyalty program integration to interactive surveys.
- Data-driven shopper marketing technology automatically programs relevant promotions and customer content by using key consumer buying variables and historical sales data.
Increase in-store purchases and boost overall store profitability with Shep Digital Solutions’ retail media platform. Its fully integrated, programmatic merchandising platform can help retailers meet consumer demand and increase customer satisfaction with a turnkey, targeted solution. For more information, click here.
This post is sponsored by Shep Digital Solutions