What Consumers Really Think About C-Store Pizza
By Aimee Harvey on Aug. 09, 2017BOSTON -- Pizza is a longstanding food favorite among convenience-store consumers and restaurantgoers alike. Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics data from its 2016 Convenience Store Market Intelligence Report shows that 50% of lunchtime c-store consumers choose pizza, while 49% of those who stop into a c-store for dinner choose pizza. Overall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13% of Americans eat pizza on any given day.
While it's clear that the average consumer loves pizza and routinely seeks it out, what more could c-stores be doing to promote pizza programs and steal more share from pizza chains?
GasBuddy, a Boston-based smartphone-app company, uses crowdsourced information to let its app users know where to find the best fuel prices, friendliest service, cleanest bathrooms and the tastiest food and beverage offerings at more than 140,000 gas stations in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Its users, known as GasBuddies, offer valuable insight into preferences across a spectrum of attributes—including those for foodservice.
Recently, GasBuddy sureveyed its users "to determine how they feel about convenience-store pizza and how retailers can better market their offerings to grab a bigger slice of this huge market," said the company in a recent release. The survey found that while consumers do have particular cravings and preferences—and see some c-store brands as destinations for pizza—there is still a clear opportunity for convenience stores to build awareness and more effectively target pizza lovers.
Read on for more of GasBuddy's findings ...
Driving awareness
When GasBuddies think about grabbing pizza, nearly 73% say they don’t think of pizza from a gas station or a c-store. Only 28.5% of GasBuddy's users said that they've given c-store pizza a try.
According to GasBuddy, the average consumer may not even know that pizza is offered at convenience stores. Therefore, it's important to strengthen the market message for pizza during peak visitation times. GasBuddy’s analysis of 22.6 million gas station and convenience store visits from April 1 to June 30, 2017, showed that Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. were the highest-trafficked segments, with peaks at noon and 6 p.m.
Well-timed digital marketing and in-store promotions could work to help build pizza's visibility. Another tactic, according to GasBuddy, rests in sampling opportunities. For example, LaCrosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip frequently treats its customers to bite-sized samples of its pizzas as a way to elicit cravings.
Better ingredients
A third of poll respondents told GasBuddy that artisan-style pizzas made with higher-quality ingredients are more likely to gain their spend.
For example, Slice Pizza & More, located inside a Prime gas station in Wakefield, Mass., has built a thriving business by catering to the demand for high-quality, artisan pizzas. Toppings include options such as broccoli rabe and white beans. The sauce is made in-house with fresh ingredients.
However, with two-thirds of consumers responding otherwise, it's important for retailers to maintain a core focus on tried-and-true pizza preparations. Slice Pizza & More makes sure to offer the basics as well: cheese, pepperoni and sausage.
Know your audience
Many c-store owners know their local audience well and have made an effort to cater to their own diverse populations. Ethnic-inspired dishes continue to be hot trends in the restaurant space, but only 14% of GasBuddies prefer these specialty flavors and combinations for pizza.
While the overwhelming majority of c-store pizza lovers prefers traditional builds, there’s still a chance to capitalize on the 14% of those who do prefer nontraditional flavors and combinations and may not be seeing that kind of specialization at larger chains. Limited-time offerings and seasonal varieties could prove successful as a way to draw in the more adventurous consumer and pique new interest in a pizza program.
Thin is in
Many convenience stores treat regular crust as a sort of default option, according to GasBuddy. "But this may be a mistake," said the company, since nearly two out of three GasBuddies prefer thin-crust pizza.
This presents opportunities for by-the-slice pizza sales. Rather than offering thin crust only as an option for whole pizzas, add it into the grab-and-go mix, so that customers looking for a snack can choose the pizza they most prefer while they're on the go.
Which c-store brands are top pizza performers?
When asked, GasBuddy users called out Casey's General Stores and Speedway for the best pizza—the results were a tie—followed by 7-Eleven, Pilot Flying J and QuikTrip.
It’s no surprise that Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores is tied for GasBuddies’ favorite c-store pizza. With its availability at around 1,900 locations in 15 states, it was the fifth largest pizza chain in the U.S. in 2016.
Speedway offers a much smaller menu (although a few additional options exist at Speedy Cafe locations), but they have a much larger reach than Casey’s—more than 2,700 stores in 21 states.
7-Eleven may prove to be a strong contender in the future. Not only is the chain the country’s largest c-store brand, but it launched breakfast pizza at the beginning of 2017.