LAS VEGAS -- Women are the under-represented convenience store shopper. With 55% of the share of c-store food and beverage servings belonging to men, it seems that this untapped percentage of female consumers could be the next big thing to shop the c-store channel. All you have to do is know your ABCs.
At the "Appealing to Female Customers" session at the 2014 NACS show in Las Vegas, Christopher Quam, global consumer insights manager with General Mills, and Michelle DeLamielleure, global consumer insights senior manager with General Mills, spelled out a series of strategies to win over this budget-savvy, quality-craving consumer.
Women want:
A: Appetizing Treats
B: Better for You
C: Child Friendly
D: Deals and Prices
E: Experience
F: Freshness
With one in four females shopping the convenience store only for gasoline, the challenge is to get that shopper from the pump into the store.
"Women have higher expectations when it comes to the store," DeLamielleure said. "You might be asking yourself, 'If I go out of my way to appeal to women, am I going to tick off and alienate men?' The answer is no. They want the same things."
One of those things is treats. Women are more moved to purchase a dessert, or sweet treat at a convenience store: "But they're also more likely to say 'I want better-for-you items in the c-store.'"
Fear not; better for you doesn't always translate into low-calorie or low in sugar. It can also mean high-quality, good ingredients, the perception of a food being homemade and freshness.
"Taste is the reason people are coming in the c-store," she said. The key, DeLamilleure said, is to lead with taste, then follow with better for you.
[Pro Tip: Build a combo basket with better-for-you foods. "We can help consumers by building those bundles for them."]
Most consumers say that a child-friendly offer wouldn't bring them specifically into a store; however, 56% of moms take their kids on quick trips to get groceries. While it's important to make adult consumers the top priority, there are some things retailers can do to appeal to both kids and adults.
[Pro Tip: There are simple things that can be done to make stores more kid friendly: offer smaller, kid-sized portions, expand assortment to include nutritious items and make sure the store is clean and has a friendly atmosphere.]
Women are also very price-conscious shoppers: "Women care more about price because they are trained in good, budget-friendly grocery shopping," DeLamielleure said. Women are more apt to price compare, with three in 10 female customers saying that promotional offers and coupons are important to them. Six in 10 women say that low gas prices will get them into the store.
"The mindset of wanting to get a good value isn't something that leaves her as she goes from channel to channel," she said.
[Pro Tip: Make promotional signage more appealing to female shoppers, with beautiful, rich food imagery and graphically appealing photography.]
For women, the experience of convenience store shopping starts with a convenient location--almost 60% agree. Quick and easy parking and fast service are nearly matched by store cleanliness, from the aisles to the restrooms: "This is important because it impacts the impression of the food you're selling."
[Pro Tip: For women, minimize the "guy vibe." Many women are turned off by male-oriented magazines or overly masculine general merchandise items.]
Finally, freshness is fundamental. Six in 10 women say freshness is one of their top considerations, with many more agreeing there's work to be done in the convenience store channel. Quam said there's a stereotype against the channel, and a considerable "headwind" to overcome. But the more stores can show that food is being made with care and real ingredients, the more women will begin to notice.
[Pro Tip: Remember to show the theater of food prep. If consumers can see their food being made, they will be more likely to perceive it to be fresh.]
To determine what is the most important, Quam said to flip the ABCs around. According to the General Mills studies, experience is the most important, followed by freshness, deals and prices, appetizing treats, better for you and child-friendly.
"Can the channel do this?" he asked. "Absolutely. As we look at the next generation of stores … this is a channel that is evolving."
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