4 Things Wawa Hopes to Learn From Amazon

WAWA, Pa. -- With more than 700 ground-ups across the Mid-Atlantic and Florida, Wawa Inc. is well recognized as one of the top five chains in the convenience industry.

How is the company responding to Amazon’s anticipated foray into small-box convenience formats, and what is the Pennsylvania retailer hoping to learn from the world’s premier e-commerce company?

In an exclusive interview with CSP Daily News, Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens, above, shares his insights ...

• Watch for a complete report on Amazon's entry into convenience stores in the February issue of CSP Magazine.

CSP: Will Amazon have more success in smaller-box formats than Home Depot or Wal-Mart with its Neighborhood Markets?

Gheysens: I am not sure Amazon will be more successful than others who have tried to enter the convenience business. Their superior logistics and robust customer centricity suggest they could create an interesting convenience model and challenge some of our norms; however, real-estate strategy, operational execution and commitment to a noncore business may be challenging for them.

CSP: With superior innovation in e-commerce, how might Amazon advance the experience of brick-and-mortar consumerism?

Gheysens: It’s funny; I’ve talked internally about us bringing Amazon’s customer knowledge and analytics to Wawa’s customer experience. They could become closer and more knowledgable about our customers—their shopping behaviors—and therefore be able to market to them more effectively. That’s a reality coming to the convenience industry whether Amazon opens stores or not; they just may accelerate it.

CSP: From consumer engagement to pioneering technologies, what do you think Amazon will be best known for, from a retailer’s perspective?

Gheysens: Customer knowledge. Their analytics that track, learn and create insights on customer behaviors enable them to market to their customers in a very personal way. With their background and infrastructure and by starting fresh, they should be able to integrate the digital experience into the in-store experience significantly better than most today.

CSP: What lessons can Wawa and other c-store retailers learn from Amazon?

Gheysens: One: innovative ways to integrate digital into the in-store experience.

Two: leveraging analytics to better market to customers as individuals, not groups

Three: unique ways to create new value to the notion of convenience—specifically speed of the shop.