As economies reopen, on-the-go consumers are a key prospect for convenience stores to increase retail food sales.
According to Technomic’s 2020 C-Store Foodservice in the COVID-19 Environment report, 19% of the consumers who began working from home after the onset of the pandemic are back to traveling to and from work again. And with restrictions in many cities easing, that number is likely to go up even more.
With this new data, in addition to a renewed preference to commute by car and an improved financial outlook for the average consumer, as reported by Technomic’s Q3 2020 C-Store Consumer Marketbrief, c-store retailers can expect to see more foot traffic—and more sales—within the coming months.
Retail food solutions: what busy consumers want
From the morning and evening rushes to midday lunches and snacks, consumers look to the c-store for fast, filling food to keep them moving. Technomic’s 2020 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report found that snacking “en route” is the No. 1 occasion for away-from-home snacking, followed by snacking at work at No. 2, while “high protein” and “energizing” tie for first place for the most appealing attributes of a c-store snack. Individually packaged items are especially important amid the pandemic, offering both portability and an extra sense of cleanliness for health-conscious consumers.
In short, convenience and health jointly take the lead among consumers’ priorities for retail food.
With this in mind, retailers can set themselves up to boost sales among the increasing number of commuting consumers by offering products that meet all of these needs at once—products that suit consumers’ diet preferences and health standards while still serving as a quick, no-hassle snack on the road or between meetings at work.
Products from Jack Link’s® Protein Snacks meet each of these needs (and more) with an array of satisfying solutions for any and every occasion. According to a 2019 report from Mordor Intelligence, meat snacks are among the most popular snacks in the savory snacks category, predicted to grow at a 9% compound annual growth rate over the next three years alone.
Jack Link’s Cold Crafted® line of refrigerated smoked beef sticks and cheese is made with 100% beef and real Wisconsin cheese—guaranteeing quality with a protein punch.
Available as both sticks and bites in a variety of flavors including beef paired with cheddar and beef paired with Pepper Jack cheese, Cold Crafted is the top seller among refrigerated adult combo snacks and the No. 1 growth driver among all c-store refrigerated combo snacks, according to Nielsen scan data. Jack Link’s new Cold Crafted Linkwich® features sliced uncured salami paired with a slice of either Colby-Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, offering the satisfaction of a breadless sandwich all in one low-carb, ultra-portable product.
Life is complicated enough for consumers commuting to work again as they navigate the new normal. By offering Cold Crafted products from Jack Link’s, retailers can rest easy knowing that—from a mid-commute pick-me-up to a quick meal on the go—their shoppers can find the convenient, high-protein snack they’re looking for in one easy solution.
To learn more about how products from Jack Link’s can help c-stores boost sales as consumers return to work, visit www.jacklinks.com.
This post is sponsored by Jack Link's