While it’s still not quite business-as-usual for convenience-store retailers, many consumers’ needs for on-the-go snack options are quickly regaining traction.
According to Technomic’s 2020 C-Store Foodservice in the COVID-19 Environment report, 19% of the consumers who began working from home instead of commuting at the pandemic’s onset are now traveling to and from work again. This means that a majority (60%) of consumers are again in the market for convenient snacks while en route.
Plus, Technomic’s Q3 2020 C-Store Consumer Marketbrief reports that the average consumer’s financial outlook as improved since the beginning of the pandemic, and increased fuel customer conversion is driving foot traffic into stores. This gives c-stores all the more reason to invest in providing the snacks that will best suit consumers’ needs while they’re stopping in.
Keep it quick and craveable
Consumers’ biggest demands for c-store snacks center largely around practicality—finding options that are quick, portable and filling is especially important as a growing number of consumers commute. 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. “High protein” and “energizing” tie for first place for the most appealing attributes of a c-store snack.
Plus, the pandemic has added another priority to that list: cleanliness. To meet this need, individually packaged items are an effective solution, offering extra portability as well. Consumers can enjoy individually packaged items during their commute or carry them to work to eat on their next break.
Bulk packages of individually wrapped snacks come in handy, too: Consumers may opt to stock up on larger quantities of portable snacks that they can easily toss into a bag or a packed lunch before a busy day. In fact, as the holidays approach, stocking up on convenient options for busy days ahead (or days off at home) is key.
Regardless of when or how their customers choose to snack, retailers can confidently offer quick, healthy snacks to meet a variety of needs and lifestyles. Lorissa’s Kitchen® new Organic Beef Strips, are true multitaskers, offering easy, high-protein snacks to satisfy customers midday cravings—and help keep them feeling full, too.
Lorissa’s Kitchen offers high quality ingredients that makes it an excellent option for parents; a variety of meats and seasonings without preservatives, gluten, and no added MSG, nitrates and nitrites make for a snack parents can confidently share with their kids while running errands or pack in a lunch to bring to school. Lorissa’s Kitchen Steak Strips, Chicken Cuts and Turkey Cuts are available in delicious flavors such as Korean Recipe Barbecue, Ginger Teriyaki, Herb Roasted and Szechuan Peppercorn that are sure to become a pantry staple for busy families. To learn more on products from Lorissa’s Kitchen, visit www.lorissaskitchen.com.
Whether consumers will be spending the coming months commuting and dropping kids off at school, or working from home and supporting their kids with virtual learning, time-saving options that meet consumers’ health goals will always be a welcome addition to the c-store shelf. To learn more about how products from Jack Link’s can help c-stores boost sales on consumers’ busiest days, visit www.jacklinks.com and www.lorissaskitchen.com.
This post is sponsored by Jack Link's