What to watch for on the NACS Show floor

Thousands of products and services sold and offered in convenience stores will fill the 430,000-square-foot show floor at the NACS Show in October. Here are the big trends CSP editors expect to see in foodservice, technology, fuels, snacks and candy, behind the counter and packaged beverages. From dirty sodas to foodservice technology to protein beverages and more, here are the trends and products we’re keeping an eye out for. 

Deals and meals are two big trends in c-store foodservice. Name a special day—and c-stores probably are getting involved. In July, National Hot Dog Day brought offers from several chains. For example, Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven combined a deal and meal with its $5 Meal Deal of two Value Grill items or one Big Bite hot dog, a bag of 7-Select Chips and a large Big Gulp. Knoxville, Tennessee-based Pilot Co. in early summer debuted a limited-time $8 snack box that included three chicken tenders, chips, candy and a drink.

Talk of foodservice also must include specialty dispensed beverages and the seemingly bottomless cup of ideas and innovations—many aimed at beverage-loving Gen Z. One area making a comeback is the dirty soda, a carbonated soft drink with added flavor syrups or creamers. Rachel Toner, owner of Taste Strategy, told CSP at its Dispensed Beverages Forum in April that most retailers already have the ingredients needed to make these drinks, making it a huge opportunity for c-stores. Dirty sodas were everywhere at the National Restaurant Association Show—expect to see them at the NACS Show as well. 

Finally, technology’s influence continues to grow in foodservice. At CSP’s C-Store Foodservice Forum in June, Kyle Drenon, who co-owns Supper Co. with Kesha Alexander, said AI can help retailers spot cravings before they happen. Drenon explained how Starbucks used its AI system, Deep Brew, to bring new menu items to Starbucks’ customers, like the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. Deep Brew analyzing seasonal and regional trends across all Starbucks transactions “detected that trend before it happened,” he said. C-store retailers can emulate what Starbucks did with their own AI systems, Drenon said, adding that if c-stores don’t have an AI system yet, they will soon. 

Over the past year, convenience retailers have doubled down on tech that drives efficiency and customer engagement. Retail media has taken off, with chains like 7-Eleven and Long Beach, California-based United Pacific building networks that reach shoppers in-store, on mobile and even at the pump. The focus is shifting from buzz to measurable returns. 

At the corporate level, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming infrastructure. We're also seeing adoption of smart shelf sensors, computer vision and AI-powered analytics platforms that help operators streamline labor, manage pricing and even automate contract workflows. Meanwhile, online ordering and delivery continue to evolve. 

Westborough, Massachusetts-based EG America partnered with Vroom Delivery to roll out a unified branded experience, while chains like Oklahoma City-based Love’s and Savannah, Georgia-based Parker’s Kitchen are linking foodservice more tightly with app-based convenience. 

Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are moving from grocery into c-store. ESLs bring real-time pricing and labor savings but also lay the groundwork for more dynamic merchandising. 

As for swipe fees? It's been quieter—no major movement—but retailers are watching closely as payment tech and AI identity tools start to intersect.

Fuel retailers have been under pressure to make their sites smarter and more resilient. AI and cloud-based tools are starting to power everything from inventory to dynamic pricing strategies. Fuel pricing software has become essential as chains increasingly use automation to sync prices across locations in real time. Retailers are also leaning into data integrations that connect forecourt operations with loyalty platforms and back-office systems, enabling more precise promotions and better visibility into customer behavior.

Overlaying these tech trends is a renewed policy spotlight. The Trump administration has pivoted from a clean‑energy agenda toward traditional U.S. oil production—issuing an executive order in January 2025 to expand drilling, open federal lands, and explicitly roll back EV. That federal tilt is bolstering confidence in upstream supply and pushing downstream fuel marketers to invest in infrastructure and technology that can flex with greater production volatility.

Candy-lovers today are turning to health-conscious options and a nod to nostalgia to satisfy a sweet-tooth craving. These trends will be on display at the NACS Show along with the continuation of the freeze-dried candy craze. Global flavors, including Dubai chocolate bars and Swedish sweets, are continuing their meteoric rise and will be at the NACS Show as well.

Forms, textures and flavor mashups are also trending. These innovations are adding a “newness” to the snacking universe, Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice-president and chief advisor of consumer goods and foodservice insights of Chicago market research firm Circana, said at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis. 

Up 2.7 percentage points vs. 2024, 48.8% of consumers eat more than three snacks per day, Lyons Wyatt said. She said that the younger generation aged 18-24 is spearheading this increase.

The way consumers connect to snacks is also changing, said Lyons Wyatt. She said 59.3% of consumers state they like to eat snacks that add “excitement” to their daily diet—up 8.6 percentage points from 2020. 

The topic of artificial dyes from products from CPG manufacturers will also be trending on NACS Show floor.

The tobacco category has been busy this year with regulatory activity, particularly around vapor products. In July, the FDA issued marketing granted orders for Juul e-cigarettes. The products include the on-market Juul System, which is a closed, cartridge-based nicotine vapor product that utilizes proprietary heating technology to aerosolize and deliver nicotine without combustion. 

On the NACS Show floor, expect to hear discussions on the changes to new vape laws taking place on the state level, including in Alabama. The agreement in Alabama allows “convenience stores to continue to sell both the 34 products that have received final approval and the products that are on the FDA pending list as long as they also appear in the Alabama ENDs (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) directory,” Bart Fletcher, president of the Montgomery, Alabama-based Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama, told CSP.

The sale of illegal vape products will also be a topic of discussion. In July, NACS along with four other cosigners affiliated with the convenience-store and travel center industries penned a letter to the White House asking the Trump administration to address the problem of illicit vapes on the market.

As for other tobacco trends, with cigarette sales declining and people smoking less, the other tobacco products (OTP) segment is growing in convenience stores and will be at the NACS Show. Modern oral tobacco increased units 44% year over year in 2024 and now makes up nearly 6% of total tobacco dollar sales, according to a report from Chicago-based market research firm Circana.

Prebiotic sodas, energy drinks and protein drinks are likely to be on display in full force. Consumers are looking for their drinks to do more than just hydrate—they must foster good gut health, energize without causing a crash and help drinkers stay full or maintain their diets. 

In the prebiotic world, Olipop and poppi (recently purchased by PepsiCo) aren’t the only players anymore. PepsiCo announced it would be launching its Pepsi Prebiotic Cola online this fall and nationally at retail in early 2026. The Coca-Cola Co. has Simply Pop and Keruig Dr Pepper has Bloom Pop. Look out for these and other smaller brands, too, that are likely to make an appearance on the show floor. 

Consumers are also craving protein—it was one of the hot spots in beverages that Nik Modi, analyst at New York-based RBC Capital Markets LLC highlighted at CSP’s Convenience Retailing University event in February. This is partially due to the uptick in use of GLP-1 drugs, which are often used for weight loss and encourage a high-protein diet. Consumers were already mixing Fairlife’s Core Power Protein Shakes, typically a vanilla-flavored one, with a Coca-Cola, as part of a viral trend. It’s likely other protein shakes, and mixers, will be displayed on this year’s NACS Show floor. 

Also on display will be an abundance of energy drinks. Alani Nu is likely to join Celsius’ booth after the company was acquired in April.