Technology/Services

Behind the Scenes of 7-Eleven’s Retail Media Network

Gulp Media Network offers contextually relevant advertising space to brands to reach the convenience-store consumer
Gulp Media Network
Photograph courtesy of 7-Eleven

Gulp Media Network (GMN), 7-Eleven’s retail media network, leverages data from 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards loyalty members to provide brands the opportunity to advertise through various forms of the convenience-store chain’s media.

  • 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2024 Top 40 Update to the 2023 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2024 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.

It allows suppliers to target 7-Eleven shoppers based on actual purchase and behavioral data, Mario Mijares, vice president of customer insights, loyalty and personalization at 7-Eleven told CSP.

“We provide our advertisers with a wide variety of data using our highly segmented closed-loop measurements,” he said. “These include reach, impressions, return on spend and more. We’ve essentially brought measurements typically associated with digital advertising into the store and paired it with customer behavior. It’s really very powerful.”

It benefits suppliers, 7-Eleven, and the consumer by providing relevant and timely messaging where the customer shops, according to 7-Eleven.

“For instance, a bottled beverage brand can use our platform to target sports fans during major game days with special promotions available only at 7-Eleven locations … or even better, with a direct link to 7NOW for immediate purchase and delivery within 30 minutes,” Mijares said.

Aiming to drive higher engagement and interaction, the strategy capitalizes on the impulse buying tendencies of convenience-store shoppers, he said.

“By integrating these personalized campaigns with real-time actions, we ensure that brands achieve superior conversion rates and an optimized return on investment,” said Mijares.

The retail media network leverages TikTok, Meta, Snapchat and streaming audio to promote brands.

In addition to social media, Gulp Media Network currently offers brand messaging through Gulp TV, video at the pump. Gulp TV is live at 2,900 Speedway sites and highlights promotions and advertising messages relevant to that customer’s store visit, said Mijares.

7-Eleven plans to extend its Gulp Radio, an in-store radio network currently in 2,200 7-Eleven and Speedway stores. Over the next year, it will be scaled to the entire North American store network of 13,000 stores.

“We’ve been excited to work with some of our great vendor partners to help them better target their customers using our first-party data,” he said.

GMN is part of the Irving, Texas-based convenience-store chain’s digital makeover, which it calls the Immediate Consumption Ecosystem (ICE).

In addition to GMN, ICE is made up of several media formats, including…

  • C-Shopper: A data insights and analytics platform that leverages purchase and shopper behavior.
  • The Brainfreeze Collective: A research panel of 250,000 7-Eleven and Speedway rewards members providing quantitative and qualitative data.
  • Lab Store: 7-Eleven stores that double as research centers.
  • Rewards: 7Rewards and SpeedyRewards programs connect purchase to intent.
  • Shopper Marketing: Helps brands leverage the data ICE collects.

Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises or licenses more than 83,000 convenience stores in 19 countries and regions, including more than 13,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven c-stores, the company operates and franchises Speedway and Stripes c-stores and the Laredo Taco Company, Speedy Cafe and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits restaurant brands.

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