LAS VEGAS -- A year ago, the NACS/Coca-Cola Leadership Council unveiled the results of its "Building Loyalty with the Next Generation" study. The report provided many of the criteria teenagers consider when deciding where to shop.
A year later, the council has conducted a handful of validation case studies to test the insights uncovered and develop actions to capitalize on them. "Teens spend $169 billion a year," Greg Parker, president and CEO of the Parker Cos., said during a NACS Show workshop titled "The Inside Track on Successfully Marketing to Teenagers." [image-nocss] He added, "Every teenager you capture [as a customer] for life is worth $50,000 to you."
The case studies unveiled many aspects if shopping that teenagers consider, including washroom cleanliness; welcoming, but not intrusive, employees; and quality food, whether good-for-you or not.
During the workshop, Travis Sheetz of Sheetz Inc. summarized many of the results into a "top 10 takeaways" for retailers to take back to their stores. The first half of the list was designed "for all convenience operators" and the second half "for the truly committed."
For All
10. Make restrooms appealing. "[Teens'] cars are a mess. Their rooms are a mess. But they're germophobic," said Parker.
9. Don't run out of regular items. "Brand is very important in the lives of teens," said Sheetz.
8. Make it easy for teens to find the things they're looking for. "Teens love brands and they love promotions on those brands," said Howard Stoekel, CEO of Wawa Inc. Make it easy for them to find those deals with signage and product placement.
7. Maintain a steady stream of new products. "Teens are early adopters," said Sheetz. "Teens are the ones that are going to try things first, and they're going to spread the news by word of mouth."
6. Treat teen customers like you want to keep them for a lifetime. "Don't look at them like they're about to cause trouble," said Sheetz.
For the Committed
5. Give teens something for nothing. "Teens have grown up in a world expecting to get something for nothing," said Sheetz. "They don't want to 'win,' they expect something just for playing."
4. Give teens control of their ordering. "Teens like to think, 'This is who I am and this is how I want it,' " said Sheetz. "Put the ordering in their control."
3. Give teens something at your store to talk about. "There's constant communication going on [in teens' lives]," said Sheetz. "So they're going to tell people if they've had a good experience...and they'll certainly talk about a bad experience."
2. Set up product tastings at teen events and in their spaces. "We need to invade their space with our brands," said Sheetz. "They're multitasking, so you've got to get your brand in front of them."
1. Give teens a compelling reason to shop at your store. "Teens don't consider a c-store the only place to get convenience," said Sheetz. "So we're competing with a lot of other channels now."
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