THE TOP TRENDS TO WATCH

Here’s a rundown of what should be top of mind for convenience store operators this year.

NATIONAL REPORT — Many of the consumer trends that have been going strong over the past couple of years are expected to continue through 2025, with some new ones added into the mix.

Freshly made, high-quality food is important to consumers today and with many convenience store operators stepping up their foodservice offerings, c-stores are becoming more on par with quick-service restaurants (QSRs), according to Sarah Becket, director of marketing at Intouch Insight, a provider of customer experience solutions for multilocation businesses.

In a third-party delivery survey that compared 300 made-to-order food orders from restaurants and 300 made-to-order food orders from c-stores, Intouch Insight found that convenience stores are very much equal to their restaurant counterparts — but there is still work to be done. 

“C-stores are still playing catchup with delivery because they have not been doing it as long, but 56% of respondents see c-stores as a viable option for food over QSRs,” Becket said, pointing out that while c-stores were 43 seconds faster on average for delivery, satisfaction with speed of service was only 88% for convenience vs. 94% for restaurants.

“Even though they were faster, the perception is that they should be even faster because consumers have the idea that c-stores should be quick,” she explained.

Transaction time when it comes to foodservice is becoming more important in-store as well, as consumers will often purchase grab-and-go over waiting for food to be made, noted Steve Morris, president of St. Paul, Minn.-based Retail Management Inc., operator of 35 retail locations.

“Transaction time is starting to creep up as an important highlight in foodservice,” he pointed out.

“We are seeing some stores where consumers prefer prepackaged grab-and-go; we started to put fresh condiments out for them and are seeing good feedback from it.”

What’s Trending in Technology

Transaction time is also dictating what technology solutions are being embraced by c-store operators.

Consumers, especially the younger generations, are looking for digital, self-checkout and frictionless interactions, and are willing to pay a premium for services like delivery because they are convenient, according to Becket.

“You have to understand the customer and what they want, and then you can understand what technology is needed to support an optimal customer journey,” she told Convenience Store News.

In fact, Intouch Insight’s “2024 Convenience Store Trends Report” found that 46% of North American customers prefer self-checkout for reasons including speed, avoiding employee interaction and the ability to pack their own bags.

Above all else, though, speed is the No. 1 motivator, reported by 85% of those surveyed.

“We will see self-checkout continue to emerge as a solution to speed of checkout,” echoed Michael Jaszczyk, CEO and chief digital transformation officer at GK Software SE, a provider of cloud services for retail.

He also noted that consumers are looking for more mobile services, especially when it comes to foodservice.

“Consumers want preordering on an app or ordering at the pump.

They expect [that] they can preorder, get gas and then pick up the food using mobile payment,” he noted.

Along with using technology to enhance the customer-facing experience, c-store operators are looking for technology to enhance their backend, too.

These days, nearly every c-store operator is talking about how to harness artificial intelligence (AI) in the near future.

While smaller retailers may not think AI is for them, Morris said that’s a misconception as there are actually options available for operators of all sizes, including using AI for payroll, workforce optimization and even optimizing the roller grill to manage waste.

“Vendors are gamifying it and making it easier to use for employees, and we can harness AI to [do] the jobs we have been struggling to do for decades,” he said.

“AI is not just for the big guys. It can be very affordable, and there are low hurdles to implementation.”

What’s Trending on the Shelves

When it comes to product trends, some top-selling categories have experienced a slowdown in sales, while others have seen rebounds expected to continue through 2025.

Enhanced water, and water overall, continue to do well in the packaged beverages category, along with energy drinks, which have “found their way again,” Morris reported.

In the candy category, he said there’s “some lightness” as it seems consumers have pulled back on indulgent spending inside the store.

To combat this, Morris is leaning into value.

“There is a pinch and we are focusing on how we take everyday low price programs and emphasize them to the consumer, or highlighting programs like buy two and save a certain amount,” he highlighted.

According to Morris, one product category to watch is the emergence of CBD and related products, especially as things become legalized state by state.

“This is a category we want to get around and harness,” he shared. “For us it’s the liquid form, and there is an onslaught of new products.”

C-store operators must be careful, though, and figure out what they can and can’t sell.

“There is a lot of obscurity in the category, but there is a lot of demand for it,” Morris told CSNews.

“It’s about being cautiously in front of it rather than behind.”

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