General Mills spots four c-store shopper types

General Mills has identified four convenience store consumer segments after conducting an online survey of nearly 3,200 convenience store food and beverage shoppers, ages 18 to 64, in November 2014. The study aims to help c-store operators adapt their offerings to each segment, reported the CSP Daily News.

The four consumer segments are Breakfast Barons, Vice Squaders, Pit Stoppers, and Meals & More.

The Breakfast Barons, who compose 22% of c-store shoppers, go to a c-store for breakfast, tend to buy granola bars, baked goods, and coffee, and visit on weekday mornings. They are more likely to be high-income earners and frequent c-stores in urban business districts. To win them, General Mills suggested, the c-store should focus on variety and quality of breakfast offering.

The Vice Squaders, 18% of c-store shoppers, are those who buy cigarettes, lottery tickets, and liquor; older and low-income earners in rural and residential areas; and make late-night visits on weekdays. A wide selection of tobacco and alcohol products and plan to reach them at the counter when waiting for cigarette or lottery purchases would maximize their visits.

Thirty-eight percent are Pit Stoppers or on-the-go shoppers who visit stores in small towns and residential areas most often on weekends in the early afternoon to pump gas, use the restroom and the ATM, and buy cold fountain beverages and gum.

Meals & More (22%) are young shoppers in urban residential areas who tend to buy lunch or dinner, candy, and salty snacks in convenience stores that do not offer gas. Offering a variety of fresh, hot meal options, and basic personal and household items would help entice visits from this segment.

“By understanding the nuances of each distinct c-store consumer segment, c-stores can evaluate their product mix, merchandising and promotions in order to win each segment over,” said Amy Woulfe, consumer insights associate for General Mills Convenience & Foodservice.

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