Convenience stores are the fastest option for one-stop shopping

Nearly 50% of all gas customers go in stores when refuelling to buy snacks or drinks, NACS new customer survey shows

Fast service and convenient locations are the greatest assets of convenience stores in consumers’ opinion. Besides selling approximately 80% of the fuel purchased in the United States, almost half of all gas customers (48%) also opt for going into the stores when they are refuelling for quick one-stop shopping.

These purchases last no longer than 3 minutes for nearly 45% of the respondents, who also pointed out to the NACS new consumer survey that their prime reason for coming into the stores is to buy a beverage (53%).

These positive figures would explain why consumers selected convenience stores by a 2-to-1 margin (35% vs 18%) over fast-food restaurants when referring to the fastest location to buy snacks or drinks.

Consumers also suggested, in around 92% of the survey responses, that the waiting time could be reduced by implementing automatic check-out technologies, while 67% of the people mentioned that they would like to have the opportunity to try grocery delivery on the day.

Convenience stores, according to the NACS survey, are within 5 minutes drive for nearly two in three Americans (64%). In small towns and rural communities, around 86% of Americans can reach a store within 10 minutes.

“Convenience is in our industry’s name, whether that means a convenient location, fast service, one-stop shopping or 24-hour operations,” stated the NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives Jeff Lenard. “But what’s really exciting is how our industry continues to innovate and make things even more convenient and interesting to customers.”