Have any of the following elements influenced your decision to visit a convenience store? Total
Loyalty program Gas price app Coupon Word-of-mouth Mobile app offer from convenience store Promotion or message on social media Radio or TV advertisement Billboard Email Text message Mobile ordering Print circular Other None
Male
Female
24% 15% 15% 12%
24% 15% 15% 12%
25% 14% 14% 12%
6%
6%
7%
6% 5% 5% 5% 4% 3% 3% 3% 47%
6% 6% 6% 5% 4% 3% 3% 3% 46%
6% 5% 4% 4% 4% 2% 2% 4% 47%
Base: 1,500 respondents who shop the c-store channel at least once a month Source: Convenience Store News Market Research, 2018
Did you purchase prepared food at a convenience store in the past month? Total
Yes No
52% 48%
Male
55% 45%
Female
48% 52%
Base: 1,500 respondents who shop the c-store channel at least once a month Source: Convenience Store News Market Research, 2018
c-store more than men are: to buy a packaged salty or sweet snack (61 percent vs. 56 percent), to buy a packaged beverage (47 percent vs. 38 percent), to buy candy or gum (37 percent vs. 27 percent), and to buy a fountain or frozen beverage (36 percent vs. 32 percent). Women are proving to be especially valuable c-store shoppers for their jump onto the prepared food bandwagon. In the past month, nearly half of female respondents (48 percent) said they’ve purchased prepared food, such as a hot dog, deli sandwich or salad. In addition to their prepared food buys, they’ve purchased well-known items that accompany any meal: bottled water (48 percent), candy or gum (40 percent), cold fountain/dispensed drink (39 percent), a hot beverage (36 percent), and a packaged salty snack (32 percent) or sweet snack (24 percent). They’ve also made some nontypical buys, like a newspaper or magazine (16 percent), and a grocery item (10 percent). Convenience store visits have become part of female shoppers’ regular routines. More than half of female respondents said they will make a c-store pit stop while traveling to or from work or school (52 percent), and will even pay a visit while they’re out traveling for pleasure (53 percent). Thirty-six percent of those surveyed went so far as to say they will go out of their way and make a special trip to a convenience store from home, although the majority agree that their most typical stops occur while running errands (70 percent).
The most common time of day for female shoppers to stop at a c-store is 4 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. (52 percent). However, respondents said they also stop during the 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. timeframe (34 percent), or from 6 a.m. to 8:59 a.m. (33 percent). The presence of a loyalty program is an influential factor for female consumers to shop a c-store, as cited by one-quarter of respondents. Other influences that resonate with women include: the availability of a gas price app (14 percent), a coupon (14 percent), word-of-mouth (12 percent), and a mobile app offer from a c-store (7 percent). Women are not alone in their sentiments about the influence of other offers, however. Both men and women say they can be swayed to shop a c-store by a promotion or message on social media (6 percent), and by a text message (4 percent). According to 39 percent of female shoppers, their usual convenience store has a frequent shopper or loyalty program that they’re already enrolled in. Thirty-one percent report that their usual c-store doesn’t offer any kind of loyalty program, but if it did, they would enroll in it. Only 14 percent said they wouldn’t enroll even if their usual c-store did have one.
79%
The percentage of female c-store shoppers who completely or somewhat agree that they are health conscious.
63%
The percentage of females who typically shop the same c-store each time. When rating their favorite convenience store, women give the lowest ratings for the quality of prepared food (38 percent) and it being fun to shop (37 percent).
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Convenience Store News
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