As covered by NACS, Convenience Store News, Convenience Store and Fuel News, and multiple other news sites, the results of a Winter 2015 survey of 550 consumers, conducted by retail design firm King Retail Solutions (“KRS”) emphasizes the value of friendly service, good food, and fair prices (as well as multiple other factors) in operating a convenience store that’s well-loved by U.S. shoppers.
KRS identified and surveyed 40 top rated convenience stores/chains in 22 cities from 4 distinct regions (West, Midwest, South, and Northeast) around the country. The 550 most recent Yelp! reviews (~140 from each region) were analyzed. Any pros and cons mentioned were identified and catalogued. The published study, “Close Look at Convenience Stores,” represents the results of that analysis.
The data is further broken down by gender (men’s versus women’s responses) as well as region of the U.S. For example, cleanliness ranks as a Top 3 quality for Southerners but does not rank in the Top 3 for any other region of the U.S. While fresh prepared food is a Top 3 in all regions except the West.
The study also breaks out the Top 4 benefits sited by shoppers for some of the top-rated retailers nationwide, breaking down those qualities by retailer. For example, 90% of their shoppers mentioned low prices as a benefit of shopping at ampm (BP).
An accompanying article and analysis of the survey results includes a list of ways convenience store retailers can create a convenience store experience shoppers can’t live without (or at least one they would write rave reviews about).
To download this study as a PDF, please visit our website.