3 Big Numbers is a weekly column that looks at a few key details from around the c-store industry.
With the top convenience retailers buying out much of the competition, and some even bigger deals potentially looming, the industry is wondering: Where does that leave smaller retailers?
As Frank Beard wrote for C-Store Dive this week, it leaves them with a golden opportunity, if they can seize it.
This week’s slate of big numbers includes two regional retailers fighting to stay competitive in a rapidly consolidating industry by focusing on the in-store experience. It also features a sobering look at where c-store delivery still needs to improve.
40%
The conversion rate of Weigel’s loyalty sign ups via in-store tablets.
Weigel’s is making a big push to boost its loyalty member ranks by using tablets and text messages. It’s adding tablets at checkouts across t its roughly 80-store footprint that prompt customers to enter their phone number and receive a link via text to complete registration. The idea: Put the sign up process right in front of customers, and make it easy.
Targeting text is smart. Text messages had a 98% open rate in 2023, compared to just 20% for email, according to tech firm Layerise. Text messages also have less competition than other promotional channels and are exponentially more likely to result in a click through.
It’s clearly working for Weigel’s, as 40% of people who have so far given their phone numbers at the tablets have ended up registering for MyWeigel’s rewards.
10,000
The number of square feet in Stinker’s new store.
From Wawa to Wally’s, Rutter’s to Yatco, bigger stores have become the next big wave to break across the convenience store industry.
Stinker recently got in on the trend with a 10,000-square-foot travel center off I-84 and Black Canyon Road in Caldwell, Idaho. The site boasts Stinker’s Pete’s Eats foodservice program, as well as a dining room with several booths and tables.
13
Percentage points difference between customer satisfaction of restaurant and c-store delivery orders.
It’s no secret that convenience stores trail restaurants when it comes to delivery. We’re constantly seeing regional chains adding e-commerce for the first time or improving their offering.
But a report from Intouch Insight showed just how far apart they still are.
The report found that 77% of those who ordered from c-stores were satisfied with their order when it arrived. This was far short of the 90% who were happy with their restaurant order.
Some of the factors were within retailers’ control. For instance, offering more customization options and being clearer about when food is pre-packaged vs. fresh-made could have improved scores, according to the report.
But others are beyond c-stores’ control. The report, which looked at deliveries made by third-party companies like DoorDash or Grubhub, found customers were less satisfied with the speed of c-store orders than restaurant orders despite the delivery companies getting convenience orders to their destinations nearly a minute faster.
