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Convenience operators feel the pressure. 59% say it's tough to stand out from rivals, according to Toast's 2026 Voice of the Retail Industry Survey.
Fuel can get a customer off the highway, but what happens once they're inside is what decides whether they come back. Here’s some ways your c-store can differentiate itself from the rest.
The competitive reality
Fuel margins are thin and largely out of an operator's control, and shelf goods are easy for the next store to copy. Food is different: it's one of the few things a c-store can genuinely make its own.
Almost 60% of convenience stores now serve made-to-order food, according to a recent report from Intouch Insight. Foodservice isn't a side category anymore, it's a real battleground.
That's showing up in customer behavior, too. 58% of consumers told Intouch Insight they'd choose a brand over a closer competitor because of an exclusive food item, whether that's a signature breakfast dish or a custom sandwich you can't get anywhere else. Proximity used to be the whole game — but not anymore.
The right loyalty program can reward repeat business across food, fuel, and retail
Loyalty is already part of the playbook. 31% of retail operators use loyalty or rewards programs to drive demand, according to Toast's own research, though it still trails tactics like social media marketing and speed of service.
That gap looks like real opportunity: members of top-performing loyalty programs are 64% more likely to buy more often and 35% more likely to choose that brand over a competitor, McKinsey found.
Customers are also asking for more say in how those rewards actually work. A global survey of 10,000 consumers found that 93% have used, or would use, features that let them customize how they earn or choose their rewards. A generic, rigid, one-size-fits-all points program is a harder sell than it used to be.
How operators are putting this into practice
The data points to a few clear moves. A few ways operators are turning these findings into action:
- Running one loyalty program across the whole store — from food to retail — instead of stitching together separate systems
- Personalizing the handoff, like surfacing a food or beverage offer right after a fuel purchase, while the customer's still there
- Tracking basket size per visit, not just how often someone stops by
- Leading with something hard to copy, like a signature item, a smart bundle, or a real program, instead of competing on price alone
Toast Retail for convenience stores
One system can carry a lot of that weight. Toast Retail brings the retail floor, food program, sales data, and everything in between into one POS, so operators can build the kind of loyalty program that keeps up with what customers actually want, without stitching together costly tools to do it.
"We started offering the [Toast] loyalty program as an incentive for customers to keep coming back," said Tyler Pontarelli, owner of Forza Meats. "We've seen immense success — as a result we've been able to offer more high end items and increase the total basket size."†
Footnote:
Toast conducted a blind survey from 4/3/2026–4/20/2026 of 340 U.S.-based CBG (convenience, grocery, or bottle shop) retail decision-makers operating 16 or fewer locations, including both Toast and non-Toast customers. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error is approximately +/- 5%.
† Results self-reported by customer. Individual results may vary.
