MINNEAPOLIS – Earlier this week, General Mills Convenience & Foodservice (GMCF) released results from their recent consumer survey of shoppers’ attitudes and needs when making “quick trips” – those meant to carry them over between grocery store trips. The results can provide convenience retailers with a better understanding of consumers, in order to help c-stores leverage the valuable fill-in shopping opportunity.

Key findings of the survey, which was conducted in November 2014 with just under 3,200 convenience store food and beverage shoppers, include:

• 19% of shoppers visit convenience stores most often for fill-in trips, while 32% visit grocery stores most often and 11% of shoppers visit mass merchants or super centers most often for fill-in trips.
• Grocery staples are the most common items purchased on fill-in trips. The most popular items purchased, across all channels, include: milk (purchased on 57% of all fill-in trips), bread (50%), soda (42%), eggs (39%) and salty snacks (28%)
• C-stores are known for immediate-consumption foods and beverages, and their shoppers tend to be less satisfied with c-store fill-in shopping trips than with immediate consumption trips (21-point gap): 57% of shoppers are extremely satisfied with immediate consumption trips compared to only 36% of shoppers are extremely satisfied with fill-in trips.

When survey participants were asked for feedback on why they weren’t choosing c-stores for fill-in trips, the top barriers centered around lack of variety, low quality and prices being too expensive.

Based on the survey findings, and to help c-store retailers make their store a destination for fill-in trips and increase satisfaction among shoppers, GMCF have developed a helpful framework that they refer to as “F.I.L.L.”

• Full-sized staples: Offer full-sized grocery items where it counts – milk, bread, soda, eggs and salty snacks.
• In & Out: Continue delivering on convenience; shoppers choose c-stores because they can get in and out in less than two minutes.
• Lift Quality: Focus on quality, especially for perishable grocery items like cheese and fresh produce.
• Lower Prices: Offer value with competitively priced staple items.