ALEXANDRIA, Va. – “Convenience is winning,” said Todd Hale at the recent NACS State of the Industry Summit. Hale, Nielsen consultant and principal at Todd Hale LLC, offers more insights about current and future shopper and retail format trends in a new NACS podcast.

Convenience retailers must learn to differentiate themselves if they want to stand out among the competition, as more consumers seek indulgence, fresh produce and of course, convenience, said Hale.

In the Convenience Matters podcast, “Where Are All the Shoppers?” cohosts Jeff Lenard and Carolyn Schnare of NACS, talked with Hale about convenience store industry trends.

“In a retail landscape where all the various formats—QSRs, drugstores, grocery stores and Amazon included—are beginning to look the same, retailers need to continue to find ways to innovate and stand out above the noise,” said Schnare. “Todd ties trends to opportunities for convenience retailers to grow their sales and attract shoppers.”

A new Convenience Matters podcast is released every week, focusing on topics related to convenience stores. Episodes of Convenience Matters can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and at convenience-matters.com. Since its launch in February 2016, it has been downloaded in more than 70 countries and total downloads per week have doubled over the past year.