By Frank Beard

It’s mentioned everywhere: NACS Daily, industry research, conversations at the trade shows. On Facebook, I frequently see ads from Core-Mark reminding me that 46% of customers are looking for fresh items when they enter the store.

The July 2017 issue of NACS Magazine also highlights how convenience stores have become vital partners with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). I spoke about the industry’s healthful options at PHA’s 2017 Summit in May, and NACS followed by announcing a new partnership with PHA—becoming the first retail trade association to do so. 

It’s a real evolution from “vice to nice”—to borrow the title of GasBuddy CEO Walt Doyle’s recent keynote at the 2017 Street Fight Summit. But there’s still work to be done—especially with the sale of fruit and vegetables. While it may be tempting to stick to the basics and hope for the best—a veggie tray, maybe a few apples—I think we can be more creative. Fortunately, I’ve encountered several great ideas from convenience stores across the United States.

Here are three to consider:

1. Think beyond the veggie tray.
While it’s great to see trays of raw broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, it’s a basic product that may have limited appeal. After all, would you go out of your way to purchase an unseasoned chicken breast with a side of ranch? Probably not.

But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. When considering additional options, look to other stores for inspiration: 

• QuikTrip has a Snack Fresh snack pack with carrots, pretzels, cheddar cheese and red grapes
• Holiday Station Stores offer a Fresh Seasons “power pack” with snap peas, baby carrots, whole-grain crackers and a small portion of cranberry chicken salad

Some of the QSRs have excellent ideas as well. Pret A Manger packages two hard-boiled eggs and a handful of spinach in a small to-go container. 

2. Instead of pairing it with one dip, let customers choose.
When fruit and vegetables are packaged with only one choice of dip, this limits their appeal. Consider celery. I enjoy eating it, but never with ranch dressing. I just don’t think they pair well together. Package celery with peanut butter, however—as Hy-Vee Gas does—and I’ll buy it every time. And I’m sure others will disagree and argue in favor of ranch.

That’s the point: provide customers with choices. This can be done by separating the dip or by packaging some with one variation and some with another. For example: At the Trex Mart in Lathrop, Missouri—just north of Kansas City—customers can choose either apples and caramel, or apples and peanut butter. Both options appeal to different customers.

3. What goes well with it?
When we eat bananas at home, many of us also reach for the jar of peanut butter. They just taste great together. Why not extend that option to customers?

Peanut butter is slow to spoil, and single-serving packets are already available on the market. At last year’s NACS Show, I sampled single-ingredient packets from Crazy Richard’s.

If you’re struggling to sell bananas, perhaps it’s worth trying? It may even increase their appeal for picky children and adults—as well as health-conscious customers. 

When possible, consider pairing fruit and vegetables with complimentary products. This strategy is used by QuikTrip’s Snack Fresh snack packs. In one of my favorite examples, grapes and sliced apples are paired with cheddar cheese. 

Frank Beard is a regular NACS Daily contributor who has traveled to more than 1,000 convenience stores in 24 states. He raised awareness of the industry's healthful food options with his "30 Days of Gas Station Food" experiment, and he's an analyst/evangelist for convenience store and retail trends at GasBuddy.