ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Frequent customer trips and transactions are vital to the success and profitability of the U.S. convenience and fuel retailing industry, signaling a strong in-store offer, customer loyalty and a high level of value placed on customer engagement.

A new NACS report, “Three Insights on Frequent Convenience Store Customers,” suggests that frequent customers, defined as 28% of fuel purchasers who shop “daily” or “multiple times per week” at a convenience store, are more likely to hold favorable opinions of their local store, as well as respond positively to new products and foodservice offers.

By contrast, rare shoppers are defined as the 37% of fuel purchasers who shop a convenience store either “less than once or twice per month” or “never.” These consumers may view a convenience store as a place for fuel only, and may have an unfavorable perception of the convenience store industry overall.

The report also reveals several broad insights relating to frequent convenience store shoppers:

• They drive significantly more per week than rare shoppers
• They prefer fuel quality over price compared to rare shoppers
• They can be encouraged to change buying behavior to save money—and they are open to new technologies

With crude oil and gas prices on the rise in recent weeks, NACS has online resource that help explain current market conditions, NACS recently published two reports:

• “How Consumers React to Gas Prices,” highlighting customer preferences compared to previous years, which can help assess how consumers may react if oil prices continue to climb; and
• “What Consumers Think About Gas Prices,” examining how gas prices affect overall consumer spending and consumer sentiment about the economy.

Also, a new fuels-specific Convenience Matters podcast discusses what is predictable and unpredictable in the fuels market heading into the summer-drive season, and there is even more fuels-related information at the Fuels Resource Center.