A Reason to Stop

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—On this week’s episode of Convenience Matters, “The Perfect Pit Stop,” NACS hosts Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives, and Stephanie Sikorski, vice president of marketing, talk with Sarah McCrary, CEO of GasBuddy, about how to turn your location into a must-stop.

“When we talk about the perfect pit stop, we really are also trying to give both the retailer and the consumer tools to make sure they’re making the right decisions for themselves,” McCrary said. “Our mission is to help our users save money and make the best decisions, and we help our retail partners as well to take that information and try to deliver that perfect pit stop, especially as it pertains to in-store experiences, such as bathrooms or foodservice.”

Both NACS and GasBuddy research shows that people are spending more time inside convenience stores. “The why is a fascinating question because it’s the key to unlocking advantage in convenience retail,” McCrary said. “We know that price drives behavior, and now we’re seeing and understanding that convenience and additional services like clean bathrooms, and available foodservice options are expanding the draw. But overall, we are seeing another trend … that the majority of our users are filling up more than four times a month. Sixty-five percent of those are going to multiple brands. … It’s not just about price—there may be other elements of convenience and options that are drawing them in.”

Each week a new Convenience Matters episode is released. The podcast can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play and other podcast apps, and at www.conveniencematters.com. Episodes have been downloaded by listeners more than 60,000 times in 80 countries.