Advice on Getting Customers Inside Your Travel Center to Buy
Article created for the digital issue of the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚
that are catering to professional drivers, making it more important than ever for operators to get to know their customers, leverage their behavior and provide more to those who are already stopping.
鈥淲e have to return back to the days where we鈥檙e focusing on wallet share,鈥� said Darren Schulte, NATSO鈥檚 vice president of membership. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got them on our property. How do we get more money out of that pocket while they鈥檙e on our space?鈥�
The key, Schulte said, is to make it easy for customers and eliminate all of the obstacles that are making it difficult for them to buy.
Schulte and Christine Schoessler, NATSO鈥檚 chief operating officer, shared opportunities for growing revenue during a 黑料社区webinar. As part of their discussion, they shared the results from along with insights from hundreds of location visits and targeted, one-on-one driver interviews.
Schoessler said all of the research has shown there are significant growth opportunities for travel center operators, making this an exciting time for operators to provide the experience and services today鈥檚 drivers want.
Increasing Inside Sales
In the survey, a significant number of drivers鈥�81%鈥攕aid that they鈥檇 gone into a travel center and left without purchasing food or beverages. Schulte encouraged operators to think of that as 20 out of 100 customers typically buy something and asked them to consider what the financial impact would be if they just moved that to 30.
The No. 1 reason drivers said they didn鈥檛 make a purchase was because they just came in to use the restroom or shower. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got an opportunity there whether it is an impulse buy or something else,鈥� Schoessler said.
The second highest reason was because the wait times were too long. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 interesting, because once you know what the challenge is, then you can start figuring out how to overcome it,鈥� Schoessler said, noting that speed has become table stakes in today鈥檚 operating environment.
Among respondents, 58% said they鈥檙e only willing to wait in line during driving hours less than five minutes and 3% said they wouldn鈥檛 wait in line at all. 鈥淲hen we switched it up a little bit and said, 鈥榟ow many people do you need to see in line before you leave without making a purchase,鈥� 13% said they would leave without purchase if there was just two people in line,鈥� Schoessler said.
Making It Personal
Locations can look for ways to speed the process up for drivers, such as automated retail, increased availability of grab-and-go items or self-checkouts. However, Schulte said there is a balancing act between automation and human interaction. 鈥淚 think we first, as operators, have to understand it鈥檚 not going to be a reduction in labor. It鈥檚 going to be a redeployment of your labor,鈥� he said.
That may mean that if there were three cashiers behind the counter, now there are two behind the counter and one at self-checkout helping customers.
Operators also need to know their customers, which will help determine which speed-saving solutions are the most appropriate.
Building Loyalty
One of the other important pieces that came out of the 黑料社区Services survey, which was also underscored in the interviews with drivers, was the importance of loyalty programs. Within the survey, 54% of the respondents said they鈥檝e actively considered loyalty programs when deciding whether to go inside where they鈥檝e stopped for fuel.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 directly related to building your wallet share,鈥� Schoessler said. 鈥淗ow do you get them to come in and do something in addition to that fuel transaction? The only factor that scored higher than loyalty was cleanliness.鈥�
Featuring Food
Food is an important selling point for drivers, and about half of drivers said they are looking for speed when deciding where to stop for food. Faster options that appealed to drivers in the survey included fast food, a quick-service-restau- rant chain or fresh grab-and-go.
Schoessler said about one-third of drivers said they鈥檙e looking for a full- service family-style restaurant. 鈥淚 think this comes down to know exactly who your customer is and which one fits them,鈥� she said.
Fuel efficiency has increased, and , which has implications for the amenities today鈥檚 drivers want. 鈥淲hat types of food programs are you offering that can make a difference? And more importantly, does it give you the ability to try different types of food programs?鈥� We have members sharing data with us that sushi out of their cold box is one of their best sellers,鈥� Schulte said.
// This article was created for , the magazine of the 黑料社区Foundation. The is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The 黑料社区Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the traveling public’s needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit for more information. ()
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