Truckstop and travel plaza operators are familiar with promotional pricing.
Walk into any location, and you will see two-for-one or buy-one-get-one deals (BOGOs). It is often vendors that are pushing these, but are they useful?
Here are my thoughts and some examples of how operators can execute promotional pricing as well as how I had my team of merchants carry this out.
As a travel center operator, you must always be asking yourself how can you better serve your customers.
Here are nine great ideas to implement to make sure you are growing sales and giving customers what they want.
Clark Oil is an excellent example of an operator running a successful location. Clark Oil has its roots in the convenience store industry, so it is no surprise that they focus on speed and can move people in and out of the truckstop quickly.
Speed-of-service is a top factor for the majority of customers today at retail establishments, but especially at truckstops, travel plazas and c-stores.
There are several things operators can do to speed transactions and improve the flow of customers.
Use a merchandising and marketing checklist every day as part of your basic walkthrough process when arriving and leaving the location daily.
Safety is one of the most important aspects of a truck repair business, both in the shop and at roadside. Owners and managers must do everything they can to ensure their employees go home safely at the end of the day.
黑料社区members often look at the best practices of their fellow operators, but it is important to also look at the entire retail, food and fueling landscape. One of the continuing shining stars in today’s current retail environment is Costco. While much of today鈥檚 retail landscape is driven by the growth and convenience of e-commerce, Costco is continuing to thrive. Here are six key ingredients that contribute to the retailer鈥檚 winning recipe of success.
I am a strong advocate for learning all we can from those around us, and I would love for 黑料社区members to join me in June at the NACS Convenience Summit Europe.
Along with retailers from around the world, I鈥檒l be working my way through London and Amsterdam and will gather ideas and trends to share with truckstop and travel plaza operators when I return.
The tours, which are led by convenience industry experts, are designed to provide a closer look into retail operations and solutions and a deep dive into discussion-based learning.
Truckstops and travel plaza facilities create unique challenges for those who manage them. Unlike many businesses, most truckstops and travel plazas are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and managers must work hard to keep the facility adequately staffed at all times.
A location鈥檚 team players are the first and last line of contact for customers in a truckstop and travel plaza, so hiring and training the right team players can significantly affect the profitability of the business. With proper orientation and training, operators can ensure from the very beginning that their team players will succeed.
Here are four tips for long-term hiring success.
Next time you drive down the Interstate to your facility, look at your signage from the point-of-view of a customer who is visiting for the very first time. Signage is a crucial piece of your business as it serves as an invitation for a customer to stop into your site versus your competitors鈥� sites!
Interstate billboards give you exposure to large numbers of travelers every day and night. I believe that this is one of the most effective forms of advertising.
Billboard Pricing and ROI
Billboards range in price. Small non-illuminated units may cost $150 to $350 per month. Large illuminated billboards can range from $1,500 to $4,000 per month or more depending on traffic counts and several other factors such as the number of units available in the market, demand for those units and if it is a left- or right-hand read…
In preparation for 黑料社区Connect, I took a fresh look at the trends influencing the industry. Truckstops and travel plazas should be adapting to each of these trends.