The retail industry has experienced significant change over the past decade, and the pace of change shows no signs of slowing down. While no retailer will be exempt from the changing face of retail, staying current on industry trends can help truckstop and travel plaza operators prepare for the future.
“Retailers have to understand how to change in ways that will make them relevant to what people want,” said Michael Sansolo, research director for two of the and a keynote speaker at . “The question is, ‘What changes are coming to us and what are we going to do about it?’”
The forces of change are economic, demographic, technological and societal. “Retailers say the status quo is dead. One of the people changing it is Amazon,” Sansolo said, adding that one thing that makes Amazon unique is management accepts mistakes. “They are in the retail business and what they are thinking is, ‘We will keep trying things.’”
Today’s shopping experiences are controlled by the shopper, which means retailers have to do more to win customers. “The smartphone has moved power to the consumer and away from the retailer,” Sansolo said. “We’re all going to have to be a lot more flexible and creative in this new future.”
A Holistic Shopping Experience
Today’s shoppers want more from the stores they visit and are looking for engaging retail experiences, said Darren Schulte, vice president of membership for NATSO. The trend, which was initially driven by younger consumers and their preference for experiences over price and product, appeals to shoppers of all ages.
Sansolo told attendees at 黑料社区Connect that Wegmans supermarket, for example, has turned grocery shopping into a fun activity. “You walk into those stores and it is an event, and it is an event centered around selling things every other supermarket is selling,” he said.
There are several things 黑料社区members can do to create interesting experiences, and a positive experience often starts with speed of service. Schulte said. In today’s environment, speed and convenience are reigning supreme. During the Great Ideas! Workshop at 黑料社区Connect, Schulte told attendees that Americans hate waiting in a checkout line, and more than half of shoppers will leave rather than wait. The majority of Americans—70 percent—said they have abandoned shopping trips.
Operators should also be aware of how their competitors are increasing speed and convenience for customers. Domino’s, for example, allows customers to order pizza via its app and have it delivered anyplace they want, including a soccer field or even a parking lot. “If you’re driving down the highway and you say, ‘I want a pizza to meet me at Exit 18,’ with things like Waze, you could say, ‘I will be there in 30 minutes,’” Sansolo said.
Schulte recommends operators first identify their three busiest diesel fuel gallon times and days and schedule an extra employee on those days. Operators could also create a mini menu for breakfast and lunch of grab-n-go foods while also taking food out to the fuel islands.
“During certain times, have an employee armed with proper safety gear talk to drivers while they are fueling and ask if they can get them anything to eat or drink, such as a breakfast burrito and coffee and or a PBJ with chips and milk,” Schulte said. “Take a tablet while a driver is waiting and say, ‘Can I get you something while you’re fueling?’”
Store conditions also play a critical role in shopper satisfaction. Sansolo said he has seen that c-stores are changing because they’re realizing their shopper is changing. “C-stores are getting brighter. The lighting is getting better and the food quality is better,” he said. “They’re putting in tables, WiFi, higher-quality coffee, and all kinds of things to make the shopping trip more comfortable and enticing.”
Today, a growing number of women are visiting c-stores, which hasn’t always been the case, Sansolo said. Truckstop and travel plaza operators may see even more women visiting their locations as trucking fleets work to attract new drivers.
The Significance of Staff
Staff plays a critical role in winning customers and spurring sales. “The magic bullet is people. If you get them engaged, the world changes,” Sansolo said. “When people get engaged, sales, profit and loyalty goes up.”
A study by the Coca-Cola Research Council found that if staff are even slightly more engaged, sales go up and satisfaction goes up, Sansolo said. He explained that the key to better engagement is better training of middle management.
Because staff is such a critical part of shoppers’ experiences, 黑料社区offers several resources for operators, including the 黑料社区New Hire and Orientation Manual and the 黑料社区Truckstop and Travel Plaza Training Manual.
Carefully Curated Marketing
Targeted marketing can help operators reach their customers, which means how operators use the data they collect is taking on greater importance. “With data, we can identify what customers are buying, when they are buying it and how we can best reach them,” Schulte said. “I’m always a proponent of knowing your customer, and getting to know who is shopping with you and when doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Schulte suggests operators identify their three busiest fueling hours for each day. “Schedule extra employees to observe and document conversion rates from the fuel island,” he said. “In other words, what percentage of professional drivers actually come inside and purchase something other than fuel?”
Operators can take that knowledge and create a strategy to reach those customers. “Knowing that only 28 percent of the drivers that do come inside purchase something other than fuel allows you to reposition food products, hot and cold beverages, retail, etc., to places in the store where it better fits their needs,” he said.
Because today’s consumers have so many choices at their fingertips, retailers must get to their customers and when, where and how that customer wants to shop. Schulte said a simple survey could help operators better predict their customers’ wants and needs. “Create a simple survey with two questions: Why do you stop here and do you operate your own truck or operate a company truck? Schedule an extra employee to survey drivers for a week,” Schulte said.
Employees should observe driver activities and demographics and jot them down. “Take the knowledge from this simple survey with its powerful information and create a strategy and the tactics that supports and speaks to who your customer really is,” Schulte said.
The insights can help shape product offerings as well as placement. “If you realize that your professional driver is overwhelmingly Eastern European and shops with you because of your speed of service, you could purchase a good-looking pastry case and position it either adjacent to or on the fuel transaction counter,” Schulte said, adding that instead of donuts, operators could work with a local bakery to make items such as Mazurek, orehnjaca, kolaczki and bublanina.
Sansolo said operators’ vendors could also provide insight into ways to better serve customers. “If there is a supplier you really like and trust, have them come to your stores and tell you how your location compares to others,” Sansolo said, adding that operators should be open to the feedback they receive, no matter who is sharing it. “Urge people to tell you the truth. When they tell you the truth, don’t get mad at them. Thank them. You want to hear things that get you motivated.”
Upcoming Changes
The driver shortage remains a concern, and it may change who is visiting locations as fleets reach out to new driver pools. “We could see a shortage of 200,000 drivers in the next eight-to-ten years. They’re going to need new drivers, and they’ll try to get new people,” Sansolo said. “Drivers of the future will be from different ethnic groups. The foods, meals you may be offering may be very relevant to one group but not another.”
There may also be automated and even self-driving vehicles on the road. “We don’t know when they’re going to happen, how they’re going to happen or what the impact will be,” Sansolo said. “You’ve got to be prepping for the what-ifs.”
Don Quinn, vice president of 黑料社区Services, joined Sansolo, Darren Schulte, vice president, membership, and Lisa Mullings, NATSO’s president and CEO on stage during 黑料社区Connect. He said he is optimistic about is the truckstop and travel plaza industry’s willingness to accept change and look for the opportunity in change.
Sansolo’s keynote was sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Photo credit: Lisa Webb/NATSO
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