• by John Gaffney , August 6, 2002

If you’re planning for a client that sells a lot of product at convenience stores, a new study shows that speed and routine are the two hot buttons to reach consumers.

Clickin Research, in Houston, has completed a new study that tracked consumer purchases and their perception of the c-store shopping experience. The study found that 57% of all consumers shop at c-stores at least two times a week. That’s up from 43 % in 1996. It also found that consumers do not plan for c-store visits; they are impulsive, or made in transition between another destination. And when they get to the store, speed is the key.

“They want to find what they need,” says Clickin Research president Martha Russell, “They want to get in and out. Most c-store products are consumed before the customer gets back to the car.”

The impulsive nature of the visit, according to Russell means that planners should stress impulse and routine in advertising. Traditional media can work well, she says, but only to impress the way the brand fits into the c-store shopping experience. Trying to reach people through in-store media should focus on pricing.

Russell also says that consumers have a higher expectation of speed in their experience. But that expectation has a lot to do with the perception of speed rather than the actual in and out time for shopping.

“In-store customers are less sensitive to media placements because they’re in a hurry,” she says. “On the other hand in-store placement that distract them – such as videos – can work well because the distraction makes them perceive that the shopping experience is faster.”