Freshness Is Fundamental for C-Stores

General Mills Convenience & Foodservice study reveals strengths and opportunities for lunchtime.

May 29, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS – Citing lunchtime as an important daypart for convenience stores, and unyielding competition from other channels such as QSRs and coffee shops, the General Mills Convenience & Foodservice consumer insights team recently conducted research to understand the convenience channel’s strengths and opportunities for lunchtime.

The team surveyed 403 convenience store food and beverage shoppers, ages 18–64, in a nationwide online survey in January 2014.  All participants said they regularly buy lunch on the go from venues such as fast food, fast-casual restaurants, coffee shops and convenience stores.

The responses revealed that key considerations at lunchtime include fresh food, high quality food and a clean store environment. The most important factors cited by shoppers in choosing a lunch destination:

  • Food items taste fresh: 67%
  • The location is clean: 61%
  • Has quality lunch food: 54%
  • Location is convenient: 52%
  • Good value for the money: 52%

Made-to-order convenience stores have strong satisfaction levels among shoppers because they can customize their orders, reinforcing that the food is made fresh, notes the study. Overall, 42% of shoppers are “very satisfied” with lunch at convenience stores, although there is a gap in satisfaction between stores where food is made-to-order versus those that are not: 59% of shoppers who eat at stores with made-to-order food are “very satisfied,” while 34% of shoppers who eat at stores without made-to-order food are “very satisfied.” Meanwhile, satisfaction levels for convenience stores with made-to-order items exceed those of QSRs (47% of shoppers are “very satisfied” with a QSR/fast-food lunch).

In terms of the competitive landscape, the Consumer Insights team found that QSRs are the biggest threat for lunchtime business: 60% of shoppers indicate fast-food as the top alternative to convenience stores for lunch on the go. Convenience, tasty hot lunch items and filling portions are the three top reasons for choosing fast food.

“Quality food is critical for success at lunchtime, and quality is all about freshness.  In fact, the desire for freshness is a pattern we see in the morning as well.  Stores looking to grow their lunch business need to focus on and communicate the freshness and quality of their offerings,” said Chris Quam, consumer insights manager at General Mills Convenience & Foodservice.  “Making items in-store is the best way to do that.  And messaging such as ‘made fresh daily’ can also go a long way.  Additionally, convenience stores have a weapon that fast food does not: a broad range of cold beverages and salty snacks. Cross-promoting these categories with fresh lunch items is a key way to build lunchtime baskets.”

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