ATLANTA – What’s one of the easiest ways to improve store performance? For starters, ask your customers a few simple questions. A family-owned convenience store company in the Midwest recently found the answers it sought by employing a survey from Playbook for Success, a hands-on instruction guide designed to help c-stores defend their turf and attract new business. The free booklet is the brainchild of the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (NACS/CCRRC), which produced the step-by-step manual after conducting research with c-store operators to determine factors impacting profitability.
By using the survey, the retailer discovered that customers were not aware of price promotions throughout the store, and that competitors were offering more compelling deals. Once armed with such insights, the c-store operator was then in the position to take action to make improvements. Find out more by reading “Shopper Survey Leads to Treasure Trove of Information.”
Retailers seeking other ways to position their operations for success may want to utilize direct store delivery (DSD). While it can be an expensive route to market for suppliers, it can produce powerful advantages for convenience retailers — particularly if it includes visits from a professional team supporting both business development and product replenishment. Smaller outlets can receive extra value from this approach, benefitting from the opportunity to learn first-hand about the brands, packages and promotions that are successful in the convenience retail channel.
Coca-Cola Refreshments and other Coca-Cola Bottlers use the DSD model to deliver to convenience retail customers. In Direct Store Delivery: Optimizing the Road to Success, Coca-Cola executives Jay Ard, vice president of the convenience retail channel, and Martha Buffington, vice president of customer solutions, share the rewards of this delivery method and advise how convenience retailers can use this process to optimize their business. For more information about Coca-Cola, visit CokeSolutions.