Branding to a younger, Millennial generation is the name of the game when it comes to the convenience of the Internet. This is just as true when it comes to the convenience store, and retailers like 7-Eleven are learning they can benefit from branding their technology to college students.
7-Eleven recently partnered with delivery service Tapingo, and will focus on users at or near participating colleges in Arizona, California, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It’s convenient and, perhaps most importantly for this age group, it’s cheap.
Tapingo offers a browse of the aisle of the neighborhood 7-Eleven. Users pay a $2.99 delivery charge but no additional service fees. In light of Tapingo’s low cost and high revenue potential, more colleges are considering applying the app to campus dining programs.
Targeting the Audience
Big players like Amazon (with it’s Prime Now food ordering app) and Grubhub have already proven the food delivery model, and the market has been inundated with a variety of smaller niche players, like Caviar. The more companies in this space, the more the customer stands to benefit. It’s literally the “Hunger Games”: May the least expensive service with the best options and customer service win! 7-Eleven is taking it a step further by targeting young consumers who wants inexpensive items through an inexpensive service. Items like energy drinks, ice cream, and packaged snacks have wide appeal to this age group. On college campuses, where many students may not have cars, the need for delivery service is even more important. As the college dorm economy is driven more and more by technological advances, brands like 7-Eleven have more to gain by appealing to those advancements. It’s not just a chance to sell more Slurpees; it’s a chance to build a lasting relationship with a customer.The Takeaway
In order to increase market share, 7-Eleven’s venture into delivery was a necessary step towards integrating the brand with the modern definition of convenience.Once again, 7-Eleven has shown how it’s a brand that understands and delivers on the needs of its core customers. Other competing convenience stores are sure to follow, but success will largely depend on how well these retailers know their business at the store level, including the needs of their target customer.
To learn why one of the largest franchisees of 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. chose Zenput to improve daily operations, click here.Subscribe to our blog
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