NACS 2019 is coming to Atlanta this week! Since its founding in 1961, NACS has brought together top convenience and fuel retailing industry professionals — This year is no different, as they expect over 23,500 people to attend. It should be an exciting week in Atlanta, especially with the growing success the convenience industry continues to experience.
According to the latest quarterly retail sentiment survey from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), nearly three is four retailers (74%) say that in-store merchandise sales were up over the first nine months of 2019. Many of these sales can be attributed to in-store purchases, so U.S. convenience store owners are looking to capitalize on this uptick by continuing to expand healthier food and snack choices.
This is nothing new as fresh, convenient food has been a hot topic over the past several years. According to another survey conducted by NACS earlier this year, convenience retailers reported the addition or expansion of the following categories in the first six months of 2019:
- 42% have added more packaged salads
- 40% have added more health bars
- 32% have added more fresh fruit
- 30% have added more nuts/trail mix
- 25% have added more cut fruit/vegetables
In an age where variety is paramount, there’s an expectation that your local convenience store offers well-rounded options for both food and beverage. However, keeping up with stores that offer a high variety of items is an operational challenge. Success hinges on the ability to deliver a great experience to each customer that walks through every one of their doors. That’s why operators invest heavily in developing the right operating procedures and food safety measures, and carefully plan the roll-out of new promotions and other initiatives.
But, the reality is outdated approaches to communicating the things that are important and tracking store compliance against them create significant hurdles to running a tight operation across many stores spread-out geographically. These concerns, among others, are enough to drive thousands of operators to this year’s NACS Show. They’ll be looking not only for new foodservice equipment, but also for ways to drive operational efficiencies. This is where mobile-based technologies like Zenput will play a crucial role.
Zenput is how top operators elevate team execution in every store. C-store, restaurant, and other multi-unit operators such as Timewise, 7-Eleven, and KFC use the platform to automate how operating procedures and key initiatives are rolled-out and enforced. At this year’s NACS Show, we’ll be exhibiting with some of our latest features for convenience and foodservice operators.
If you’re looking to gain more actionable insights into your stores, come visit us at booth #3441.
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