Why Online Ordering Is Now Essential for C-Stores

It’s not news to any c-store owner that competition for customers and spend is higher than ever. In addition to the many direct competitors in the industry, convenience stores have to contend with fast-food restaurants, big-box retailers like Walmart and Target, and even online giants like Amazon.

The c-stores that continue to thrive despite these challengers will be the ones that best adapt their businesses to meet new consumer trends, wants, and needs.  

In addition to offering reward programs, one of the biggest requests by customers is online ordering and delivery. In the past, c-stores might have thought implementing an online ordering system wouldn’t apply to their business – but times have changed and this is only the beginning.

Here are a few eye-opening statistics that should catch any c-store owner’s attention:

• 60% of U.S. consumers order delivery or takeout once per week.
• 34% of consumers spend at least $50 per online food order.
• 20% of consumers say they spend more on off-premises orders than on dine-in/on-premises purchases.  
• The increase in digital ordering and delivery has been 300% greater than that of dine-in traffic since 2014.
• 52% of millennials indicate that they would purchase more often from c-stores if delivery were offered.

It couldn’t be clearer that in order to effectively compete for the consumer dollar, convenience stores need to incorporate online ordering (and if at all possible, delivery) into their strategies.

But how does a c-store implement a proper plan? Which elements are essential and which ones can be skipped? What kind of customer data needs to be captured, and how should that data be used? Most importantly, how do convenience stores choose the right online ordering platform?

We’ve put together a free, on-demand webinar to answer all of these questions and many others.

Titled “Why C-Stores Need Online Ordering,” the session will provide even more statistics and facts to prove just how critical online ordering is to the success of convenience stores. It will also give you an action plan to begin mapping out an online ordering system for your c-store.

Click here to watch this free, half-hour webinar now.