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CONVENIENT SHOPPING
HOW OFTEN DO YOU MAKE PURCHASES AT A
CONVENIENCE STORE
The clear majority (29.4%) of
respondents make purchases at
convenience stores roughly 2-3
times per week, with large swaths
of respondents also indicating
they make purchases once a
week (17.4%) and daily (10.6%).
Regardless of whether they live in
rural or urban areas (self-
reported) and regardless of their
income levels, we found that
people generally fit into this
frequency pattern. Yet interesting
things happen when we consider
purchase frequency by gender
and generational segmentations.
Men are notably likelier to make frequent
convenience store purchases than women. Some of
this has to do with traditional gender roles ascribing
domestic and public responsibilities differently—despite
all the social changes around us, men (probably both
married and single) are likelier to gas the car up and
grab the kids a quick snack than women are.
But there is something bigger going on here, something
that should be comparatively easy for convenience
stores to address, and that is the question of safety. We
already know that men move more freely thorough the
1.8%
10.1%
8.7%
9.5%
12.4%
17.4%
29.4%
10.6%
Never
Only when I'm traveling
A couple of times per year
Once a month
More than once a month
Once a week
2-3 times per week
Daily. (i.e. 7 or more times per week)
OVERALL
HOW OFTEN DO YOU MAKE PURCHASES AT A
CONVENIENCE STORE
1.3%1.9%
5.9%
7.4%
9.4%
11.8%
19.6%
33.3%
11.3%11.3%
9.1%9.6%
12.6%
16.8%
28.3%
.10.5%
BY GENDER
world with less concern for their physical safety. Thus,
women, in both rural and urban areas, are perhaps
(appropriately) more cautious about venturing. This is
backed up by a later question we asked in which we
found that women were significantly more likely
than men to select a location based on its safety
(4.21 vs. 3.47). We will emphasize this in our key
findings as well, but these numbers should prove both
fascinating and instructive to convenience store
operators who clearly should prioritize emphasizing
their location's relative safety.
MaleFemale
NeverOnly when
I'm traveling
A couple
of times
per year
Once
a month
More than
once a month
Once a week2-3 times
per week
Daily. (i.e. 7
or more
times per week)515
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3|www.trendsource
GENERATIONS OF CONVENIENT SHOPPERS
Millennial 1 Millennial 2Generation X
Baby Boomer Silent
2.4%
1.9%1.2%2.6%
0.0%
6.3%
8.8%8.1%
9.8%
14.1%
7.3%
8.3%9.0%
11.8%11.3%
10.5%
14.8%
13.0%
5.3%
7.0%
30.7%30.0%
31.9%
26.3%
19.7%20.2%
15.0%
16.5%
19.4%
12.7%
16.0%
11.0%11.2%
12.9%
15.5%
6.6%
10.2%
9.0%
11.9%
19.7%
Also, when we break this down by generation, a couple
of things stand out. First, and no big surprise here, the
silent generation's most common relationship to
convenience stores is that they only visit them
when traveling (19.7%). We all can picture Mee-Maw
and Pee-Paw piling into the Winnebago for a retiree
adventure, where they will no doubt hit up convenience
stores from sea to shining sea. But we also can think
HOW OFTEN DO YOU MAKE PURCHASES AT A
CONVENIENCE STORE
BY GENERATION
about their overall reduced mobility, both in terms of
physical activity and driving privileges, and
understand how this answer makes sense. On a fixed
income, often having surrendered their driver's
license and some autonomy, the Silents are not in a
position to roll through the 7-11 every day to get
some coffee and scratchers.
NeverOnly when
I'm traveling
A couple of times
per year
Once a month
More than once a monthOnce a week2-3 times per weekDaily. (i.e. 7 or more
times per week)
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For the aggregate respondent, there are three top
priorities when choosing a convenience store, and
then a whole bunch of secondary, and even tertiary,
concerns. The primary concern for convenience
store patrons is, unsurprisingly, the convenience
of location: proximity is everything. Like the old
real estate adage regarding a property's three most
important features (location, location, location), our
average respondent rated location as the most
important determining factor for a convenience
store purchase.
Closely behind location, and closely related to it,
consumers prioritize safety. This makes sense and
requires little explanation. It is true for rural and
urban consumers alike, and holds true across
generation and income: people don't want to
shop where they don't feel safe. As previously
discussed, this is a more important consideration
for women than it is for men.
The most frequent convenience store customers also should not surprise us:
Millennial 2s and Generation Xers are the likeliest to visit convenience
stores more than once per week. The vanguard of the hipster gentrification
brigade, these individuals have likely relocated to urban areas where
convenience stores are especially convenient—often just a block's walk away.
Add in the fact that they are likely hitting the peak of their disposable income
and it is rather easy to understand how these generations can make on-demand
purchases in the most convenient way possible.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
IMPORTANT FACTORS IN CHOOSING A CONVENIENCE STORE
4.074.053.993.643.573.333.272.73OVERALL
AVERAGE
SCORE
1 = not at all important2 = slightly important3 = moderately important4 = very important5 = extremely important
The primary
concern for
convenience store
patrons is,
unsurprisingly,
the convenience
of location.
LocationSafetyGas
Prices
HoursProduct
Prices
RestroomsProduct
Offerings
Brand
Following location and safety, the top priority for
consumers is gas prices, and this requires a bit of
thought and explanation. Once consumers have
established the proximity and safety of a
convenience store, their next concern is its gas
prices. Consider the expense fuel represents to the
average American consumer, and also how
frequently its price fluctuates from day-to-day and
location-to-location. It is the most variably priced
necessity in the typical convenience store
consumer's daily life. So a good deal on gas can
overcome a lot—no, people won't drive entirely out of
their way to save a few cents on fuel, and they likely
won't go somewhere they don't feel safe. Assuming
they appear equally safe, consumers are going to
choose the one with the lowest gas prices. The
price of Doritos do not generally vary by location and
are only a fraction of a consumer's monthly budget.
The same is not true for gasoline.