Attitudes Toward Convenience Store Shopping - US

To make new foodservice offerings attractive to female shoppers (an under-tapped demographic), operators should employ the power of brand names. According to Mintel’s custom consumer survey, fast-food chain counters within c-stores are the prepared food choice for female c-store shoppers. Females also under-index in shopping at nearly all c-stores other than Shell and Walmart gas stations—potentially mainly driven by the fact that these latter corporate brand names carry a promise of quality that's elevated beyond most c-store house brands.

For many consumers, anonymous foodservice ingredients may represent old-school c-store fare. They now crave fresher, more sophisticated foods. And indeed, manufacturer brands in the food sector have invested heavily in building a perception of quality, and c-store operators would be wise to leverage that reputation.