Convenience shoppers are time poor and habitual, visiting the same store more than 190 times a year and looking to spend less than five minutes on each trip. They also have unique demands from convenience, being more likely to be shopping for immediate needs and occasions, writes HIM’s Blake Gladman.

Two in three shoppers are more likely to be looking for quick and simple evening meal solutions, with more shoppers also looking for meals for one while also shopping for impulsive events (such as on the way to parties or for that impromptu BBQ) compared with when supermarket shopping. This behaviour and different need state are driving an increasing need for solution-based shopping. Shoppers are looking for convenience stores to offer them solutions and not just products as the culmination of the need for speed and increasing convenience-led decision-making is influencing where they shop for their groceries. Convenience needs to meet this demand or risk losing shoppers to emerging channels.

Picture this scenario. Someone is on their way home from work, they know they are going to be home alone that evening, they’ve had a long day and they pop into their local c-store to pick up something quick and easy for their evening meal. They’re in the mood for a curry and they’ve found a large bag of rice, a large jar of curry sauce and a pack of 4 chicken breasts… these products are all acceptable, but you’re asking this shopper to do a lot of thinking and a lot of work.

Imagine, instead, that there was microwaveable rice, a small jar of sauce for one and a pack of diced chicken breast – we now have a solution that meets the need of the shopper; simple, quick and you’ve taken all the thought and work away from them. In other words, you’ve offered them a convenient answer to their occasion question.

Shoppers want to be in and out of store as quickly as possible, and providing them simple solutions that meet their needs is the quick way to establish shopper satisfaction, drive basket size and ultimately create loyalty that will provide regular footfall across all days of the week and times of day.

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