“I’m just popping out to get some bits – do you need anything?” is a phrase that a lot of us hear regularly, but where does your mum, dad, sibling or flatmate actually go when they say this – to the petrol station or a convenience store?
Research conducted by HIM would suggest that there are differences between shoppers at forecourts and convenience stores, even though they tend to be treated the same.
The research found that 60% of forecourts customers are in full time employment, compared to 43% of customers in full time employment within convenience stores.
It has also been found that if you are looking for a quicker shop, you may in fact go to a forecourt as consumers generally spend 26 seconds less in store than those in convenience stores…Or maybe, the reason for this is because shoppers rush around because they are conscious that they are hogging a petrol pump?! We all know the feeling…
The report also found that there are bigger baskets in convenience stores with shoppers spending on average £6.50 compared to £5.80 in a forecourt.
So why do you go to the petrol station or to a convenience store?
I personally use getting petrol as an excuse to pop out and grab myself a treat but turns out, there are a lot of better people out there than me…
HIM found that the top forecourt shoppers missions would be to top up the food in the house in first place, followed by grabbing some food on the go (think of the trusty meal deal!) coming second, followed by newsagent related purchases taking the bronze medal and then to get fuel. Yes, fuel is 4th and even more shocking for me; a treat comes in at 5th!
A report by ACS found that convenience store shoppers top missions may differ depending on the generation that they were born. For example, food to go is the top mission for both Generation Z (aged: 16-24) and Millennials (aged: 25-34). Whereas, aligned with forecourts, the top mission for Generation X (aged: 35-54) is to top up the food in the house. Lastly, both the Baby Boomers (aged: 55-74) and the Silent Generation (aged: 75+) top missions are for newsagent purposes.
So there’s a thought for you, next time you are popping out, have a think where you are going and why, or maybe just concentrate on not forgetting to bring back a loaf of bread for your mum!
Our consumer lifestyle PR team specialise in connecting everyday brands with everyday people across four core sectors; Consumer Lifestyle PR, Food & Drink PR, Retail PR and Sport, Health & Wellbeing PR. More information on these areas of knowledge can be found at www.escapadepr.com/about-us.
