Convenience Store Operations Tips: Are You Making the Most of Your Beverages?
What beverages are you selling at yourΒ convenience store, and how are you presenting them to customers?
Beverages have potential as significant money-makers. For example, aΒ recent articleΒ fromΒ Convenience Store NewsΒ states that βa well-managed coffee bar will yield over 70-percent [profit] margins.β
Whether theyβre displayed in your refrigerators or available at dispensers, what can you do to improve the profitability of your beverages? The following are a few key tips.
Solicit feedback from customers. Find out about the kinds of drinks and flavors that are most popular in your area. In addition to tracking sales, ask customers what theyβd prefer. For certain new flavors or drinks, offer samples and see what response you get. Keep an eye on broader trends and seasonal preferences; for example, in the winter, people might like a choice of peppermint or gingerbread flavoring in their coffee.
Quickly clean up leaks and puddles. If puddles are spreading out from under your refrigerator units, or your dispensers are dripping and splattering, customers will get turned off from buying beverages. Always make sure your beverage areas look fresh and clean.
Offer special promotions. Letβs say thereβs a popular athletic event in your area, such as a charity run or a football match. You might take the opportunity to offer a limited-time sale on energy drinks or healthier beverage brands.
Always check your stock. Customers donβt want to hear a beverage dispenser gurgling as it spits out the last of its contents. And your refrigerator displays shouldnβt have large empty spaces. Gaps in the display can make it look less colorful and less enticing; and customers might assume that you arenβt able to regularly give them the drinks they want.
As part of the dailyΒ operationsΒ of your convenience store, donβt neglect your beverages. Customers on-the-go love to grab a drink. Make sure to show them that youβre responsive to their beverage needs.