According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), about 80% of all fuel sold in the United States is purchased at convenience stores. Keep in mind that while all those people are filling their vehicles up with gasoline and diesel (not to mention those portable tanks for their gas-powered equipment at home), they are also looking to fuel up their bodies.

For convenience store owners, this is a captive audience just waiting to be enticed. Morning people are looking for that first cup of coffee and maybe a breakfast sandwich. Afternoon people might want a soft drink and a little something for lunch. Late afternoon people might want a power bar if they’re on the way to the gym or something for dinner if they are on their way home. Travelers are looking for a little something to tide them over while they’re on the road. And your smokers are going to take advantage of any opportunity to grab a spare pack.

While most people these days prefer to use the pay-at-the-pump option for convenience and won’t need to come into the store to pay for their fuel purchase, they will come in to fuel up on everything else they need. Grab their attention with bright, bold window signs or messages at the pump if you have the technology in place, take advantage of any promotional materials provided by product manufacturers, and set your store up so that top selling items are located toward the back of the store so customers will need to walk by potential impulse-buy items on their way there and back.

Loyalty programs are also a good way to bring people through the doors. Whether it’s on coffee, soft drinks, or even if you provide them with a punch card they can bring in with them for every fill-up over a certain dollar amount, the key to your success is to get them inside.

Once they are there, Atlantic Dominion Distributors has everything you need to keep a full product mix in your store, including all of the most popular brands from the best-known manufacturers. With our next-day delivery service, you don’t need to keep a lot of inventory on hand—just enough to keep your customers as well fueled as their vehicles and to maximize your profits.