Convenience stores worldwide are looking for ways to boost their snack sales and increase their overall profits. As a wholesale snack distributor, Atlantic Dominion has helped businesses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina achieve that. With over 100+ years of food distributor experience, we have determined some of the best ways to boost your snack sales, and we are ready to share them with you.
Why Snack Sales are Crucial
Convenience stores are designed to appeal to various customers and their unique food, beverage, and miscellaneous needs. When a customer craves a snack or wants to grab a quick bite to eat, they can rely on convenience stores to have something they want. That is why snacks are so crucial to your overall sales. As we have mentioned in our previous articles—Salty Snacks Winning the Convenience Store Shelves and Top Selling Candy and Snacks in Convenience Stores—snacks are a top seller in most convenience stores. Why not capitalize on that and increase your snack sales even more?
5 Ways You Can Boost Snack Sales
With so many snack options available, it can be difficult to determine which ones will sell and provide the best return on your investment. However, Atlantic Dominion has been a dry food distributor for the last 100+ years, so we know a thing or two about snack sales. We have determined these are the five best ways to boost snack sales.
Optimize Store Layout
Your store layout is a customer’s first impression of your business. New customers don’t want to spend a lot of time looking around for what they want, so placing popular items in the front is a great way to ensure they find what they are looking for. However, on the other side of that coin, loyal/repeat customers will come into your store knowing what they want and where to find it. While this is good, it also decreases the number of purchases they make and can bring down overall sales.
Instead, you can create a layout that requires customers to walk the length of the store to find what they need—requiring them to pass all of the other popular options you have available. Similarly, another popular layout choice is to place popular items at the register/checkout area. That way, customers can find something they want and purchase it right before they checkout.
Offer Promotions/Discounts
Another great way to boost sales is by offering promotions or discounts. Things like “2 for $5,” “Buy one, get one,” and “Buy 5 and get the 6th one free” are great incentives for customers to keep coming back. Not only does it increase customer loyalty, but it increases sales of popular items.
Increase Popular Choices
No two customers as the same; however, there are a lot of popular choices that you can’t go wrong with. Convenience stores wanting to increase their sales should look at what is popular in their area and offer those choices. In some areas, pork rinds might be a top seller, while in other areas, salt and vinegar chips could be a favorite. What goes out of stock the fastest? What is the item that a lot of people purchase? Determine what your customers like and offer more of it!
Advertise on the Curb or at the Pump
Once a customer is in the store, you can typically expect them to purchase something. But getting them into the store in the first place can be a challenge. Display advertisements and promotions you have going on outside your store to draw people in. When people are driving by on their morning commute, put up a sign advertising breakfast sandwiches and coffee. These advertisements increase the likelihood of a customer entering your store and purchasing snacks.
Cater to Cravings
We all have food cravings throughout the day, so why not cater to them? Some cravings, such as coffee in the morning, are predictable, while others may be less predictable. Create a list of items that customers tend to pick up at the last minute or items that people crave a lot. Once you have that list, place them all at the front of the store. Customers craving those items won’t be able to help themselves from picking up their craving of choice before heading out again.
Find a Wholesale Snack Distributor that Cares
Increasing snack sales in your store is not a job you have to do alone. Partner with a food distributor that cares about your success and helps you determine the best snack choices. Partner with a distributor like Atlantic Dominion. Our team identifies top-selling items and helps you determine a price that will increase your return on investment. We also assist convenience stores just starting out and needing direction on their store layout.
Atlantic Dominion goes above and beyond for our distribution partners because we know that your success is our success. Partner with Atlantic Dominion’s grocery wholesale distributor team and discover how we have become the best wholesale snack distributor in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Contact us to speak to a member of our team today.
