Connecting With Consumers

NACS / Bold Decision survey reveals how consumers view c-stores, what they care most about and how to capture more of their business.

November 2025

A version of this article first appeared in the November 2025 issue of NACS Magazine

Convenience retailing seems to be in a good place. Convenience and ease of service are prized more than ever by consumers, and c-stores provide convenience better than any other channel. However, the industry does not operate in a vacuum, and it faces many competitors fighting for the hearts and wallets of consumers. A major element of this never-ending battle is how well our industry can satisfy the current and future needs of consumers. After all, it stands to reason that if they like us, why would they go anywhere else? 

So let’s dig into that critical question: Do they like us?The old axiom about retail was that if you could delight someone in your store, you would win a customer for life. Today, that customer loyalty time frame may be as short as until the next transaction. 

If convenience customers aren’t delighted, they have no shortage of other options. Some are other brick-and-mortar establishments; others are online only. Loyalty must be earned every time—and that presents enormous challenges for retailers to keep their current customers. However, it also presents new opportunities. If a competitor—from any channel seeking to provide convenience—disappoints a customer, then you have a real chance to convert that customer. 

Let’s take a close look at what consumers say about convenience stores, what they want and which segments are most likely to sing the stores’ praises, whether in neighborhood get-togethers, on social media or even at zoning hearings.

They Like Us!

Great news: More than four in five consumers (82%) say their experience last time they were in a convenience store was either excellent or good, up from 81% last year. Thankfully, just 1% said their experience was poor. While it’s good to see such high satisfaction, the small percentage who rated their experience as poor is a reminder that consumers have many choices and might choose not to return to that c-store in the future.

Unsurprisingly, frequent customers (those who say they shop inside c-stores multiple times per week) are most likely to say their experience was excellent or good (90%), compared to only 64% of rare customers (those who shop once or twice a month or less). Only 8% of these rare customers say they had excellent service, far lower than the overall average of 22%. There are two ways to look at this finding: Are some consumers too hardened in their perceptions to be converted, or is it an opportunity to create and promote some sort of customer service pledge to get them to at least try your store? It’s up to you to decide. 

They Want Value

American consumers have been battered after several years of inflation and higher prices on many goods and services. There is no debate that prices are more top of mind than they have been in the past. In fact, consumers say that prices at the pump and prices inside the store are more important today than in the past when determining whether they shop at a particular convenience store. Consumers ages 18-34 were most likely to cite gas prices as more important to them today (73%, compared to 63% overall), while frequent customers were the most likely to say that in-store prices are more important than in the past (58% vs. 49% overall).

Price is clearly an important factor in the overall value consumers are seeking, but there are other elements critical to attracting and retaining repeat customers. The next few considerations reflect how stores make them feel: Is the location safe, clean and friendly?

Safety is a top priority, and it is more important to women than men (52% vs. 41%). Cleanliness is a major factor for younger consumers—51% of consumers ages 18-34 said it was increasing in importance compared to 43% of consumers overall. Those who work from home say friendliness of employees has become more important to them (45% vs. 37% overall). For people who work from home, the in-store experience could be as important as whatever item they are buying—considering that they might have spent the bulk of their workday at home alone without any in-person interactions. 

Looking further down the list, the quality of food/meals carries more weight with frequent shoppers (47%) and consumers ages 18-34 (48%). These same groups were also most likely to say that a convenience store caring about the community (35%) is more important to them than before.

Understanding which things have become more important than in the past, the question then becomes: What can retailers do to get consumers’ business? As one would expect, lower prices top the list.

The data shows that customers would reward you if you were to lower your prices. But if you’re not intelligently targeting those most interested in that offer, you could be giving away valuable margin. Interestingly, frequent customers are less interested in lower gas prices than rare customers (47% vs. 61%). And those who buy gas from big-box retailers are more likely to seek low gas prices than c-store customers (65% vs. 55%). Can you get these infrequent customers and big-box shoppers to become more frequent customers? Maybe. But it probably is easier to satisfy more of your existing customers first; frequent c-store shoppers are most likely to want quality food and meals (18% vs. 9% of rare customers).

They Consider C-Stores Integral to the Community

There are certainly opportunities to enhance your offers for existing customers or build out offers to attract new ones, and that’s something each company or store can individually address.

The great news for all is that an overwhelming majority of consumers say the local store nearest to them is an important part of their community and that they would be sad if that store closed.

Naturally, frequent customers are much more likely to feel that c-stores are an important part of their community (93% vs. 82% overall) than rare customers (63%), of whom only 12% “strongly agree” with this sentiment.  

We also explored how they would feel if the store were to close. More than three in four consumers (77%) said they would be sad or disappointed.

Care and concern about their local store is solid across all demographics. However, as one might expect, rare customers feel less of a connection, with only 60% saying they’d be disappointed if that store were to close (compared to 77% of consumers overall).

Watch Out for Delivery!

There is no question that c-stores offer the most convenient brick-and-mortar shopping experience. But delivery has become more common in recent years, and for some people it could be even more convenient not to leave the comfort of their home or workplace. The data shows several potential warning signs that should be monitored. The customers most likely to use delivery are frequent c-store customers—daily commuters and younger consumers. 

Going Forward

Consumers unquestionably care about prices, though that’s not the sole driver influencing the mindset and the actions of customers. They also like the concept of convenience and the convenience retailing industry overall—though not everyone shares that love equally.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping your customers and adding new ones, especially as new competitors emerge to fight for that convenience customer.

About the Consumer Survey

Charts and insights are based on a national survey of N=1,203 consumers conducted from May 19-21, 2025 for NACS by national public opinion research firm Bold Decision (bold-decision.com). This article references data subsets that may not be included in the accompanying charts. Year-to-year comparisons are based on results from the 2024 NACS consumers survey, conducted March 8-12, 2024.