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GasBuddy
Releases Second Quarterly Foot Traffic Report
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for
the Fuel and Convenience Store Industry
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Summer driving
season a good time for gas stations, 45 percent
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uplift in
foot traffic during Memorial Day weekend
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Boston,
MA – July 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / GasBuddy,
the only smartphone app connecting
drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop released their quarterly study examining
foot traffic in the $600 billion convenience store and fuel retailing industry
across the U.S. in Q2 2018.
According
to the 2018
NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count (PDF file), the number
of convenience stores increased by 0.3 percent in 2017, while other brick-and-mortar
retailers such as grocery and drug stores experienced a decrease in locations
in the same time period. There is a consumer shift in becoming more convenience-driven,
which is evidenced by the activity during the second quarter across retailer
locations.
Based
on GasBuddy footfall data, brands who received the most foot traffic per
station in their respective categories retained their top spots from Q1
to Q2, including Ohio-based Speedway (1000+ locations), Washington-based
Costco (250 – 999 locations), Kentucky-based Thorntons (50 – 249 locations)
and Indiana-based Ricker’s (30 – 49 locations).
“The
second quarter is always exciting since consumers hit the road for summer
activities,” says Frank Beard, convenience store and retail trends analyst
at GasBuddy. “There was a big shift for the busiest times at the pump,
moving from mid-week in Q1 to the weekend in Q2. Since there are still
a few months of summer left, retailers should prepare for these ‘weekend
warriors’ by emphasizing their fresh, grab-and-go offerings.”
Key
study highlights include:
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Costco
Claims Top Spot: Washington-based Costco captured the most foot traffic
per location of any brand in any category—more than five times the industry
average. Costco and additional big box and grocery brands captured the
highest average footfall traffic in 13 U.S. states in Q2, only one fewer
state than last quarter. Brands include Dillon Stores, Fred Meyer, King
Sooper’s, Kroger, Safeway, Sam’s Club and Smith’s.
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Cumberland
Farms and Wawa Tie for #1 in the Most States: Wawa ties with Q1’s top
brand, Cumberland Farms, in capturing the highest average footfall traffic
in five states. Costco and Pilot capture the highest average foot traffic
in four states, while Kroger and Speedway tie for the highest average foot
traffic in three states.
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T.G.I.F.:
Friday at 5pm was the busiest time for fuel and convenience brands in Q2,
followed by Friday from 12-4pm. Busiest days overall include Friday (1),
Saturday (2), Thursday (3) and Wednesday (4).
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Big
Wins For Memorial Day Weekend: Memorial Day travel resulted in increased
foot traffic across a variety of retail sectors and related industries.
Fuel and convenience retailers that saw significant uplift in foot traffic
between May 25 and May 28 include Marathon (67%), BP (60%), and Circle
K (60%).*
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Quality
Experiences Drive More Visits: Today’s consumers seek quality retail
experiences. Stations with above-average ratings in the GasBuddy app attracted
more visits than the industry average, and those with below-average ratings
experienced comparatively less foot traffic. The largest gap was seen with
outdoor lighting ratings. Stations with above-average outdoor lighting
captured approximately 35 percent more traffic than their below-average
counterparts.
See
the full report here.
Methodology
From April 1 to June 30, 2018, GasBuddy analyzed location visit data at
more than 100 fuel and convenience store brands across the United States
to understand foot traffic trends, provide geo-behavioral and consumer
insights, and identify the impact of key factors such as ratings and reviews
on POI visits. To be considered a “visit,” a user must be within 30 meters
of a fuel pump for between 2 and 30 minutes. GasBuddy works in collaboration
with Cuebiq, a next generation location intelligence and measurement company,
which leverages the largest database of accurate and precise location data
in the U.S. to help marketers map and measure the consumer journey. Its
leading data intelligence platform analyzes location patterns of 61 million
monthly active U.S. smartphone users on over 180 mobile apps, allowing
businesses to glean actionable insights about real-world consumer behaviors
and trends. Cuebiq does not collect any personally identifiable information.
Its privacy-sensitive methodology has earned the company membership status
with the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), the leading self-regulatory
industry association dedicated to responsible data collection and its use
for digital advertising. Cuebiq is headquartered in New York with offices
in San Francisco, Chicago, Italy, and China.
About
GasBuddy
GasBuddy
is a smartphone app connecting
drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop. GasBuddy
is the leader in crowdsourced information to help drivers find the best
gas prices, closest stations, friendliest service, cleanest restrooms,
tastiest coffee and much more. GasBuddy is the leading source for the most
accurate, real-time fuel prices at more than 140,000 gas stations in the
U.S., Canada and Australia. The Company’s B2B Retailer Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS), known as GasBuddy Business Pages, provides Fuel Marketers and Retailers
their best opportunity to maintain their station information, manage their
brand, and promote to their target consumer audience.
*Results
reflect the uplift from Memorial Day weekend (05/25 - 05/28) over the previous
weekend (05/18 - 05/21)
Media
Contact:
GasBuddy
Allison
Mac
Director
of Public Relations
626-383-8371 |