C-store Shopper Tracking Shows Increased Traffic, Lower Conversion

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- While visits to convenience stores increased in 2011, shoppers spent less time in the stores and spent lower amounts per trip, according to the results of a year-over-year shopping trend analysis study conducted as part of VideoMining Corp.'s National C-Store Shopper Insights (CSI) program.

VideoMining Corp. is a provider of in-store intelligence for retailers and consumer product goods manufacturers. The research, conducted using a selected sample of 48 c-stores from major retailers in 11 U.S. markets, employed VideoMining's in-store measurement and analytics technology to quantitatively analyze the shopping behavior of millions of shoppers over the same periods in 2011 and 2010 to uncover trends. The large behavioral data set was integrated with transaction data to provide visibility into the path to purchase of c-store shoppers and factors that impact purchase decisions.

Despite the lower conversion rate of visitors into buyers, overall same-store sales at convenience stores trended up, according to the study. There were also many shifts in behavior for different demographics, particularly for younger age groups and Hispanic shoppers, in specific categories such as candy and beer.

"We expected changes, but were quite surprised by the magnitude of shifts in shopping pattern within a year," said Dr. Rajeev Sharma, CEO of VideoMining Corp. "Understanding and responding to these trends is important for both the retailers and manufacturers in this dynamic channel."

The full results of VideoMining's C-Store Shopper Insights program are available in more than two dozen in-depth research reports, which reveal overall channel trends, as well as offer "deep dives" into all the major product categories and special topics such foodservice, beverages, snacks and Hispanic shoppers.

Now in its fourth year of the tracking program, VideoMining plans to expand the panel to 120 stores in 2012 by including more markets, retailers and store formats. The expanded program will analyze tens of millions of convenience trips, including longitudinal tracking to understand seasonal trends and impact of holidays on convenience trips. Participants in the program also can conduct custom research and testing using the VideoMining panel of stores, benefiting from the continuous technology-enabled tracking of shopper behavior.

For more information, go to www.videomining.com.