Increase overall foodservice sales by combining a smart daypart marketing strategy with a monthly beverage subscription program.
As foodservice continues to become most important to a convenience store’s financial success and ultimate viability, harnessing the dual power of beverage subscription programs and daypart strategies will help elevate sales throughout the day.
Catering to Customers Per Daypart
Customers crave quick, affordable, and satisfying food on the go, and convenience stores are ideally positioned to fulfill these desires. With freshly prepared meals, a variety of savory, sweet, indulgent, and healthy snacks, and beverages that quench thirst at any time of day, c-stores can take advantage of the opportunity to create impossible-to-refuse combos.
Fountain drinks (soda/cold dispensed beverages) are a well-known traffic-builder and shine as a complementary product to food and snack items. A beverage subscription guarantees recurring monthly revenue on fountain drinks and smart product positioning and promotions will lead to additional purchases like a pretzel or a sandwich.
Leveraging a Daypart Marketing Strategy With a Beverage Subscription Program
Daypart marketing is a strategic approach that involves tailored marketing efforts and product offerings to align with specific times of the day. It acknowledges customer behaviors and strives to deliver the right products at the right moments to maximize sales.
For instance, mornings are just better with a boost of energy. With a beverage subscription program, pair an early morning coffee with freshly baked breakfast pastries or egg sandwiches. Imagine subscribers purchasing a steaming cup of coffee alongside a delicious breakfast sandwich or yogurt parfait while going to work, school, or whatever their day may bring.
The lunchtime rush provides a golden opportunity to showcase a range of lunch offerings. By synchronizing a beverage program with a menu of sandwiches, salads, and ready-to-eat meals, convenience stores offer a much broader range of choices than neighboring QSRs!
As the day advances, cravings for snacks and refreshments intensify. Beverage subscriptions can seamlessly align with meat snacks, trail mixes, and baked goods, resulting in an enticing package for subscribers to enjoy during their afternoon break or drive home. This strategic move cultivates additional impulse buys, ultimately bolstering foodservice sales!
Additionally, stores can certainly capitalize on the dinner daypart. Whether it is a fresh-baked pizza, fried chicken, prepared sandwiches, rice bowls, or packaged meal prep kits to make at home, beverage subscribers will enjoy a fountain beverage or maybe even a coffee to get them through the often hectic evenings.
And last, but never least, late-night cravings beckon comfort foods and treats. Beverage subscription programs can cater to this audience by bundling beverages with various late-night snacks, desserts, and bakery items. Whether it’s a cup of hot cocoa with a freshly baked cookie or a soda and a bag of fries, convenience stores can be the last stop on a fun night out. And, since the subscription is already paid for, it’s a no-brainer to stop and refresh!
Promotion Personalization Delivers Increased Revenue
It is sensible to pay attention to the data collected from customer purchasing habits. Additionally, timing mobile or in-store digital marketing to the right depart is important. It can be irritating for customers when advertisements completely miss the mark, suggesting a product at the wrong time of day. And, customers prefer to interact with brands that know them, care about them, treat them with respect, and most of all, are relevant in their time of need.
Mining customer data or even implementing machine learning to personalized promotions will reward customers for shopping and interacting with an app in a way that makes them feel special is key to winning their future business. By taking the guesswork out of promotions, the customers are not only happier, but the marketing team can also focus on bigger and better things like daypart marketing!
Lead the Pack in Foodservice
In the evolving and ever-competitive landscape for convenience stores, beverage subscription programs are a potent tool to amplify foodservice sales throughout various dayparts. By delivering a variety of beverages, convenience stores effortlessly introduce a diverse range of combinations tailored to specific times of day. As more and more companies join the subscription economy, don’t get left behind.
Liquid Barcodes has long been the industry leader in subscriptions, servicing more than 2,000 locations in the U.S. alone. Having helped convenience stores around the globe, especially in Europe, offering beverage and foodservice programs to thousands of customers daily, Liquid Barcodes is quickly becoming the industry leader in foodservice subscriptions.
More About Subscriptions
This summer, we’ve been publishing several articles in our Summer Subscription Series to help you learn the basics and more about subscription programs. Check out these great articles to find your fit.
- An Introduction to Subscription Programs
- Which Subscription Model Will Win You the Most Customers?
- Use Digital Prepaid Cards to Get Started With Subscription Programs
- Beverage Subscriptions Improve Foodservice Sales
- Measure Beverage Subscription Program Success
About Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes is a leading global loyalty and digital marketing technology company specializing in the convenience and foodservice industries. The proprietary, cloud-based technology platform allows retailers to create and manage their digital marketing campaigns with a process called the “customer connection cycle’ to engage, promote, and reward customers’ activities in real time across digital and media channels.
Liquid Barcodes loyalty platform is powering loyalty programs for industry leaders across several global markets, by offering unique subscription, mobile payment, machine learning, personalization, gamification, loyalty, and other capabilities.
About the Author
Carolyn Schnare, Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes
Carolyn Schnare has been involved with the convenience retailing industry for two decades with extensive knowledge of customer engagement and marketing, sustainability, and community outreach. Prior to Liquid Barcodes, Schnare worked at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) in a variety of roles from event production to membership and most recently as Director of Strategic Initiatives and host and producer of the popular industry podcast, Convenience Matters. Schnare currently anchors the popular Shop Talk LIVE! video series produced by Global Convenience Store Focus media group.
