Improve Your Gas Station and Convenience Store Business

For the gas station and convenience store merchant, standing apart from the rest can be tough especially in today’s competitive market in which gas prices continue to rise. Consumers are looking for the cheapest prices, and convenience stores that don’t set themselves apart from the competition won’t win repeat business. In order to improve your business, you must be able to provide inviting surroundings starting at the gas islands along with quality services and products your customers will remember. Below, find tips for how to improve gas station and convenience store business, so you can start increasing sales.

Gas Station Tips

Drivers are often in a hurry when they stop at the gas station, and they want to be in and out as quickly as possible. Make it easy for your customers to fuel up, make a payment and be on their way.

• Keep your gas islands, drives, signs and canopies looking like new.  Customers expect clean and safe gas pump islands. Making sure your fuel islands and forecourt is in excellent repair and looking like new. Having clean and well cared pump island, drives, signs and canopies can make a vast difference in your bottom line.
• Provide pay at the pump convenience. Today’s drivers have come to expect the convenience of being able to pump gas and pay without having to leave their cars. This eliminates the need to walk inside, stand in line and become distracted by convenience store products – helping to save your customers time and money.
• Accept fleet cards. The ability to accept fleet cards can help expand your business clientele, as many businesses that operate vehicles use fleet cards to better monitor and control company expenses such as gas. With BluePay’s fleet card merchant account services, you can process major fleet cards including Voyager® and Wright Express®.
• Secure customer data. When you accept credit cards for business, you must comply with PCI standards. Address verification systems (AVS), for example, is an advanced risk tool that requires customers to enter their ZIP code when paying at the pump. This helps verify the customer is the true cardholder. Other PCI solutions from BluePay include tokenization and end-to-end encryption.

Convenience Store Tips

If you want to improve your convenience store sales, you have to stand out from the crowd. What makes your convenience store different, so customers will choose to return to yours instead of others.

• Keep your gas islands, drives, signs and canopies looking like new.  Customers make there first judgement about your c store from the way your forecourt is presented. Customers expect clean and safe gas pump islands. Making sure your fuel islands and forecourt is in excellent repair and looking like new. Having clean and well cared pump island, drives, signs and canopies can make a vast difference in your bottom line.
• Clear signs, clean aisles. Most often, your customers are in a hurry. Make it easy for them to navigate the store and find what they are looking for. Messy, confusing aisles will only deter return visits. Keep signage clear and visible, and keep your store clean and presentable at all times.
• Quality products. Since pay at the pump capabilities make it easy for customers to pump their gas without entering the store, those who do come inside are looking to purchase something. Offer products they can’t get anywhere else. A wide selection of fresh premium coffees, for example, will help expand your morning crowd.
• Friendly customer service. Rude clerks and attendants are enough to keep customers from coming back to your store. Make sure your employees are friendly and helpful to your customers. Offer rewards and incentives for your workers to keep up an enthusiastic attitude. Happy workers, happy customers, increased profits.