Fresh-Brewed Iced Coffee Is 7-Eleven's Summer Focus

IRVING, Texas — 7-Eleven Inc. is looking to boost summertime sales of its freshly brewed hot coffee by encouraging consumers to drink it on ice.

In-store signage, including clings, floorstands and translite signs, encourages trial of "new" freshly brewed iced coffee by instructing shoppers to fill a Big Gulp cup with ice and add coffee and condiments from the hot coffee bar. The company is also promoting iced coffee with ads in its mobile app and website.

Unlike Chillers, 7-Eleven's existing iced coffee that is dispensed from a machine pre-flavored and pre-sweetened, the "new" iced coffee hack gives shoppers the ability to customize their beverage. It also drums up further support for the retailer's recently launched, sustainably sourced, single-origin coffee from Colombia and Chiapas, Mexico, the company stated.

The focus on freshly brewed iced coffee eclipsed 7-Eleven's regular summer marketing program leading up to its annual July 11 "7-Eleven Day" celebration, when shoppers were able to get a free small Slurpee. This year, rather than roll our new flavors or private-label purchase incentives as it has in the past, the convenience store retailer reactivated the same incentive as last year, offering 7Rewards members a digital coupon for 11 Slurpees of any size with the purchase of seven Slurpees from July 12-18.

The only new aspect of this year's event was a digital punchcard in the mobile app that allows users to track their progress toward the free Slurpee goal. In-store signage, social media updates and a website ad promoted this incentive.

To read the full story, visit Convenience Store News sister publication Path to Purchase Institute.

Based in Irving, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 62,000 stores in 17 countries, including 10,900 in North America.