More Than a Convenient Corner
Let's look at some eye-popping numbers: As of 2024, the United States has more than 310 million smartphone users and a smartphone penetration rate of more than 96%, according to data released from Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform. Mobile app users invest nearly three hours a day into mobile app usage, digital acceleration consultancy Netguru reported this summer.
Given these stats, is it any wonder that in the past 10 years, ordering food either through a mobile app or website has overtaken phone orders in the U.S.?
"I don't know that we've reached the peak of this adoption curve … but it's really becoming more pervasive," Jeff Hoover, director of strategy and analytics for convenience store brands at Paytronix, said during a recent webinar on "2024 Online Ordering Trends for Convenience Stores" hosted by Convenience Store News and Paytronix.
What does this mean for convenience store operators?
As they say, location, location, location — but it is no longer a matter of being the first spot off the highway or being located at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. Today, location is in the palm of consumers' hands or at the fingertips of online shoppers.
Online ordering trend is relatively new in the convenience channel compared to the restaurant space, but it is trend that appears to have staying power, according to Hoover. The proof will be in the numbers.
