Tactics for Creating an Engaging Customer Experience

"Really think about what the job is the customer is doing when they come into your location and how can you provide the best experience," she said. "They have so many choices, not just convenience stores, but other channels. So, getting them to come back again and again isn't just about products, but the value you bring to them. Pick your adjective — faster, easier, better — and how you're providing that to the customer."

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With there being so many avenues a small operator can take to engage its customers — social media, mobile apps, SMS, signage in-store, signage at the pump — determining the best way starts with "getting the house in order first," according to Sultan. 

"The in-person experience has to be key," he emphasized. "From the greeting to the signoff, understand how your customers are being treated, how they maneuver around your store. What are they seeing and experiencing? Once the in-person experience is taken care of, then we start investing in the online experiences and loyalty."

All the panelists agreed that small operators should ask their customers how they'd like to be engaged with. Is it on Facebook or Instagram? Is it through a loyalty program? It all depends on what your clientele looks like and who your target customer is.

For Fav Trip, the operator of five convenience stores in Missouri, social media has turned into an opportunity to engage and have fun online with customers. The chain is one of few convenience and fuel retailers that has a YouTube plaque for 100,000-plus subscribers, and has about 46,000 followers on TikTok. Fav Trip uses these online platforms to share deals, release behind-the-scenes videos and converse with customers to find out what products they're trying and what they're excited about.

"Nineteen million views a month is quite a bit for a small operator here [in the Midwest]. Absolutely, that's impressive, and you're creating a personality around the brand, too," Sultan said.

Loyalty Dos & Don'ts 

Loyalty programs are becoming more accessible to c-store retailers of all sizes and so, they’re becoming more widespread in the channel. But the panelists cautioned that before investing time, energy and money into any new technology, especially as a small operator, it is critical to understand what type of program would actually work for your business and your community.   

For Fav Trip, the most effective tool has been its text club, which now has more than 17,000 subscribers. As part of the program, the retailer sends a weekly text every Thursday for the past seven years without missing a single week. Each message shares how much of a discount customers will get on Friday.

This has become a tradition and a VIP experience — customers now expect it and some even gamify the experience, guessing the discount amount online, according to Sultan, who shared that in-store and fuel sales double every Friday as a result of the anticipation created on Thursday.

Webb recommends small operators lean into their vendor partner relationships, too. 

"A lot of [small operators] think they have to do this alone, that they have to self-fund everything. But your vendor partners want to be a part of your loyalty program. They succeed when you succeed," she explained. "So, reach out to them, ask them for help funding some of the programs that you want to run, but also just with ideas on what works outside of your store and what's working in other locations."

Another important area is training and incentivizing employees. "They are your No. 1 asset in your store. If they're excited [about an offer], the customer is going to be excited about it," she said. "If they know what's on special, they're going to tell the customer what's on special or what's happening."

Focusing on the Data

Where small operators have a leg up on some of the larger c-store players is their ability to look at everything holistically across their entire network. Smaller retailers who get to know their customers can customize their sets, ensuring they have the right mix of products and leveraging data to know what's driving customers into the store.

"When you're up against one of the big players, you know they're looking at things at a much higher level. [Small] operators have the ability to really drill down to the lowest level denominator and really make a difference to their customer base and drive those customers in by personalizing that offer to that particular community," Newbould said.

Knowing what it is your customers want comes down to knowing your data. According to Newbould, scan data will help small operators understand what their best-selling products are, while related sales points can pinpoint what promotions are working. 

Webb added that data from vendor and loyalty partners can help small operators determine information such as dollars per transaction and basket size — particularly the basket size of loyalty members vs. nonloyalty guests.

"Are you really driving those loyalty customers to return more often and purchase more within your store?" she posed.

For Fav Trip, its stores are viewed as a "playground" for testing innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, bringing "scan data to the next level," according to Sultan. 

Areas where the retailer leverages this tech include: 

• Real-time inventory management: Audio AI detects stock issues based on employee input (i.e., noting out-of-stock items) and alerts managers, allowing for immediate reordering and vendor communication.
• Heat mapping for sales optimization: Video AI provides heat maps to identify high-traffic areas, helping guide product placement and giving the retailer leverage in vendor negotiations.
• Improved staffing efficiency: AI helped reduce employee absentee instances from 1,600-plus in December to under 700 by March by analyzing staffing patterns and peak times.
• Enhanced loss prevention: AI flags returning individuals of interest (i.e., repeat shoplifters), allowing staff to respond more effectively and prevent theft.

A replay of "Customer Engagement Strategies That Work," as well as other sessions from the 2025 Convenience Store News Outstanding Independents Summit, are available here.