Basking in the Glow (and Profit) of a Special Event Near You

Not every city hosts a Concours d’Elegance, but a good c-store can capitalize on any high profile event in its area.

Here, at SSCS Headquarters in Salinas, we rub shoulders with the Monterey Peninsula, which means we’re close to a steady flow of high profile events. That the Peninsula is a national destination makes it a magnet for special occasions, providing a temporary home for some, year after year.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is one that gets a lot of exposure due to golf’s fanbase, celebrities, and four straight days of media coverage, but Monterey Car Week, going on now, is larger in scope, as it is filled with dozens of events that take place in numerous localities for over a week, actually.

People tend to think of elegance and exclusivity when they think of Car Week. There’s reasons for that, with the Concours d’Elegance at the top of the list. Other events like the Classic Car Forums, Ferrari Parades, and Sotheby auto auctions contribute to that image, too. So do the races, which include historicals and other ultra-end vehicles you don’t see every day.

Yet there’s a lot more to Car Week than the glamour. Events spill across the Peninsula, beyond Pebble Beach, to adjacent communities that provide easier, more affordable ways for the general public to get its cool car fix. Sometimes it’s just a matter of walking down the street, as evidenced from last year’s post on Car Week.

Of course, all this action is good for Monterey Peninsula convenience stores. A temporary burst of visitors means more potential customers, for a time at least. And with the spread of the show into adjacent cities, potential customers may find themselves in the store’s neighborhood, walking by its doors on the way to check out a small, local automotive event.

The best operators in the area prepare themselves for the moment, every year, perhaps by stocking a limited edition set of car-themed merchandise. Or putting together high-end road trip “packages” for those driving to the Concours, featuring gourmet snacks, premium beverages, and essential car care products. And we’ve seen c-stores partner with local automotive dealerships/repairers to tie in special discount coupons for car service, good for the course of the show.

However, a c-store doesn’t need a car show to capitalize on a special event, and it doesn’t need to be around Pebble Beach, either. The American landscape is dotted with of special event marketing opportunities, changing throughout the year, leading to all sorts of possibilities.

It’s not necessarily easy to be good at it, though. Being in position to increase profitability during a limited time event requires a deft and nimble approach to managing c-store inventory. Items may move rapidly in and out of your site database; their list prices may fluctuate during and after the event. In addition, you’ll most likely want to bundle items into sets for promotions, and, ideally, have flexibility in how you take item discounts. It requires a lot of attention and time. Especially without the right c-store software.

SSCS Technology, specifically, our Computerized Daily Book (CDB) back office system, makes maximizing the potential of special occurrences much easier for convenience stores. The CDB automates price changes, assists you in the one-and-done set up of time sensitive promotions, and tracks sales performance during any time period you define—that way you can see if it is worthwhile to promote your store as in conjunction with the event. If you want to know more, don’t wait for a special occasion! Give us a call at (800) 927-7277 and we’ll share all the details.