Diving Deep into Autumn

It’s the time of season when the days shorten, the air gets chillier, and seasonal retailing reaches a peak.

Welcome to the deep part of autumn, the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving, a peak convenience retailing season with many distinct, limited-time only products and promotions. Store vendors and suppliers go all in on the seasonal transformation, too, teaming with c-stores to tap into seasonal themes and symbols (and flavors!) that are hard for a consumer to resist. Let’s go through a few examples.

Pumpkin-Themed Products. We’re getting the obvious out of the way first. We’ve written often about pumpkins in seasons past. There’s nothing more iconic to autumn than a bunch of orange squashes sitting in a field, unless it’s a flood of pumpkin spice products and merchandise. So instead of retreading familiar ground, let’s not use food examples, but products more likely to end up landing in your HABA department: pumpkin spice deodorant, pumpkin spice toilet paper, and pumpkin spice beard oil. We expect they’ll add a seasonal air to your home’s restroom.

Spiced Cider. Apples flourish in cold, rainy weather, and somebody has to do something with all those extras hanging off the branches, right? Little wonder then that spiced apple cider has become as good as the official drink of autumn. It pours out of taps at farm orchards and at specialty food retailers. Ready-to-drink cans and bottles are available on the shelf or in the cooler. Powered drink mixes find favor among some consumers.

Maple Syrup. Maple syrup is harvested in fall, just in time to pour over pancakes on brisk autumn mornings. Though the state of Vermont is closely associated with maple syrup, the Adirondack Mountains of New York are a maple syrup hotbed, home to many unique maple syrup experiences like the ones found at the Nettle Family Farm and store. Syrup collectors (if you’re out there) please note: super extra rare maple syrups are available for sale. Don’t miss out!

Turkey. Turkey awareness increases steadily as Thanksgiving approaches, elevating the profile of that most famous seasonal fowl. For now we wanted to give you the chance to anticipate the Day of the Turkey with these Lay’s Limited Edition Turkey Dinner Chips. And these turkey stuffing crackers look like they’d be a perfect complement for holiday parties. Maybe we’ll come back to live turkeys in a few weeks.

The Day of the Dead. While it might not seem to really “go” with the rest of the autumn season, the Day of the Dead really leads it off, coming right after Halloween. The Stripes chain began specifically branding merchandize for the occasion, and independent, small town operator Colima Market in Bend, Oregon lets the theme totally take over the store. Arizona’s regional Food City chain also makes a special effort to decorate and place merchandise specific to the holiday.

At SSCS, we like autumn too, and not just because there’s a lot of orange around (it’s our favorite color!). It’s also a time when many operators, in the aftermath of NACS, mull over what they’ve seen at that show (and other shows before that), and are freshly inspired to look for ways to improve their businesses. One solid method is by making an investment in c-store technology. If that’s the way you’ve been thinking lately, but you want to understand how to make it work for you, just give us a call at 1-800-972-7727. We’ll show you how our software can make a significant difference to your store’s bottom line, and that’s something that never goes out of season.