The Autumn Side of the Industry

As fall leaves tumble to the ground, smart c-stores capitalize on consumer enthusiasm for the season.

Summer’s over; did you notice? Suddenly we’re in the time of orange and brown, Jack-o’-lanterns and nervous turkeys, mulled wine, mini-candy bars, pumpkins, and tree leaves turning, colorfully.

Autumn sometimes takes a back seat to the other seasons, but fall has its share of dedicated fans, not only here at SSCS, but throughout the c-store industry. After all, autumn is the time of Halloween and Thanksgiving, a pair of retail pillars in a season built out of unique and profitable opportunities.

Though Halloween is over a month away, the convenience store industry is already ramping up to take advantage. Here are a few examples related to the trend:

• On the enduring appeal of the pumpkin spice latte, by NACS.
• Japanese c-stores are stocking up on products with the country’s favorite fall flavor, sweet potato.
• Food Network’s 100 best pumpkin-flavored products for 2021
• Delish lists the 100 best Halloween candies for 2021.
• QuikTrip is offering free ice cream on Halloween.

Though it’s still a bit early for this year’s Thanksgiving’s promotions to begin in earnest, here are some stories from the past:

• Here’s how a couple of c-stores adapted Thanksgiving for their customers.
• QuickChek Launched a Limited-Time Thanksgiving Sub last year.
• Did you know that Pringles once launched chips in Thanksgiving flavors?
• Here’s a good survey of Thanksgiving convenience store promotions from CSP Daily News.

Despite the retail promise of autumn, it takes more than stocking a bunch of seasonal products to guarantee a return for your store. You have to know with certainty what’s selling and what you’re making on each item. You need to view historical performance so you can correctly project an inventory mix for upcoming seasons. If you’re offering promotions and discounts on certain items, you want to track their effectiveness at stimulating profit. And you don’t need to pour over receipts and spreadsheets to find trends, hot products, and slow movers when you could be out trick or treating with your kids or preparing a holiday feast for family and friends.

SSCS has been providing c-store software for over 40 years, and from the beginning it has been our mission to place the sales and inventory information you need in front of you, with the means to organize it in the way that’s most meaningful to you. Automation is the key to seasonal profitability. With more down time and profit, you’ll be able to enjoy autumn like never before!

If you are interested in or have questions about what SSCS Technology can do for your business, please call 1-800-972-7727 and ask for sales.