96% of all shoppers have left a store empty-handed. Of those, the vast majority left because they couldn’t find the product they wanted.
How often have you witnessed a customer dash into your store, hunt your shelves, and leave frustrated and bare-handed? You’ve not only lost a sale that day, but you may have lost a customer altogether. After all, they’ve just learned they can’t trust your store to stock the items they need. Why would they come back?
But you can avoid this fate. How? Stocking the top-selling items in convenience stores!
This post covers how to identify top sellers in your store. Then we’ll discuss eight common categories of items you should consider stocking on your shelves.
Identifying the Top-Selling Items in Convenience Stores
Before we dive into the common product categories and top-selling items in convenience stores industry-wide, let’s establish an important truth: the top sellers in your store will be unique to your customers, your market, and your store.
Knowing which products are your top sellers is crucial for running a successful convenience store. But how can you determine which products are winners for your store and which items to remove from your inventory? Let's dive into some strategies for identifying your convenience store's top-selling items.
Related Read: C-Store Inventory Basics: 8 Essential Tips and Tools
One of the most effective ways to pinpoint your bestsellers is to utilize sales reports. Generate daily, weekly, and monthly reports to see which items and categories perform well and which fail.
Some advantages of regular sales reporting include:
- Identifying seasonal patterns: Anticipating seasonal shifts ensures you can adjust inventory and ordering and have the products your customers want in stock all year round.
- Predict upcoming trends: Track long-term changes in customer preferences, such as a growing interest in healthier snacks or eco-friendly products, to adapt your product mix and stay relevant.
- Optimize your store layout: View sales reports by department and category to see how customers respond to your store layout and product placement.
Your point of sale (POS) system is the most valuable tool in your arsenal for identifying top-selling items. Let’s examine a few ways to leverage POS reporting to identify top-selling items and maximize profits in your convenience store.
- Identify items commonly purchased together:
- Strategically place complementary items near each other to encourage additional purchases.
- Train staff to suggest related items or promote special deals based on customer purchase history.
- Track the success of promotions and discounts:
- Compare sales data before, during, and after each campaign to identify successful efforts.
- Analyze your promotions and convenience store advertising to identify the most effective campaigns for your store and audience.
- Optimize inventory management:
- Use real-time inventory tracking to monitor stock levels and avoid running out of popular items.
- Set up automated alerts to notify you when essential products are running low so you can reorder before you run out.
- Analyze sales velocity (the rate at which a product sells over time) to optimize reorder quantities and minimize excess inventory
Now that we've explored some strategies for — and advantages of — identifying the top-selling items in your convenience store, let's take a look at the categories that tend to sell well regardless of location or store.
These tried-and-true product groups are a great starting point to optimize your convenience store inventory and drive more sales.
1. Bottled Water and Soft Drinks
The first category of products you’ll want to stock in your store is bottled water and soft drinks. These items are popular impulse purchases and are particularly important for convenience stores along interstate highways and other popular “road trip” routes.
Include a variety of popular brands and sizes to give your customers multiple options and ensure they get something they like. Consider offering still and sparkling water options, energy drinks, soft drinks, and sports drinks like Gatorade.
Key product notes:
- Stock well-known brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi
- Offer various sizes and packaging options, including bottles and cans
- Include flavored and enhanced water options, such as vitamin water or fruit-infused water
- Stock energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster, as well as sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade
Related Read: 9 Customer Incentive Ideas to Try in Your Retail Store ASAP
2. Snack Bars and Candy
Snack bars and candy are quick, convenient snacks that appeal to customers on the go — perfect for your ideal customer profile. To satisfy diverse tastes and dietary preferences, include a range of granola, protein, and cereal bars. You may also want to offer a variety of candy bars, gum, and mints in this same section of your store.
Key product notes:
- Stock popular granola bar brands like Nature Valley or Kashi
- Include protein bars for health-conscious customers or people looking for a meal replacement option
- Offer a mix of classic candy bars like Snickers, Twix, and Reese's, as well as newer or trending options
- Include gum and mints near the checkout to maximize impulse purchases
3. Cigarettes, Vapor, and Tobacco Products
Convenience stores often have a high demand for tobacco products, such as cigarettes, vapor, and other items. To cater to different preferences, it's important to offer a variety of cigarette brands and sizes. It's also a good idea to provide alternatives to traditional tobacco products, like e-cigarettes, nicotine gum, or flavored vapor products to meet the needs of a wider range of customers.
Depending on the laws and regulations in your state and locality, you may also want to explore stocking high-risk items like CBD products or kratom. If you offer these products, you’ll need a point of sale solution with high-risk payment processing options.
NOTE: The products in this category are highly regulated and age-restricted, so if you choose to stock these, ensure your store has the proper licensing and processes in tools to maintain proper age verification processes.
Key product notes:
- Stock popular cigarette brands like Marlboro, Camel, and Newport
- Offer smokeless tobacco options, such as chewing tobacco
- Include e-cigarettes and vaping products from brands like JUUL
- Consider stocking nicotine gum, lozenges, or patches for customers looking to quit smoking
- Explore the feasibility of offering CBD products or kratom based on local regulations and customer demand
4. Coffee Products
Coffee is a popular morning and afternoon pick-me-up for many convenience store customers. If your customer base includes many commuters stopping in on their way to work, you will want to pay special attention to this category.
Consider offering both hot and cold coffee options to accommodate different preferences. You can also adjust your prepared coffee offerings by season, offering more cold or iced coffee options in the summer and expanding your hot coffee selection in the cold seasons. There’s an additional appeal if you offer popular add-ins like flavored creamers or syrups so customers can make their coffee exactly how they want it.
You may also want to stock coffee grounds, single-serve coffee pods, and instant coffee pouches that customers can buy in-store and make at home or in the office.
Key product notes:
- Offer a selection of hot coffee blends, such as light, medium, and dark roasts
- Include flavored coffee options like French vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel
- Stock iced coffee or cold brew options for customers who prefer cold beverages
- Offer single-serve coffee pods compatible with popular brewing systems like Keurig or Nespresso
- Include instant coffee sachets or sticks for customers seeking a quick and easy coffee solution
5. Basic Grocery Items
Convenience stores often serve as a first stop for customers who need grocery essentials in a pinch. To take advantage of this audience, you can stock staple items like bread, bagels, English muffins, and tortillas to meet a variety of meal and snack needs.
You may also offer products like cereal, meal replacement shakes, ramen noodles, and other instant meals. Additionally, consider carrying single-serve and larger sizes of dairy products, such as milk, to accommodate different customer preferences and needs.
Key product notes:
- Carry sliced bread, bagels, and specialty breads like English muffins and tortillas
- Include single-serve milk options, such as half-pints or individual cartons, for on-the-go customers
- Consider carrying products like orange juice, cereal, and other “grab-and-go” essentials
6. Toiletries and Personal Care Items
Convenience stores often serve as lifesavers for travelers or customers with last-minute personal care needs.
Stock essential items like toothpaste, deodorant, and pain relievers to cater to these demands. Travel-sized options are even more convenient, particularly if your store serves many out-of-town travelers.
Don’t forget to include feminine hygiene products, condoms, pregnancy tests, and other necessities customers may want to purchase discretely. Baby care essentials like diapers and wipes are more items that parents and caregivers might need. As an added bonus, not all convenience stores carry these items, so it’s a great way to make your store their go-to stop.
Key product notes:
- Stock toothpaste, deodorants, and other essentials in both full- and travel-sized options
- Offer pain relievers such as Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve in individual doses or small packages
- Include feminine hygiene products like tampons and sanitary pads
- Stock condoms from trusted brands
- Consider including baby care essentials like diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream
Related Read: Are Convenience Stores a Good Investment? 5 Ways To Increase Profitability
7. Chips and Salty Snacks
Another popular product category for convenience stores is chips and salty snacks. These items are popular impulse buys in individual sizes and popular party favorites in full-sized packages, making them essential for convenience stores in all markets.
Stock classic options like potato chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels, as well as healthier alternatives like veggie chips or popcorn. Consider offering dips and salsa to complement your chip selections and provide customers with a one-stop-shopping experience for their party essentials needs.
Key product notes:
- Include popular potato and tortilla chip brands and options
- Offer pretzels in different shapes and flavors
- Include healthier chip options or popcorn options for health-conscious customers
- Consider offering dips and salsas to complement chip selections
8. Lottery Tickets and Miscellaneous Products
Another product you may want to stock in your convenience store is lottery tickets. Consider state lottery games and scratch-off tickets, offering customers a variety of options and taking advantage of the buzz major jackpots can generate, bringing additional traffic into your store.
NOTE: If you plan to sell lottery tickets in your store, you must comply with all laws and regulations to meet your state’s lottery requirements.
Related Read: 4 Top Choices for Bodega POS Solutions for This Year
You can also offer gift cards for popular retailers, restaurants, and online services to cater to customers seeking quick and easy gift options. Consider selling prepaid phone and gaming cards to appeal to customers who prefer pay-as-you-go plans or gaming subscriptions.
Finally, you can sell basic electronic accessories like phone chargers and adapter cables to accommodate customers' on-the-go technology needs.
Key product notes:
- Stock popular lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions
- Include a variety of scratch-off tickets at different price points and themes
- Offer gift cards for popular retailers and restaurants, like Amazon, Starbucks, and Target
- Stock prepaid cards for phone carriers and gaming services
- Sell essential electronic accessories, including phone chargers, adapter cables, and earbuds
How To Stock The Top-Selling Items in Convenience Stores on Your Shelves
The eight product categories covered in this post are all excellent choices for staples to stock in your convenience store. Still, while these categories tend to sell well across the board, remember that every market, area, and individual store is unique. What flies off the shelves in one location might gather dust in another.
So, how can you stock the top-selling items for your specific customer base? The answer lies in having the right data and reports at your fingertips.
Investing in an all-in-one point of sale system lets you easily identify your store's bestsellers and track trends over time. This information empowers you to decide which products to stock, promote, and showcase, helping you boost your sales and keep your most loyal customers coming back.
C-Store POS is an all-in-one point of sale solution built for convenience stores. Our tool offers built-in reporting and analytics features, giving you the insights to optimize your inventory and stay ahead of the competition.
Schedule a demo of C-Store POS today and see how our solution can help you stock top-selling items in your convenience store all year round.
