Convenience stores may not be the most glamorous location for an out-of-home campaign, but people flock to them in huge numbers, and that makes them a good venue for huge numbers of advertisers.
According to a recent study, 85 percent of men and 75 percent of women visit a convenience store at least four times in an average month.
Convenience stores work especially well as point-of-purchase venues for products such as snack foods, beverages and candy.
And compared to other out-of-home venues, convenience store advertising is inexpensive.
To find out how to get your client in convenience stores, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising at convenience stores.
Who
Larger markets have out-of-home companies that can handle convenience store campaigns in their city. There are also some regional and national vendors that allow advertisers to buy across markets.
How it works
Everyone has been to a convenience store, and most of the ad options at these stores are fairly straightforward.
But there are also some new options becoming available. A small number of stores have added digital screens behind the counter that rotate a series of ads.
Such ads are not yet commonplace, though, and digital innovations have been slower to come to convenience stores than other out-of-home venues such as gas stations and grocery stores, perhaps because dwell time is so short.
The most basic traditional option for convenience stores is static signage, which can be placed virtually anywhere in the store. Signage size can vary, but a standard measurement is 30 by 46 inches.
Clings are also common at convenience stores. These can be smaller, translucent vinyls in the shape of a logo or product placed on the windows, or larger, more colorful versions placed on the floor.
Advertisers can also hang ads from the ceilings of convenience stores so they dangle above customers' heads.
Most convenience stores have public restrooms as well where advertisers can also deploy static signage or clings on mirrors or floors.
Markets
Convenience store advertising can be executed in any market.
Numbers
There are 63,357 convenience stores in the U.S., according to IBISWorld, and they generate $54.3 billion in revenue annually.
How it is measured
The number of daily, weekly and monthly transactions is used by advertisers to estimate impressions.
What product categories work well
Categories that have used convenience stores include soft drinks, candy, snack foods, lottery, energy drinks, consumer packaged goods and auto.
Demographics
Males visit convenience stores an average of 10.2 times per month and women 9.6 times per month, according to a study commissioned by the vendor Carteles.
Eighty-five percent of people age 13-24 visit convenience stores at least four times monthly, as well as 75 percent of 25-34s, 74 percent of 35-49s and 57 percent of those 50-plus.
Making the buy
Lead time ranges from two to eight weeks, depending on the production time for the creative.
Campaigns inside convenience stores cost an average of $200 to $300 per month per store.
Who’s already at convenience stores
Recent or current convenience store advertisers include Halls, Nesquik, Texas Lottery, Motrin, Nestle, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Monster energy drink.
What they’re saying
"Not everybody goes to a gym, but everyone goes to a gas station or convenience store. It's an adult audience, people go one and a half times a week, and it's usually around where they work or live." –
Tony Jacobson, president and chief executive officer at AllOver Media
Web site info
Brite Media
http://www.britemedia.com/
Adcentricity
http://www.adcentricity.com/advertisers/landscape/Convenience_stores
AllOver Media
http://www.allovermedia.com
Gateway Outdoor
http://www.gatewayoutdoor.com/c-store.htm
Carteles
http://www.cartelesonesheets.com
Terraboost Media
http://www.terraboost.com
