Every morning at 4:22 a.m., the bell rings for the shift change at a Beverly, Ohio, factory. Employees at the nearby Corner Store & Drive Thru are ready. They’ve been on the clock since the convenience store opened at 4 a.m. Those on their way into work grab breakfast and a deli sandwich for their lunch break while hot meals are ready for hungry workers going home for the day. 

“We are the earliest doors open. We open before the local McDonald’s,” said Rachel Eickert, owner at Corner Store Corp., the convenience store that her mother operated for almost 20 years before Eickert took over.  

It’s a picture-perfect snapshot of what’s at the heart of being an independent retailer—knowing the unique needs of your customers and serving the community with pride.  

Family-owned Glassmere Fuel Service operates three convenience stores in Western Pennsylvania, where it competes with “big name competitors” in the region, said Kellen Cromie, marketing director at Glassmere. “We have a lot of respect for those companies, and they’re ones we want to emulate. But we’re a smaller operator so we do think very differently.” 

Being small in store count doesn’t mean retailers have to stand in the shadow of multi-unit operators. Independents have their own advantages, while technology tools that were once inaccessible are now within reach. 

Level Up With Loyalty

A critical foundation of retail success is communicating with your customers, said Ernie Harker of Ignite Retail Technology. “You need to keep in front of [your customers]. Loyalty programs are awesome for promotions but also marketing and connection. Small operators now can easily get white label apps or single kiosks for inputting a phone number.”  

Glassmere has its own loyalty app, which quickly became popular with its customers. The company started looking into the idea four years ago, and at the time went with a lower-cost option. “It was lower end but it still gained a lot of traction. It looked good, functioned well and we had a lot of initial investment in it. People were happy,” Cromie explained. Glassmere switched later to a new provider, but the lesson is clear—start somewhere.  

“Something like [a loyalty app] isn’t out of reach anymore. Five years ago, that would have been far too expensive and involved for a small operator like myself. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars,” he said. 

Between Glassmere’s three locations, Cromie said the investment more than pays for itself in cigarette rebates alone. “People who are using the app really take advantage of those kinds of things. I’ve seen at least a 5-6% increase in my cigarette rebates just because they’re using those two-pack deals that I didn’t have previously.”

And that’s with only 30% of his customers using the digital app. The other 70%, he said, still use a physical card.

At Corner Store, the company also taps into more analog, but successful, loyalty methods—a text club run by a cigarette manufacturer alerting customers to promotions or discounts, and stamp cards for its foodservice. 

“We do a buy 10 breakfasts or lunches and get one free stamp card. We allow stamps for as many items as there are per transaction, so if they buy four sandwiches, then they get four stamps,” said Eickert. “People fill up the stamp cards really quickly, but it increases how much they buy, and it also really increases the overall ticket size.” 

Cutting-Edge Moves 

As a small retailer, Cromie is always looking for “that little extra edge.” What he means by that, he said, is finding incremental ways that he can enhance store operations while saving costs.

Glassmere uses LED TV screens in its stores to display promotions, digital pump screens through DX Promote to highlight specials while customers are fueling, and AI voice messaging over the speakers inside and outside to reinforce deals. “These are all simple, affordable tools that make us look and act like a much bigger chain,” Cromie noted. 

“I’ve also had success with some food vendors I’ve worked with having them advertise on the screens,” he said. In addition to directly monetizing the airtime, he has traded digital ad time for free products, extra products at point of purchase and rebates. “Those are the kind of things that I’m always looking for.”

The screens also help with his marketing and product sales, too. 

“We are big boots-on-the-ground people. With my in-store screens, it’s important that I’m getting all my messages across for people when they’re actually at the store,” he said. With regulars making up more than half of his customer base, he said getting them to the store isn’t where he focuses his marketing efforts. Instead, he focuses on driving promotions during the shopping moment. 

“I’ve got my indoor TVs running ads on scheduled rotations, and ads at the pump. Through our vendor I can run whatever I want, which allows me to do things like sell the airtime. We also added overhead messaging systems with music programs. I’ve seen a lot of success with that. It’s always nice to walk into your store and see someone whistling along to the music,” he said. 

At the same time, he emphasized that manual methods still work. “I still print out physical signs. Out in the community, if I’m running a big gasoline special next month, I call someone down at the municipal building and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be doing this, can you let everyone know? Here’s a flyer.’” 

Play the Position 

One thing independents don’t have: red tape. “My wholesaler and I have each other on speed dial. One of the biggest benefits we have is just the speed and flexibility of being able to get new products in and test them out,” said Cromie. He said that he likes to “get in front of fun TikTok trends” or experiment with new products. 

Vendor relationships are critical, he said, and who you choose to partner with matters. “Even with a small footprint, I still want that attention from my wholesaler. I like small vendors. I like local vendors. People notice that around here in Western Pennsylvania. Local is good.”

Staying on trend is not easy 100% of the time, said Eickert. “Just this week, there was a new flavor from a big energy brand that came out. I won’t be able to get it in for about a week or two, but our local Family Dollar is selling it. Family Dollar can create contracts to get that product a month earlier than what we can do. That’s a challenge.” 

Corner Store’s municipality also only has two liquor licenses, which Eickert said were given to two chain gas stations in the area, boxing Corner Store out of the category. So, the store has leaned heavily into its beer selection. “We are outselling Walmarts and Krogers,” she said. 

Expanding Your Repertoire

While smaller operators may not have the latest and flashiest tech displayed in store or the most expensive software systems, there are plenty of programs that retailers can use to make their day more efficient, said Cromie. 

“As the entire marketing department, I design materials in Canva, which is pretty easy. Or I use AI [like ChatGPT] to run statistics on sales in my area or to make online ads according to demographics and geography. For us to bring something in, it first and foremost has to be affordable, but there are low-cost options at your disposal.”

Social media is “free advertisement unless you want to boost the post, and even then it’s very affordable,” said Eickert. “It gets your name out there, and you can run your own deals and specials that are customized, such as for busy or slow days of the week.” 

She also said she leans on AI to help craft social content, saving significant time and energy as a store owner with a lot on her plate. After writing the prompt, “AI can generate in seconds. What would take me an hour … AI does it in seconds. I use its wording and it’s so convenient and it saves so much time.” 

A Local Game Plan 

“The absolute best thing you can do for your brand is to get involved with your community. This is where independents absolutely shine,” Cromie said. He said Glassmere tries to do “basically everything we can, whether it’s donations, sponsorship or even just showing up.” Glassmere also helps others in the community with their local efforts. “If someone is doing a fundraiser, we’ll hang up their flyer. If they’re selling tickets to something, we’ll buy some and sell them to our customers,” he said. 

Corner Store is close to two schools. The business supports them as much as possible. “Whenever the parents of the students see you inside of the yearbook or on the billboards at the games, they see you as a destination that cares about their children,” said Eickert. 

“It’s important for small businesses to do the little things like that,” said Cromie. “It’s not just getting your name out there. It shows [local customers] ‘Here’s where your dollar is going when you spend it at Glassmere.’” 

Conversations Go a Long Way 

With limited footprints, Glassmere Fuel Service locations don’t have the ability to have made-to-order foodservice programs, said Kellen Cromie, marketing director at Glassmere. “So it’s really important that we’re talking to our customers every day. We ask them, ‘What do you want to see this week? What are you hungry for? What can we order?’ We’re always trying to mix things up with the food that we’re bringing in and personalizing it to our customers. This keeps my regulars happy, and it also means I’m reducing waste [in inventory].” 

Cromie keeps sheets at the front of the store where customers can write down product suggestions. “We might also ask them if they would be interested if we brought a specific item in at a certain price. We have customers who are really engaged in this way simply because of the fact that we are a small store.”

Find Your Lane

In Beverly, Ohio, Corner Store is the only drive-thru convenience store within a 50-mile radius, said Rachel Eickert, owner at Corner Store Corp. 

“This really sets us apart from our competitors. Customers can get whatever they want out of it—beer, cigarettes, candy, foodservice, lottery. It’s a full-service drive-thru window,” she said. “It’s a really helpful option for mothers with children who don’t want to get them out of the car, or the elderly, or if it’s a cold day and a customer just doesn’t want to come inside.” 

Corner Store also pays attention to the details and has added thoughtful touches to its drive-thru experience. “We have suckers ready for the kids, and dog treats—the customers really love those,” she said. “Customers really just want the accessibility of the drive thru that also gives them all the options they’re looking for. They want in-and-out service but also the whole choice of offerings.”