Bucky’s convenience stores have a surefire way of letting their customers know they care about them. “We recognize that consumers are very sensitive to cleanliness,” remarked Jason Ricks, vice president of operations at the 95-unit chain, with stores in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas. “Having clean restrooms is one of our No. 1 goals.”

That focus on cleanliness hasn’t been lost on a key customer demographic at Bucky’s: females. “Women drive so much of the decision making for the household,” noted Ricks. “We believe it’s important to make our stores welcoming, clean and safe.”

Indeed, convenience retailers around the country are working hard to court and retain female shoppers, and while inroads are being made, operators and industry observers say much opportunity lies ahead. Larry Levin, executive vice president, market and shopper intelligence at IRI, for example, pointed to the progress c-stores are making in “going after different need states,” including fresh food offerings. “Fresh is important to females, and the channel has done a good job in answering that need state by putting a big focus on fresh,” Levin said.

Still, c-stores are the only major channel where females don’t drive the majority of shopper trips, according to Todd Hale, a retail consultant and former Nielsen executive. He attributed that lag to c-stores’ important “male-only households”—who make 29% more trips to the channel than female head-of-household consumers—as well as traditional c-store offerings like tobacco and beer. While beer tends to draw more sales from male consumers, tobacco attracts male and female consumers alike.

Today, females comprise 43% of c-store shoppers, Leroy Kelsey, NACS research director, reported, with males accounting for 57%. That compares to a historical 40/60 split between females and males, noted Kelsey, citing CVS’s 2014 decision to pull out of the tobacco business—a move that drove female shoppers from the drugstore chain to c-stores—as a key reason for the shift.

According to the most recent NACS Convenience Tracking Program (CTP), females made an average of 2.1 trips to c-stores a week in 2019, down from 2.6 trips in 2017. Kelsey said that while c-stores in general are losing trips to QSR outlets, the loss of a half a trip a week by females is a slightly faster decline than among males and indicates that females may be shopping other channels for particular items. “This presents an opportunity for c-stores to double down on cleanliness and bright, safe stores,” he said.

C-stores are the only major channel where females don’t drive the majority of shopper trips.

Beyond fuel, the largest category drivers for females in c-stores are cold dispensed beverages; store services such as lottery, car wash and ATM; and cigarettes and packaged beverages, CTP found. Female c-store shoppers are slightly more impulsive than male shoppers, according to CTP, intending to purchase two items on average, but in actuality purchasing 2.1 items. (Males intended to purchase 1.9 items and actually purchased two items.)

Missed purchases also represent a big opportunity for c-stores to court female shoppers, Kelsey said, noting that 5% of females exit a c-store without purchasing an intended item versus 3% for males. Certain trip types, meanwhile, also provide potential for c-stores to leverage visits from females, noted Kelsey, pointing to the fact that women are 3½ times more likely to visit a c-store when picking up children than men. “There’s an opportunity to capitalize on this type of visit by stocking healthy snacks for children,” Kelsey suggested.

The New Baseline: Aesthetics and Cleanliness

Store aesthetics are another important factor in driving visits by females, retailers and experts agreed. Steven Cohen, vice president of design services at GSP Inc., which provides in-store marketing and remodeling solutions for retailers and has worked with the likes of Martin & Bayley’s Huck’s and Giant Oil’s On the Fly concepts, advocates for wide aisles and clear and concise signage. Wide aisles provide comfort and ease of shopping, particularly for mothers with strollers or kids in tow, he said. Also, “female shoppers can take their time reading labels or making decisions without other shoppers crowding their space,” Cohen remarked. Clear signage, meanwhile, “makes everything easier to find,” including restrooms, ATMs and grab-and-go products, he said.

The Mid-Atlantic’s High’s chain kept mothers and children in mind when designing its new flagship store in Gambrills, Maryland, complete with an ice cream counter. “The design of the ice cream case and counter is very inviting for families,” said Brad Chivington, senior vice president and general manager. “Kids can run up to the case and see all of our available flavors. The counter gives a nostalgic feel to the environment with its fun bar stools and bright red coloring.”

Perhaps the most important store aesthetic for females is cleanliness. According to recent research from the Bradley Corp., a manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures, nearly 60% of Americans will leave a business or vow to never return after encountering an unpleasant restroom. Indeed, 62% of polled adults said they’re willing to spend more money at a business with well-kept restrooms, the research found, while 75% make it a point to visit a business because it has nice restrooms. Females are more demanding than males when it comes to clean restrooms, added Cohen, noting that the majority of women will avoid an unclean restroom, versus less than half of men.

For c-stores, clean restrooms are “the new baseline,” remarked Bob Bolduc, CEO of Massachusetts’ Pride Stores. “We all agree that the No. 1 offering motorists want to rely on when visiting a c-store is a clean restroom.” At Bucky’s, that means employees check restrooms every 15 minutes and document their checks, Ricks reported. “Customers often tell us that’s the reason they stop,” the retailer said. New York’s Stewart’s Shops also focuses on clean restrooms. “Female shoppers make up a large part of our customer base, and we find that many women enjoy shopping at Stewart’s due to our clean restrooms,” said Erica Komoroske, spokesperson for the 336-unit chain. High’s, meanwhile, makes restroom maintenance a priority. “Each year we select a number of restrooms to upgrade,” Chivington explained. “This includes adding touch-free fixtures and baby-changing tables.”

Paying Attention: Marketing and Merchandising

The same attention paid to restrooms, of course, must be applied to other areas of the store. When it comes to foodservice, “Women prioritize quality, freshness and healthy offerings more than men,” remarked Donna Hood Crecca, a principal at Technomic Inc. As a result, freshness dates and clear packaging are essential, she continued.

Bucky’s foodservice program, for one, is popular with females. “We have a robust bean-to-cup coffee program that females love,” Ricks said. Under the program, Bucky’s guests can customize their own coffee drinks via a variety of creamers, toppings and whipped creams. Due to customer access to the coffee station, “We make sure that our coffee area, as well as our fountain drinks area, are constantly wiped down,” the retailer noted. Refillable mugs were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 in favor of disposable cups.

In addition to foodservice, particular merchandise categories can make c-stores destinations for female shoppers. Levin said that IRI’s most recent research (2019) has found that 71% of female shoppers went into c-stores to purchase beverages, up from 63% in 2018, compared with 61% for male shoppers (up from 56%). Additionally, 19% of female shoppers visited c-stores last year to purchase tobacco, Levin said, up from 12% the prior year. The increase, again, was likely due to the withdrawal of tobacco sales at other trade channels.

Once c-stores have established themselves as destinations for excellent food and beverage options, with clean conditions inside and out, marketing tactics must effectively communicate those attributes to females. Hale and Cohen said digital programming must be inclusive of females. “Make sure that with social media you have a brand, a personality, a voice that speaks to all shoppers,” commented the GSP executive, “not just Bubba.” Levin added that when marketing foodservice items, “focus on promotions and tout good-for-you products. Boast about the high-quality fresh foods you offer.”

Effectively marketing to female shoppers requires close attention to detail and a deep commitment from operators. But with females increasingly accounting for the lion’s share of buying power in virtually all other trade channels, c-stores courting this important consumer have much to gain and little to lose.