Consumers Tell All

February 25, 2016

Guess what customers are saying about your stores? Some of the answers surprised even us

By Abbey Lewis, Editor in Chief, Convenience Store Products , Feb. 2, 2016

consumer-opinions.png

Illustration by Jean Jullien

From behind the two-way mirror, we exchanged glances—we were perplexed, surprised, amazed. A colleague and I sat with our notebooks in the dark, prepared to hear a lot of things we already knew: Customers like variety, fresh food, clean bathrooms, etc. But when our two focus groups arrived at Product Evaluations Inc.’s offices in Oak Brook, Ill., we heard a lot of things we weren’t expecting. Did you know they don’t consider convenience stores and gas stations to be the same thing?

Product Evaluations, a foodservice market research company, usually focuses only on food. Its expertise is on your roller grill or coffee bar. But for us the company bent the rules, focusing the line of questioning on the forecourt, backcourt and new products—and, of course, foodservice.

When we began developing the questions, we realized this could be a unique opportunity to truly discern between millennial customers and all the others. So we broke them into two groups. The first group was made up mostly of Gen X shoppers, with some baby boomers. The second group was composed entirely of millennial customers.

It’s worth mentioning all panel participants are from the Chicago area, which is flush with 7-Eleven, Speedway, BP, Thorntons and independent locations. None of our participants had even heard of Wawa, much less Rutter’s, Kwik Trip or Stripes. (Maybe next year we’ll conduct a panel from Florida and see what they think …)

Read on to see the differences and surprising similarities among respondents—as well as actionable tips based on their feedback. And keep an eye out at CStoreProductsOnline.com to read some of the outtakes.

> Consumer Loyalty Programs <

MILLENNIAL

Q: What makes you loyal to a particular convenience store?

Liz (Household income <$25,000): I look for a rewards program. I have one that’s an app on your phone and you can get free coffees and different free things. … I know if I get something, I’m going to get something free next time. It’s easier on my wallet. 7-Eleven had free coffee for the entire week recently, so I was there a lot. I went out of my way to get to that.

Q: Who has used rewards cards? Does it make you more loyal to those brands?

Mary ($75,000-$99,999): Yeah, at Speedway if you say you don’t have [your card], half the time they’ll just scan a new one for you. They pass them out like candy.

Tom ($100,000 or more): Yeah, they have bonus points that you buy like, say you buy a Red Bull, you get a hundred more extra points or something like that [at Speedway].

David ($100,000 or more): You buy three pieces of pizza instead of two, you get a bunch of extra points …

Convenience Store Products: So do they “get you” on that?

David: Oh yeah, I’m a sucker for that.

Big Idea

Liz: When I go to get scratch-o­ffs, I always go to the CITGO in Glenwood, Ill., because they have all the machines right next to each other. They also have an area where you can sit down and scratch them o­ff. It’s much better than other places.

 

Altria Scan Data

GENERAL POPULATION

Q: What are you purchasing when you go to the convenience store?

Lorraine ($25,000-$39,000): When I go to a c-store … I might get some feminine products. I don’t want to necessarily go through the hassle of going to Wal-Mart, standing in line, going to search for it. The convenience store has got your drinks over here, you got your other stuff over here, you go, “OK, let me just grab it real quick and go.” The big stores, you have to deal with people, the crowd, and you got to really search. You ain’t got time for that.

Catherine ($100,000 or more): I usually just go there for drinks, like AriZona tea, or just a bag of chips and then go.

David ($100,000 or more): Beer, lottery tickets, scratch-offs—that’s probably it for that.

Do This!

Mobile payment, souped-up loyalty programs, at-pump ordering, connected cooking equipment and more can greatly affect your foodservice program. According to an NCR study from earlier this year, 67% of restaurant owners and managers said that technology has a direct effect on increased revenue, and 35% are more dependent on tech tools than they were a year ago. Just remember to do your due diligence. Don’t invest in something your customers won’t use.

> New-Product Strategy <

GENERAL POPULATION

Q: How often do you go into the convenience store vs. just staying out at the pumps for gas?

Liz (Household income <$25,000): Most of the time I go inside.

Peter ($25,000-$39,000): I always go inside. When I’m not getting gas at Costco because it’s cheaper, whenever I stop at one of those stations, I always go inside. If I stop at one of those stations to get gas, it’s because I’m almost empty.

Jane ($40,000-$74,999): If I’m at the pump, and it’s at a convenience store, I always go in. Not that I need to go in. I don’t know why. I want to look at something. And I don’t pay at the pump.

Anne ($40,000-$74,999): Even with your credit card. Just go in. You just got to go in.

Convenience Store Products: You say you don’t ever pay at the pump?

Peter: I don’t because of security reasons. … I’ve heard so many things. I always go inside and pay, even if I want to swipe my card—I just don’t swipe it at the pump.

35%

The amount of gas customers who also go inside the store —2015 NACS Consumer Fuels Survey

 

Q: What piques your interest when you walk in a store? What will catch your eye?

Peter: Sometimes a display. What’s in front of your face—sometimes it’s a new product.

Anne: You know when you were a kid in a candy store, you see something at that display and you think, “Let’s go check that out.”

Peter: New Gatorade just came out. New flavors. Oh, that looks good. I’ll just take it.

MILLENNIAL

Q: What makes convenience stores unique from other kinds of stores?

Catherine ($100,000 or more): No lines.

David ($100,000 or more): In and out—it’s quick.

Lorraine ($25,000-$39,000): Everything is conveniently placed, so it’s not a whole search through a maze. Most of the aisles are open, so that when you’re walking through diagonally, you can see most of the things as you’re going. The setup is more open than a regular store.

Tom ($100,000 or more): Everything is accessible—easy to find.

“I’ll be out at lunch, and I don’t want to be at work, so I’ll find the gas station, go in there, look around, take my time, find something to snack on, then go back to work.” —Liz (<$25,000)

Do This!

New products matter! Work on developing your new-product strategy, but first strengthen Your core offer. Implement the proper analytics to measure your core products before investing in too many new-product tests. Of course, consistency could be the key—your customers are coming to you to find new products and will go to the same area or merchandiser to find them each time. Develop a plan and stick to it.

> Store Atmosphere <

MILLENNIAL

Q: How do you choose one store over the other?

Amanda (Household income $40,000-$74,999): I judge it on the size of the gas station. If I’m driving around or on a road trip, I’m going to hit the gas station that’s the biggest if I’m looking for snacks. I’m not going to go into, like, a little square shop …

Convenience Store Products: Why wouldn’t you go into the little place?

Amanda: Because then I feel like there’s less selection. If I’m going there specifically for food or whatever, I’m going to look for the biggest one. Even for a bathroom, I look for the biggest one because it means it won’t be outside.

Q: What do you buy at convenience stores?

Jenna: I remember when those Cheetos things came out, with all like the weird balls and everything, and I was like, oh my God, that’s going to be amazing. I was looking for them and I figured the gas stations would have it, so that’s when I was just knocking down the door. I finally found them.

57%

The amount of convenience stores (127,588 total) that sell motor fuels —NACSonline.com

 

GENERAL POPULATION

Q: What does the size of the store mean to you?

Peter ($25,000-$39,000): The small ones—it’s too cramped in there. There’s too many people in there. And it’s not just the inside, but the outside also. When you’re pulling up to this huge place, where there’s 10, 12 pumps and a big parking lot … with good lights.

Jane ($40,000-$74,999): Yes, you want the good lighting. It would be a safety issue.

Jack ($100,000 or more): A cramped place doesn’t feel as safe.

Jane: I will bypass those [small stores]. I’ll go to a bigger one. I would definitely go there before I’d go to a smaller one—it’s just safer.

Big Idea

Patty ($40,000-$74,999): What they need is oatmeal. Everyone else has oatmeal. I want oatmeal. It would be perfect for a convenience store—defi­nitely.

Do This!

Surprisingly, both demographics differentiated between “gas stations” and “convenience stores.” To explain, Liz said, “I feel like the size is what distinguishes it. If it’s a really small building, then we feel like it’s just a gas station, nothing special. If it’s a bigger-size building and there’s more square footage, then it’s more of a convenience store.” Installing brighter lights and decluttering could go a long way toward attracting that new customer, boomers and millennials alike.

> Foodservice  <

GENERAL POPULATION

Q: What’s your favorite food to buy at convenience stores?

Lorraine (Household income $25,000-$39,000): Pizza. You’re not expecting to get a supreme pizza—like, it’s going to be your most basic pepperoni, sausage or cheese.

David ($100,000 or more): I’m one of the least pickiest eaters out there, so it’s like I’ll get a Speedy Dog, and just load it up with all the ingredients, and I’ll go to town and I will love it. I’ll get their pizza and I’ll love it. That’s just me.

3 in 4

The number of shoppers who say it’s important to feel good about the foods and beverages they consume —Technomic’s Consumer Trend Report

 

Q: Which foods belong in convenience stores, and which do not?

Convenience Store Products: OK, so you’ve indicated that these items don’t ­fit at all: deli salads; chicken, either fried, roasted or grilled; soup, chili, dispensed ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Jenna (<$25,000): Where are you cooking the chicken?

Convenience Store Products: What about ice cream, soup or chili?

Amanda ($40,000-$74,999): I haven’t seen those.

David: Yeah, me neither.

Catherine ($100,000 or more): I think it’d be hard to keep the frozen-yogurt machine clean, but I’d totally get it.

MILLENNIAL

Q: How have your perceptions of convenience-store food changed?

David: Before, I always just assumed that it wasn’t good, that it wouldn’t taste good—I don’t know. … Once it became convenient to where I was working, and it was easy, convenient to get food there, I tried it. I said, “What the heck? Let’s do it.” And it tastes good. Let’s do it again.

Amanda ($40,000-$74,999): I feel exactly the same. I always thought it was just disgusting, and people might sneeze on it or something, but then it’s like, my guy would have me go pick up a pizza or something. Okay. And then I’m like, “Oh, it’s not that bad.” Then I ended up getting a few things for myself after that.

Tom ($100,000 or more): I felt like coffee was really bad at convenience stores, but I actually found out that at 7-Eleven, their coffee is much better than I thought.

“A large Slurpee from 7-Eleven—at 2 a.m., every time I was studying … we’d all go. It was awesome. And they go great with those little taquito things.” —Jenna

InsightRS Scan Data

Do This!

These customers have changed their view of the food in your stores. Believe it or not, as much as perception of c-store fare has improved, there are still opportunities to be had. And freshness is the key. According to Technomic, 76% of consumers say positive terms such as “natural flavors” are perceived as resulting in enhanced flavors. And shoppers are demanding more transparency in their food. Non-GMO-fed, verified fresh eggs, chicken, pork and even sausages from brands such as Fork in the Road will be worth watching. Try it. They might like it!

http://www.cstoreproductsonline.com/foodservice/opinion-consumer-perspective

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Convenience Stores Offer More Convenience

February 23, 2016

Convenience Stores Sell Time

Convenience stores offer speed of service to time-starved consumers who want to get in and out of the store quickly. These shoppers recognize this channel of trade for its convenient locations, extended hours of operation, one-stop shopping, grab-and-go foodservice, variety of merchandise and fast transactions.

The average convenience store is 2,744 square feet. New stores are bigger, with 3,590 square feet, with about 2,582 square feet of sales area and about 1,008 square feet of non-sales area — a nod to retailers recognizing the importance of creating destinations within the store that require additional space — whether coffee islands, foodservice areas with seating or financial services kiosks. Convenience stores also have expanded their offerings over the last few years, with stores become part supermarket, restaurant, gas station and even a bank or drugstore. (NACS State of the Industry data)

The convenience store industry is America’s primary source for fuel. Overall, 83.5% of convenience stores (127,588 total) sell motor fuels, a .7% increase (960 stores) over 2013. The growth of convenience stores selling motor fuels is nearly double the overall growth in the industry, as fuels retailers added convenience operations and convenience retailers added fueling operations.

Convenience stores have an unmatched speed of transaction: The average time it takes a customer to walk in, purchase an item and depart is between 3 to 4 minutes. Here’s the breakdown: 35 seconds to walk from the car to the store, 71 seconds to select item(s), 42 seconds to wait in line to pay, 21 seconds to pay and 44 seconds to leave store. (NACS Speed Metrics Research, 2002)

The convenience store industry is a destination for food and refreshments. With falling revenues from fuels and tobacco products, foodservice sales are increasingly becoming convenience stores’ most profitable category. In fact, convenience store foodservice is roughly a $41 billion industry contributing 19.4% to in-store sales in 2014 (NACS State of the Industry Report of 2014 Data).

Convenience stores are everywhere. There are 152,794 convenience stores in the United States — one per every 2,095 people. Other competing channels have far fewer stores, such as supermarkets (41,529 stores), drugstores (41,799 stores), and dollar stores (26,572). (Source: Nielsen, as of December 31, 2014)

Consumers are embracing convenience stores like never before. An average store selling fuel has around 1,100 customers per day, or more than 400,000 per year. Cumulatively, the U.S. convenience store industry alone serves nearly 160 million customers per day, and 58 billion customers every year.

Self-serve at the pump is a part of most convenience stores’ fueling operations. The first self-serve gas station was opened by Hoosier Petroleum Co. in 1930, but was closed by the fire marshal as being a fire hazard. Frank Ulrich reintroduced the idea in 1947 at the corner of Jilson and Atlantic in Los Angeles. Modern self-service began in 1964 with the introduction of remote fueling; an attendant was no longer required to reset the pumps after each transaction. Today it is now available in 48 states. (New Jersey and Oregon still require full-service operations; New Jersey’s law was enacted in 1949; Oregon’s in 1951.)​

http://www.nacsonline.com/Research/FactSheets/scopeofindustry/pages/convenience.aspx

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Benefits of EDI from InsightRS

January 14, 2016

EDI continues to prove its major business value by lowering costs, improving speed, accuracy and business efficiency. The greatest EDI benefits often come at the strategic business level.

According to a recent research study from Forrester, EDI continues to prove its worth as an electronic message data format. This research states that “the annual volume of global EDI transactions exceeds 20 billion per year and is still growing.”1 For buyers that handle numerous transactions, using EDI can result in millions of dollars of annual savings due to early payment discounts. From a financial perspective alone, there are impressive benefits from implementing EDI. Exchanging documents electronically improves transaction speed and visibility while decreasing the amount of money you spend on manual processes. But cost savings is far from the only benefit of using EDI.

 

But let’s start with cost savings anyway:

  • Expenses associated with paper, printing, reproduction, storage, filing, postage and document retrieval are all reduced or eliminated when you switch to EDI transactions, lowering your transaction costs by at least 35%
  • A major electronics manufacturer calculates the cost of processing an order manually at $38 compared to just $1.35 for an order processed using EDI
  • Errors due to illegible faxes, lost orders or incorrectly taken phone orders are eliminated, saving your staff valuable time from handling data disputes

The major benefits of EDI are often stated as speed and accuracy:

  • EDI can speed up your business cycles by 61%. Exchange transactions in minutes instead of the days or weeks of wait time from the postal service
  • Improves data quality, delivering at least a 30—40% reduction in transactions with errors—eliminating errors from illegible handwriting, lost faxes/mail and keying and re-keying errors
  • Using EDI can reduce the order-to-cash cycle time by more than 20%, improving business partner transactions and relationships

However, the increase in business efficiency is also a major factor:

  • Automating paper-based tasks allows your staff to concentrate on higher-value tasks and provides them with the tools to be more productive
  • Quick processing of accurate business documents leads to less re-working of orders, fewer stock outs and fewer cancelled orders
  • Automating the exchange of data between applications across a supply chain can ensure that business-critical data is sent on time and can be tracked in real time. Sellers benefit from improved cash flow and reduced order-to-cash cycles
  • Shortening the order processing and delivery times means that organizations can reduce their inventory levels

In many cases, the greatest EDI benefits come at the strategic business level:

  • Enables real-time visibility into transaction status. This in turn enables faster decision-making and improved responsiveness to changing customer and market demands, and allows businesses to adopt a demand-driven business model rather than a supply-driven one
  • Shortens the lead times for product enhancements and new product delivery
  • Streamlines your ability to enter new territories and markets. EDI provides a common business language that facilitates business partner onboarding anywhere in the world
  • Promotes corporate social responsibility and sustainability by replacing paper-based processes with electronic alternatives. This will both save you money and reduce your CO2 emissions

edi2

Source credit: http://www.edibasics.com/benefits-of-edi/

 

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What is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?

January 14, 2016

What is EDI? Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents in a standard electronic format between business partners.

By moving from a paper-based exchange of business document to one that is electronic, businesses enjoy major benefits such as reduced cost, increased processing speed, reduced errors and improved relationships with business partners. Learn more about the benefits of EDI here. »

Each term in the definition is significant:

  • Computer-to-computer– EDI replaces postal mail, fax and email. While email is also an electronic approach, the documents exchanged via email must still be handled by people rather than computers. Having people involved slows down the processing of the documents and also introduces errors. Instead, EDI documents can flow straight through to the appropriate application on the receiver’s computer (e.g., the Order Management System) and processing can begin immediately. A typical manual process looks like this, with lots of paper and people involvement:
    Manual EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Document Exchange
    The EDI process looks like this — no paper, no people involved:
    EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Document Exchange
  • Business documents – These are any of the documents that are typically exchanged between businesses. The most common documents exchanged via EDI are purchase orders, invoices and advance ship notices. But there are many, many others such as bill of lading, customs documents, inventory documents, shipping status documents and payment documents.
  • Standard format– Because EDI documents must be processed by computers rather than humans, a standard format must be used so that the computer will be able to read and understand the documents. A standard format describes what each piece of information is and in what format (e.g., integer, decimal, mmddyy). Without a standard format, each company would send documents using its company-specific format and, much as an English-speaking person probably doesn’t understand Japanese, the receiver’s computer system doesn’t understand the company-specific format of the sender’s format.
    • There are several EDI standards in use today, including ANSI, EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and ebXML. And, for each standard there are many different versions, e.g., ANSI 5010 or EDIFACT version D12, Release A. When two businesses decide to exchange EDI documents, they must agree on the specific EDI standard and version.
    • Businesses typically use an EDI translator – either as in-house software or via an EDI service provider – to translate the EDI format so the data can be used by their internal applications and thus enable straight through processing of documents.
  • Business partners – The exchange of EDI documents is typically between two different companies, referred to as business partners or trading partners. For example, Company A may buy goods from Company B. Company A sends orders to Company B. Company A and Company B are business partners.

Source credit:

What is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?

 

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InsightRS Releases Fuel Manager

May 21, 2015

Call today for more information!

backoffice FuelManger Pg 1

backoffice FuelManger Pg 2.jpg

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EMV – Let InsightRS help you get a head start.

May 8, 2015

EMV – it’s what everyone is talking about.  Where do we begin?  Let’s start with a Glossary of Terms.

 EMV-Cardl

Chip and PIN

Chip and PIN is a brand name adopted by the banking industries for the two-part authentication process of inserting your chip card, and entering a PIN while the card is still inserted.

 

Chip and Signature

Chip and Signature is an alternative implementation that requires the cardholder to verify identity by signing a printed receipt, rather than entering a PIN.

 

Chip and Choice

Chip and Choice denotes the choice between Chip and PIN or Chip and Signature.

 

Contactless

Contactless payment is a change to the way debit or credit payment is handled when making a purchase. Contactless payment transactions require little to no physical connection between the card and the checkout device. Instead of “swiping” or “inserting” a card, the contactless card or fob is tapped on or held within an inch of a machine that reads the card, with the payment information is sent to the merchant wirelessly. Contactless credit and debit cards include a smart card chip.

 

EFT

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is a system of transferring money from one bank account directly to another without any paper money changing hands.

 

EMV

EMV, which stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa, is a global standard for inter-operation of integrated circuit cards (IC cards or “chip cards”) and IC card capable point of sale (POS) terminals and automated teller machines (ATMs), for authenticating credit and debit card transactions.

 

EMV “Ready” devices vs. EMV Certified/Validated

EMV Ready devices refer to payment terminals that have the hardware capability and are level 1 certified to accept EMV transactions. When referring to EMV certified in context of POS applications, this would indicate that the hardware as well as the software/firmware resident on the hardware are certified as compliant and able to accept EMV transactions. In most cases the hardware and software combination would need to be certified with specific card brands (Visa, MC. Etc.) and with specific payment processors (First Data, Vantiv, Etc.).

 

Encryption

Encryption is the process of translating information into a code that can only be read if the reader has access to the key that was used to encrypt it. There are two main types of encryption—asymmetric (or public key) and symmetric (or secret key).

 

Insert and Pay

Insert and Pay is a term used often when describing a typical EMV payment transaction. Insert refers to the insertion of a chip enabled credit card into the EMV reader, or slot, on a payment terminal.

 

NFC

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a set of close-range wireless communication standards. NFC-equipped smartphones and other devices can exchange information with each other with a simple tap or wave.

 

PAT

An acronym used for Pay at Table. Typically referring to wireless devices accepting electronic payments such as Credit, Debit, etc. pay at table devices allow servers to accept and process payments without leaving the customers view.

 

Payment Unaware/ Out of Scope

The PCI PA-DSS applies to a payment application (as defined by PCI SSC) as follows: “The PA-DSS applies to software vendors and others who develop payment applications that store, process, or transmit cardholder data as part of authorization or settlement.” An out of scope, or payment unaware integration removes the POS application from PCI PA-DSS Scope as card data is never available to the POS application. An ‘Out of Scope’ solution for the integrated 3rd party POS application does not eliminate a merchant’s compliance responsibility to PCI DSS requirements.

 

Semi-Integrated

In a semi-integrated environment, the terminal or peripheral device used to capture credit card data is connected to the POS application, but the application used to actually process card payments is on a separate device.

 

Tap and Pay

Tap and Pay is another term commonly used to describe contactless payments.

 

Tokenization

Tokenization, when applied to data security, is the process of substituting a sensitive data element with a non-sensitive equivalent, referred to as a token that has no extrinsic or exploitable meaning or value.

Thanks to NCC for providing EMV education and Glossary of Terms at the NCC Dealer Conference 2015

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It’s Spring!

March 31, 2015

It’s Spring!  That means spring forward, change the batteries on the smoke detectors and BACKUP YOUR DATA.  Backing up your data is like flossing your teeth.  You don’t have to floss them all – just the ones you want to keep.

backup-backup

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What is Instagram and how can it help my business?

June 18, 2014

instagramInstagram has been around since 2011 and started as a way to quickly snap a photo, use their cool editing filters and put those pics out in the unfiltered world.  Instagram allowed its users to post photos without having to send friend requests or worry about much of anything.  But then in 2012 Instagram was purchased by Facebook and the bar started to rise.  Suddenly there were more cool filters, video capabilities and sharing between Facebook and other Social Media sites became easier and people started to jump on the bandwagon.  The users grew from teenage girls and college kids to movie stars, sports teams, TV Shows and businesses.   On March 25, 2014 Instagram announced having more than 200 million active monthly users beating out Twitter in terms of number of mobile customers in the US.  They also shared the fact that Instagram had already surpassed the ’20 billion photos shared’ mark.  Instagram became a household name.

So what is Instagram?  Here’s what google says:

  • Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos, apply digital filters to them, and share them on a variety of social networking services, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr

With 200 million users out there, how can it help my business?  Good question!

  1. Showcase your business, showcase your merchandise

Facebook has friends, groups and pages.  Instagram’s feed is unfiltered and can be seen by anyone.  People (or let’s say ‘Shoppers)’  have a plethora of content available from friends and businesses they follow, and chances are – they want to see what you have available for sale!   So, keep your smartphone close and snap often!  Remember this, snap now, edit later if you need to.  You would be amazed at how wonderful a quick photo can look on Instagram!  A great way to advertise a new product, a new shelf placement or just something fun.  Once you become a pro, you’ll be snapping and posting with no real interruption to your day.

2.  Showcase yourself!

Everyday photos are a huge hit on Instagram.  Snap a photo of an employee with a new or fun product.  Better yet, have your employees post a photo on their Instagram showing the store, various products  or a special event.  Use the many cool filter effects to turn a quick snap into something that looks professional.

3.  Take Instagram behind the scenes

Shoppers get a warm and fuzzy connection when they get a taste of what everyday life is for store owners and store employees.  Share a few photos of trade shows, your participation in charity events,  trips to market, a video of food parings, etc.  Do whatever is relative to your business.  Let the customer know who you are [with limits of course].

#4.  # Hashtags !

What are they and what is their purpose?  I’ll let Wikipedia have the honors:

A hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the number sign (“#”). It is a form of metadata tag. Words in messages on microblogging and social networking services such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Instagram may be tagged by putting “#” before them,[1] either as they appear in a sentence, (e.g., “New artists announced for #SXSW2014MusicFestival”)[2] or appended to it.

Hashtags make it possible to group such messages, since one can search for the hashtag and get the set of messages that contain it. A hashtag is only connected to a specific medium and can therefore not be linked and connected to pictures or messages from different platforms.

#anyquestions #thatWASlong #annoyed #didNOTreadthat

Create your own hashtags to interact with your customers using your store name, a catch phrase, a charity event or a product name.  Make it fun and take advantage of this opportunity to reach new customers while staying connected to your current customers.  A great way to promote sales, events, products.

Take advantage of the CAPTION section by directing shoppers to your website or Facebook page where more information can be found. Don’t forget the videos!  A quick video from a customer or a video walk around the store or product demonstration videos are all great marketing tools.  With one click your photo or video capture can be pushed to your Company Facebook Page.  This gives you double coverage for the same effort.

Instagram is a fun and easy way to promote your business!  Get started today!

Good luck!

last try eye

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Grow Your Business with Doyles Sheehan and Insight Retail Software

June 13, 2014


doyles logo

For more than 35 years, Doyles Sheehan has been a full-service distributor of food service, convenience and grocery products to a diverse customer base throughout the greater Northwest. DS has customers throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. They know how to compete effectively in the wholesale industry while always keeping their primary focus on the customer. I saw this first hand as InsightRS was invited to attend their Annual Tradeshow in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

This family-owned and family-operated company, is nothing short of top-notch. They reach far beyond simply selling products to their customers. They truly know the importance of traditional, dependable and superior service. They show daily that these core values, combined with sophisticated inventory, ordering, delivery and marketing systems are crucial to success for them and their customers.

So were does InsightRS fit in?

Electronic Data Interchange

or simply put ‘EDI‘

EDI refers to the transfer of electronic data. Our EDI Module allows Doyles Sheehan customers to import their invoices directly into backOffice™ Software electronically from Doyles Sheehan. Gone are the days of spending HOURS on data entry to update pricing and receiving orders. Once imported, backOffice™ will identify new products received from Doyles Sheehan, any price or cost changes and the quantity shipped of each item. With the click of a button, new items are added, price and cost changes are made, and an order is created in the inventory module!

The low cost of this module added to backOffice™ Software will very quickly pay for itself in hours saved on data entry and missed price changes.  Join the other Doyles Sheehan customers and start growing your business the easy way!

Doyles Doyles TruckDoyles Warehouse  Doyles Sheehan

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Proposed Federal Excise Tax on Cigarettes/Tobacco

July 9, 2013

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The proposed 2014 federal budget could mean bad news for c-store and retail stores who sell cigarettes and tobacco. The proposed budget includes a 94-cent per pack levy increase on cigarettes, with a comparable increase on all other tobacco products. The tax is expected to generate about $78 billion over the next ten years, but will undoubtedly add challenges for c-store owners who already struggle in the world of tobacco retailing. Learn More Here.
Luckily, backOffice™ can make this transition a little easier. With our Group Change feature, we make it easy to select all of your cigarettes or tobacco products at once and change your prices to reflect the tax increase. Group Change is perfect for “across the board” price changes like this one, and is a huge time saver compared to changing each price individually.

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If this tax ends up affecting your sales, and in turn your inventory levels, we’ve got you covered! Reorder using our “Order Based On Sales” feature over any time period, and backOffice™ will reorder your products based on quantity sold, making sure you always have what you need. Just another way to help you run your business more effectively, be successful, and Do Better.

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