Key Takeaways
Convenience retailers and CPG brands can achieve mutual success when they:
- Share the wealth
- Agree on a single source of truth
- Focus on the unique c-store shopper mindset
- Advance beyond transactional partnerships
Let’s get real right from the start and acknowledge the elephant in the c-store. The relationship between convenience retailers and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands hasn’t exactly been simple or easy.
Yes, we’ve definitely witnessed progress in just the last few years, but too often that relationship has been more transactional than transformational. However, based on what I saw at NACS Show 2025, I think we’re primed for a surge in collaboration between c-store retailers and CPG brands.
So, how do both sides win? I recommend four strategies to help redefine these partnerships across the convenience channel.
1. Share the wealth
In this case, the wealth is data. Remember when c-store data arrived on a weekly basis (if you were lucky)? Hopefully, those days are long gone. Advanced data acquisition, analysis, and sharing capabilities now allow CPG brands to monitor and mine performance in c-stores by the hour, right down to the product SKU.
Want timely data enriched by AI-powered tools that help you act on changing consumer behaviors and geographic differences? Yes, please and thank you!
For retailers, this means partnering with brands that offer valuable insights rather than just telling you where to place their products. For CPG brands, it means moving beyond legacy reporting systems and investing in platforms that deliver actionable intelligence. With real-time data, c-stores can monitor the success of their promotions and quickly adjust their strategy on the fly.
Pro tip: Team up to select one product category or promotion and test your real-time collaboration. Measure the results, then scale up with what works.
2. Agree on a single source of truth
When it comes to sharing data, we all need an objective truth we can count on. If your lines of communication feel more like a game of “telephone” (remember playing it in elementary school?), that’s less than ideal for your partnership—and it tends to blur reality.
Unfortunately, that’s precisely what can happen when retailers and brands attempt to work from different data sets. Unless you’re operating from a level of trust—using trustworthy data—it’s hard to move forward with agility and confidence.
The lesson here? Common technology platforms that connect both parties can help create transparency and trust. You spend less time worrying about “your data versus my data” and more time winning together.
Pro trip: When CPG brands can access scan-data insights for c-store sites, retailers can leverage more national and regional CPG offerings.
“From loyalty program integrations to mobile promotions and data sharing, technology is the connective tissue of modern collaboration.”
3. Focus on the unique c-store shopper mindset
Everyone in this industry realizes that c-store shoppers are a distinct type of consumer with unique behaviors. They prioritize convenience, favoring fast grab-and-go purchases like beverages, snacks, and quick meals.
Brand leaders shouldn’t fall into the trap of treating c-store visitors like mini grocery store shoppers. In fact, retailers increasingly rely on partners who understand their world of daypart shopping, impulse purchases, and the controlled chaos of peak traffic times.
Pro tip: Ensure the foundation of your collaboration accounts for the distinct realities of convenience retail environments and c-store shopper behaviors.
4. Advance beyond transactional partnerships
The best CPG-retailer relationships transcend yearly negotiations and shelf placement battles. In fact, the best relationships are built on joint business planning, shared goals, and mutual investment.
This means retailers should expect more from their brand partners than just discounts and slotting fees. And it means CPG brands should offer category insights, consumer trends, and innovative promotional strategies that help retailers increase both foot traffic and basket size.
Pro tip: Make joint planning the hub of your collaboration efforts as you co-develop a strategy to grow sales—and profits—for both parties.
Get started on your path to mutual success
The convenience channel is too big, dynamic, and full of opportunity to go it alone. Whether you’re a retailer trying to maximize brand partnerships or a CPG company seeking to crack the convenience code, success arrives when both sides share data, expertise, and a genuine commitment to mutual growth.
Make your mark in the convenience channel
If you’d like to discuss how to thrive in the convenience retail channel, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at CStoreCMO@pditechnologies.com.
C-Store Shopper Insights Report for CPG Brands
Get more c-store shopper insights for CPGs in this info-packed report.