The funnel is dead. Long live the map.
The traditional marketing funnel is officially a relic. According to recent research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the path to purchase no longer flows downward in a tidy sequence of awareness, consideration, and purchase.
Instead, it zigzags. It scrolls. It streams. It searches. And for convenience store retailers trying to build meaningful loyalty, this behavioral shift has major implications.
In this new paradigm, loyalty isn’t something that happens at the end of the customer journey—it happens in every moment. That means your brand needs to move beyond campaigns and conversion metrics and start focusing on real-time, relevant, and persistent influence.
Goodbye funnel, hello 4S behavior
BCG identifies a new framework to understand how consumers interact with brands: the 4S model—Streaming, Scrolling, Searching, and Shopping. It’s important to note that this isn’t a progressive sequence. It’s a cycle. And it’s especially relevant in convenience retail, where customers often act on impulse based on proximity and digital nudges:
- Streaming: Consumers engage with media across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify, absorbing brand impressions without even realizing it.
- Scrolling: Endless browsing through social feeds primes users for micro-moments of brand discovery.
- Searching: Voice assistants and Google queries reveal immediate options—your brand must be in the results.
- Shopping: Consumers expect frictionless, omnichannel purchase options—both in-store and online.
The PDI 2025 C-Store Shopper Insights Report validates this type of behavior. Digital-first loyalty users are always connected, quick to switch brands for better value, and more likely to act on personalized prompts than blanket promotions. In other words, they aren’t waiting for a linear offer—they’re engaging when and where it suits them.
What this means for c-store loyalty
If your loyalty strategy still relies on traditional segmentation, periodic blasts, or after-the-fact rewards, it’s time to recalibrate. Today’s consumers demand immediacy, context, and consistency or they’ll look elsewhere.
At PDI, we help brands stay connected—not just at the moment of transaction, but across the entire loyalty journey. Our omnichannel tools allow brands to influence purchase decisions before shoppers are even ready to make a decision.
Personalized, purposeful engagement
The PDI Tracking Convenience Report shows that 74% of c-store loyalty members expect personalized offers tailored to their habits and preferences. That’s not a suggestion—it’s a standard.
Using AI-powered insights, PDI Loyalty solutions tap into real-time transaction data, geo-location, and behavioral trends to deliver the right reward, at the right moment, through the right channel. Whether it’s a free coffee at 8 AM or a two-for-one snack deal at 3 PM, personalization drives engagement—and repeat visits.
Loyalty as ecosystem, not program
The most successful convenience retailers treat loyalty not as a standalone program, but as a connected digital ecosystem. This means integrating:
- Branded mobile apps
- Real-time fuel discounts
- Foodservice rewards
- Online ordering and delivery
- Car wash rewards and discounts
- Partner offers
- Store locators and mobile ordering
- Contactless checkout and payment integration
This cohesive approach creates a seamless, engaging customer experience—and perfectly aligns with BCG’s call to replace linear funnels with influence maps. With the right infrastructure, you can surround customers with consistent, value-driven experiences wherever they go.
The future of c-store loyalty: embedded influence
To succeed in the era of the flattened funnel, c-store retailers must embed themselves into the everyday digital habits of their customers. Loyalty is no longer about asking for attention after a transaction—it’s about earning presence in the moments that matter most to customers.
Imagine reaching a customer with:
- A hyper-relevant foodservice promo
- A targeted Google ad for your nearest location
- An in-app offer they can activate instantly
This is how modern convenience loyalty works. It’s dynamic, data-informed, and demand-driven.
Let’s rethink loyalty together
PDI is teaming up with some of the world’s leading convenience retailers to re-imagine loyalty for the modern consumer. Whether you’re modernizing an existing program or building a new digital-first strategy, flexible, scalable solutions can help you drive sustained engagement and measurable ROI.
Ready to flatten your funnel and elevate your loyalty offerings? Let’s talk.
Sources: PDI Technologies, Boston Consulting Group, It’s Time for Marketers to Move Beyond the Linear Funnel, 2024.
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Check out C-Store Loyalty Insider for the latest in convenience loyalty—at PDI and across the industry.