Today, the U.S. convenience store industry alone conducts about 160 million transactions per day, which equates to just under half of the U.S. population dropping in to buy something.
It’s no coincidence that c-stores are so ingrained in our everyday lives: They’re resilient and successful at evolving quickly with changing consumer trends and behaviors. For example, the biggest convenience retailer in the world, 7-Eleven, began in a local icehouse in 1927. (Disclosure: 7-Eleven is a customer of my company.)
As the current COO of a company that provides convenience retail and petroleum solutions, and having spent two decades in leading technology organizations that help businesses keep up with the ever-evolving needs of consumers, I’ve witnessed how technology innovation has profoundly transformed entire industries—including the convenience space.
Today, as we see a rise in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, I think convenience stores are the ideal spot to leverage this latest evolution in transportation.