高端加油站便利店“錢”景幾何
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??? 最新研究報(bào)告指出，加油站的便利店要做好生意，就應(yīng)該“升級(jí)換代”?？紤]到這個(gè)行業(yè)本來就利潤微薄，而且光顧這種店的客人往往來去匆匆，這個(gè)提法聽起來似乎難免有點(diǎn)違背常識(shí)。 ??? 問題的關(guān)鍵是，顧客越來越多地只是在加油機(jī)旁刷卡走人，卻從來不會(huì)走進(jìn)加油站的便利店。這意味著很少會(huì)有人心血來潮去店里購買立體脆（Doritos）、山露威士忌（Mountain Dew）和肯尼?羅根斯的精選專輯（Kenny Loggins compilation albums）。不過，由便利店和加油站零售業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)（Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing）及可口可樂零售研究委員會(huì)（Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council）聯(lián)合撰寫并于周三在芝加哥發(fā)布的報(bào)告稱，將加油站便利店改造為提供特定服務(wù)的商店，比如提供新鮮食品，能提高收入。 ??? 這個(gè)問題的另一個(gè)重要方面在于，其他類型的零售商也在日益加強(qiáng)競爭，與便利店?duì)帗屔?。這份報(bào)告稱，小賣部、巨型零售商和超市全都在“努力爭取便利店式的生意”。人們付錢加油時(shí)，可能會(huì)想來上一包花生巧克力糖（Butterfinger），但想想反正還得去塔吉特超市（Target）買紙巾，為什么不干脆去那兒一塊兒買了呢？ ??? 通過提供新鮮烘焙的食物、高品質(zhì)咖啡，甚至多種新鮮食品，便利店能讓顧客愿意走進(jìn)店里，甚至逗留一會(huì)兒。不過這份報(bào)告也強(qiáng)調(diào)指出，一個(gè)關(guān)鍵因素在于，在這種店里的購物體驗(yàn)應(yīng)該是輕松愉悅的。這一點(diǎn)與人們通常印象中對便利店的印象格格不入，它們檔次不高、照明過度又裝修蹩腳，讓人感覺它們似乎是有意不讓顧客停留太久。在便利店發(fā)展史的大部分時(shí)間里，讓顧客“抓起就走”（Grab and go）是貫穿其中的指導(dǎo)思想。 ??? 要實(shí)施這類重大升級(jí)當(dāng)然是既費(fèi)錢，又冒險(xiǎn)。美國商業(yè)雜志《克瑞恩芝加哥商業(yè)》（Crain's Chicago Business）曾揣測加油站便利店是否會(huì)成為“下一代全食品超市”，并引述了一位當(dāng)?shù)乇憷甑曛魍ㄟ^升級(jí)而做大生意的經(jīng)歷。不過，雖然提升這種小店的吸引力并不需要下血本，但很難想象，“高端加油站便利店”真的會(huì)遍地開花。 ??? 譯者：清遠(yuǎn) |
????A new report concludes that gas-station convenience stores should go "upscale" to boost business, a notion that might sound counterintuitive given the industry's slim profit margins as well as the fact that most shoppers at such stores are in a hurry. ????Problem is shoppers increasingly swipe their credit cards at the pump, never entering the store at all. That means fewer impulse purchases of Doritos, Mountain Dew and Kenny Loggins compilation albums. Turning a gas-station shop into more of a destination by, for example, offering fresh foods, can boost bottom lines, according to the report (pdf) prepared by the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing and the Coca-Cola (KO) Retailing Research Council and presented Wednesday in Chicago. ????Another big part of the problem is that other kinds of retailers are increasingly competing with convenience stores for shoppers. Drug stores, big-box retailers, and supermarkets are all "trying to win their convenience business," says the report. And when you're paying for your gas, you might think to yourself that you'd like a Butterfinger, but you need to stop at Target (TGT) for paper towels anyway so why not just pick it up there? ????By offering fresh baked goods, high-quality coffee, and even a wide selection of fresh produce, convenience stores can offer incentives to enter the store and even linger over the merchandise for a while. One crucial element, the report notes, is that the shopping experience should be pleasant. That runs counter to the usual image of grungy, overlit, ill-decorated stores that seem designed to dissuade people from hanging around too long. "Grab and go" has been the philosophy of the convenience industry throughout most of its history. ????Such big upgrades, of course, are expensive and risky. Crain's Chicago Business, which wondered whether gas stations are "the next Whole Foods," cited one local convenience store owner who seems to have thrived by going upscale. But while making convenience stores less unpleasant couldn't hurt, it's hard to imagine "high end convenience" becoming a widespread trend. |
