What’s the most crucial spot in your convenience store?
Unless you’re new to the industry, you know the answer.
It’s the front counter. That’s where most of your high-margin impulse item sales occur. Candy. Chips. Gum. And 5-hour ENERGY®.
In fact, front-end items generate an extra $9.15 in revenue per every 100 visits. And 5-hour ENERGY generates more profit per linear inch — thanks to its small size and compact, branded sales racks — than almost any other front-end category*.
That’s why 5-hour ENERGY is the front-end sales leader. In category dollars per linear inch, 5-hour ENERGY generates 26 cents yet only takes up 8 percent of the counter space (based on a 16-box rack). Compare that with gum, candy or chips. Gum takes up 10% of your counter space — yet it generates 2 cents less in category dollars per linear inch.
And chips make you even less: about 11 cents per linear inch. Plus, it takes up 15% of your space. Candy takes up 33% of counter space while only creating 12 cents in revenue per linear inch.
In category gross margin dollars per linear inch, 5-hour ENERGY is near the top, generating 11 cents per linear inch. That’s second only to gum, which edges out 5-hour ENERGY by less than a penny. And gum still takes up more counter space than 5-hour ENERGY.
The figures come from VideoMining Corp., a Pennsylvania-based consumer market research firm.
The firm also says 5-hour ENERGY is a top impulse buy when merchandised at the front end — such as in a multi-box countertop rack. According to VideoMining, 29% of all c-store customers purchase items stocked at the front end, where high-margin products should be.
Consider that the average customer spends 34 seconds waiting in line there and another 32 seconds paying for purchases. It’s no surprise that VideoMining says 53% of c-store customers look at front-end products.
And when it comes time to buy, seconds count. That’s another area where 5-hour ENERGY shines. The typical 5-hour customer only spends 8 seconds considering what flavor to buy. And they buy an average of 1.2 bottles every visit. That’s less decision time than any other front-end product and more units per sale than candy, gum, mints or snacks.
That’s why 5-hour ENERGY is your front-end and split-second decision sales leader.
*Source: VideoMining, Front-End Mega Story, C-store 2022.
