Strategically Targeted Incremental C-Store Operations Enhancements

May 25, 2025

The big take-away, from a three-year project to improve c-store operations at GoMart was a bit of common sense and leadership prioritization: there are substantial advantages to strategically targeted, incremental c-store operations enhancements supported by data analytics. By embracing a thoughtful, measured approach to change management, Go Mart continues to strengthen its competitive position and customer loyalty, while ensuring sustainable growth.

Increased C-Store Competition

A three-generation retail chain with a well-established presence of 125 stores found itself facing increasing competition. With mature, experienced management and reliable business operations, the leadership team recognized the necessity to evolve operational strategies to maintain their competitive edge.

Result: Sales growth, profitability, utilization of culture and experience with a respectful infusion of new leaders, ideas, and surprising growth (e.g., increasing cigarette sales and thriving OTP), and enhancing their loyalty program.

Background: The retail chain comprises 125 stores grouped into 5 to 6-store districts, organized under three regions, supported by a small central office dedicated to marketing, financial oversight, and growth.

Challenges: Leadership identified three primary c-store operations and marketing challenges:

Increasing concerns regarding age verification compliance and shrink.
High time demand and efforts from supervisors identifying priority and focus areas for growth.
Integrating tobacco sales with loyalty platform to optimize promotions and rewards.

Strategic C-Store Operations Opportunities

Provide experienced management staff with prioritization tools to highlight areas of risk and growth. Improve customer experience and funded loyalty offerings to maximize brand presence in the West Virginia area (including Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania).

In partnership with BandyWorks, Go Mart leadership identified control areas necessary for cost management and maintaining profitability. They initiated a trial period to assess the effectiveness of targeted analytics tools, promptly validating that the highlighted risk areas were accurate and actionable.

C-Store Control Strategies

Initially, targeted controls were introduced to address shrink and age verification, with loyalty rewards integrated subsequently. Over time, the control framework expanded. It includes scan data services, loyalty system integration, and scorecards. Together, comprehensive controls maximize profits from promotional activities, rebates, and sales growth.

Age verification emerged as an early priority to mitigate compliance risks effectively. Central and senior management leveraged analytics to pinpoint compliance risks, guiding field staff toward precise inspections, targeted training, rigorous follow-ups, and timely corrective actions. With proven success from the pilot phase, the analytics-driven compliance tracking system was rolled out company-wide.

Incremental Approach to Store Operations Change

Recognizing the value of gradual, controlled change to maintain stability, GoMart introduced incremental improvements:

Shrink Tracking: Supervisors utilized analytics to track high risk shrink areas. They monitored results, coached staff, and intervened to address the issues early.
Age Compliance: Comparative analytics was also used to identify stores at risk for age-verification compliance failures. Store teams received targeted training, focused audits, and consistent follow-ups, significantly reducing compliance risks.
Store Scorecards: Implementing daily performance assessments at store level empowered managers to concentrate on coaching their teams and enhancing customer engagement. Impactfully, this tool resulted in measurable improvements in customer service and sales.
Tobacco Integration: The integration of tobacco sales data with Paytronix loyalty systems effectively optimized promotional activities, rebate opportunities, and consumer rewards, leading to growth in tobacco sales.
Loyalty Auditing and Rewards: A specialized loyalty audit tool ensured accurate delivery of customer rewards, boosting consumer satisfaction and loyalty. These enhancements particularly drove increases in tobacco sales through targeted promotions.
Supervisor Analytics Tools and Coaching: Weekly, exception-based analytics provided district and regional leadership with clear insights, enabling swift interventions and coaching opportunities. Regional “lunch and learns” created an environment conducive to adopting these new technologies, enhancing buy-in and smooth integration across teams.

C-Store Leadership Impact and Results

By focusing on these targeted, incremental improvements, the company successfully achieved:

Increased overall sales and profitability.
Enhanced operational efficiency, allowing more time for store managers to focus on customer engagement and sales activities.
Substantial improvements in age verification compliance and shrink management.
Strong growth in tobacco and OTP (Other Tobacco Products) sales, driven by integrated loyalty strategies.

Impact on C-Store Marketing

Ian Stewart, VP of Marketing at Go Mart, attributed the success to the several management decisions. They included a combination of robust loyalty programs, focused operational execution, and effective utilization of data-driven insights. According to Stewart, the straightforward analytics tools significantly accelerated problem resolution, documentation, and overall productivity, complementing the expertise of the seasoned store leadership.

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