67% of consumers say they would walk away from a product they can afford if it doesn’t feel like good value. That finding from Boston Consulting Group (BCG)’s latest consumer research gets at something I see often in restaurants and retail: value is shaped by the whole experience. Quality, convenience, service, occasion, and effort all matter. For brands, understanding which of those factors matter most by customer and occasion can help sharpen where to invest as demand shifts. https://lnkd.in/gcAtzCww #ConsumerBehavior #Retail #Restaurants

Why the future of retail still starts in the store https://lnkd.in/dKuvy9Uk Thirty-four percent say they would visit malls more often if local shops were featured, while 39% would return more frequently for unique restaurants #retail Chain Store Age

The c-store is no longer a place you stop. It's a place you go. Convenience retailers are overhauling their foodservice operations, investing in made-to-order menus, international cuisine and customizable offerings that rival QSR. The evolution is happening fast, and we see many of the best-positioned operators treating their stores like dining destinations, not afterthoughts. What stands out to us is that the technology behind the counter has to evolve just as fast as the concepts. When food becomes a loyalty driver and a margin differentiator, your POS, ordering systems, and customer data all need to speak the same language in real time. Check out a few great examples in this C-Store Dive article from Brett Dworski: https://lnkd.in/eSUxZQ4q #ConvenienceStore #CStore #CStoreTech #RetailTech #RetailInnovation

Here is my latest article The fresh frontier, part 3: The cold chain becomes a data problem https://lnkd.in/ePXpiWVz Vending Times Kiosk Marketplace Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show National Retail Federation National Restaurant Association National Automatic Merchandising Association T-ROC - The Revenue Optimization Companies Connect Media Brett Beveridge Elliot Baum Dave Wurm Daniel Ceniceros

Throughout 2026, Sam Stalley has been rapidly elevating how we convert consumer spending and customer experience data in Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) into meaningful commercial insights for our clients. Check out his interview with QSR Media last week talking all things chicken, focusing on the right customer occasions, and other growth opportunities in the category. https://lnkd.in/gsTj3WWp

While Buc-ee’s may be a pit stop for some customers, for others, it is the destination. Perhaps that's why the C-store brand is outperforming most competitors – in both the convenience and fast-food sectors. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ehfxbVdM #buccees #convenience #retail

While Buc-ee’s may be a pit stop for some customers, for others, it is the destination. Perhaps that's why the C-store brand is outperforming most competitors – in both the convenience and fast-food sectors. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ehfxbVdM #buccees #convenience #retail

Here comes the holiday retail rush; and no matter how many times we go through it, the facts don’t change. Retailers who start early survive with their sanity intact. For everyone else, January can’t come fast enough. Our peak season prep series covers what to tackle now, with insights from Adam Jatich, our Director of Retail & Hospitality Solutions. Start here: https://ow.ly/IBuA50ZHKEm #RetailTech #PeakSeason #HolidayReadiness #TeamTRG

Given the opportunities with foodservice in convenience stores, there is an issue to address—and it’s a costly one.    Roughly one-third of convenience store shoppers (33.3%) plan to stop at a QSR within 30 minutes of their visit. This translates to an estimated $100 billion per year that the c-store industry is losing to QSRs.    Why are they leaving? According to research from the NACS Convenience Voices study, shoppers consistently cite variety and availability as top reasons for going elsewhere. At the same time, the reason they choose a convenience store in the first place is for convenience.   This creates both urgency and opportunity. Convenience stores don’t need to out-QSR the QSRs—but they can take a page or two from their playbook.    Shopper insights from Convenience Voices are available in the NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2025 Data. Find out why and when shoppers are leaving you for a QSR competitor: https://lnkd.in/e5muyyYt   #ConvenienceRetail #Foodservice #RetailInsights #ConsumerBehavior #NACS #StateOfTheIndustryReport

As the lines between retail and foodservice continue to blur, brands need more than price and convenience to drive choice. Creating memorable customer experiences may be the most effective differentiator left. https://lnkd.in/eqvwdtVc