Once the bastion of gasoline, cigarettes, beef jerky and beer, the American convenience store is now Ground Zero for brands to get their products into the hearts, minds and hands of consumers.

While the staples remain near the top of the list, the faster-than-ever, on-the-go lives of Americans has fueled explosive growth in the convenience store category to the tune of more than 140,000 stores and sales topping $700 billion.

With most C-store locations now carrying over 500 SKUs, what was once simply about convenience is now comprehensive.  Massive growth in wine, spirits, energy drinks, electronic cigarettes, refrigerated entrees, and shelf-stable ready-to-drink coffees and teas are the biggest drivers.

But just as imperative to growth are the ways these retailers have used innovation and nimble to-market strategies to maintain an edge, such as:

• Large beer caves featuring both macro and micro beers, and even growler stations to accommodate the pickiest of hop heads.

• Customization, loyalty programs and fair-trade products allowing these outlets to keep up in the coffee wars

• Highly developed health & wellness sections dedicated to everything from supplements and vitamins to drug store-quality medication selections

In a world of super club bulk buying and internet subscription services requiring no human interaction for goods to change hands, the C-stores of the world – whether chains or independently held –  have become our neighborhood stores, where there’s still a chance that the clerk knows your name and beverage of choice. In these mini-markets, the connections made between brands and consumers are fostered by people, product and placement.

At Switch™, we live for these connections, the human moments that turn customers into advocates. And so we’re heading to the NACS conference, a trade show put on by the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing, to learn about the newest goods, the most innovative displays and the future of C-store retail. Look for our show review in next week’s Switchboard, where we’ll share our perspective on all we saw. And if you’ll be at NACS, please reach out – we’d love to meet you there.

Check in during the event! Find or track Scott on Twitter at @Raybacon. Follow #NACSshow for updates. Email Scott at ScottB@theswitch.us and Nicole at NicoleP@theswitch.us.