{"id":2242,"date":"2014-10-02T16:35:50","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T16:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theswitch.us\/blog\/?p=2242"},"modified":"2014-10-07T20:18:15","modified_gmt":"2014-10-07T20:18:15","slug":"c-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/switch.us\/blog\/c-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The C-Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
The National Association of Convenience Stores is having its annual show \u2013 and Switch\u2122 will be there to take it all in. \u00a0<\/address>\n

 
\nOnce 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

With most C-store locations now carrying over 500 SKUs, what was once simply about convenience is now comprehensive.\u00a0 Massive growth in wine, spirits, energy drinks, electronic cigarettes, refrigerated entrees, and shelf-stable ready-to-drink coffees and teas are the biggest drivers.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n