Commerce Corner S1|E2: Are Convenience Stores still Convenient?

Lula leadership chats about the state of the convenience store today and how customers might evaluate the level of convenience. Thinking about customer "occasions" - the points in time or situations in which consumers behave one way vs another is a provocative way to think about how retailers serve these customers.
The convenience store was "invented" at a time of technological shift - the introduction of the automobile. Quite literally a new vehicle for customers in their search for retail. Retail Ice Docks in Texas began offering chilled watermelons, which was met with great consumer acceptance leading to an expansion of grocery-style offerings at ice docs all around.
As customers clearly valued the "convenience" these stores found other ways to please - from extended hours (7am to 11pm), to more relatively recent developments like pay at the pump, prepared food, and other efforts to delight customers.
Customer demands for new levels of convenience continue today - as delivery options have shaken things up since the pandemic. Seen through the lens of consumer "occasions" - operators today must decide where to lead, where to follow, and where to differentiate completely.