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04-05-2019 by Darren Schulte How to Use Billboards to Drive Your Travel Center’s Profits Up

Next time you drive down the Interstate to your facility, look at your signage from the point-of-view of a customer who is visiting for the very first time. Signage is a crucial piece of your business as it serves as an invitation for a customer to stop into your site versus your competitors’ sites!

Interstate billboards give you exposure to large numbers of travelers every day and night. I believe that this is one of the most effective forms of advertising.

Billboard Pricing and ROI
Billboards range in price. Small non-illuminated units may cost $150 to $350 per month. Large illuminated billboards can range from $1,500 to $4,000 per month or more depending on traffic counts and several other factors such as the number of units available in the market, demand for those units and if it is a left- or right-hand read…
04-05-2019
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07-01-2018 by NATSO Truckstop Operators Use Varied Food and Offerings to Appeal to Travelers and Locals

Wendi Powell, co-owner of Big Boys Truck Stop in Kenley, North Carolina, knows that travel centers need to be all things to all people, and she tries to create solutions that appeal to all types of customers, whether they are locals, the traveling public or professional drivers.

“The more creatively we can make the mix work, the better for us,” Powell said.

Although convenience and time are always important, local customers love favorites while travelers like experiences. “It’s my goal to create a mix,” Powell said.

At Busy Bee, a regional chain of travel centers in Florida, local customers are in the store weekly and form close relationships with the locations and teams. “We see them coming in to not only to fill up their cars, but also meet daily/weekly needs from grocery items to our locally made cakes,” said Elizabeth Waring, president of Busy Bee. “However, with our traveling guests the needs slightly vary. When they stop in at our facility, they are there to fill a more immediate need. We have tried to build those relationships so that as they travel they look to us first to fill that—or empty that.”
07-01-2018
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07-01-2018 by NATSO Get Consumers to Travel Through Your Whole Truckstop Store

During the Good to Great Session at NATSO Connect, the other panelists and I shared our thoughts on what drives traffic through a location. What was interesting was that we all had slightly different ideas. That shows how important it is for operators to really understand who their current customers are and, if they are looking to attract different ones, find the solution that is best for that specific location.
07-01-2018
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07-01-2018 by NATSO Pride Stores Excels at Social Media

Pride Stores LLC, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, put an extra emphasis on its online presence by hiring a social media manager. After almost two years, Chris Szarek has grown the company’s digital profile by strategically using Google business tools, Facebook and more.
07-01-2018
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01-01-2017 by NATSO Truckstop Travels

Darren Schulte, NATSO vice president of
membership, frequently visits NATSO members to review their locations and offers impactful merchandising and operational improvements.
He periodically shares stories about the great retailers he visits on the blog. Here is snap shot
of just a few.
01-01-2017

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