Topics: Marketing & Retail

Truckstop Trends in Consumer Electronics and General Merchandise

Like 2013, this year has been a continuation of many strong trends within both the consumer electronics and general merchandise industries. In consumer electronics, key growth categories has been portable navigation, wireless accessories/bluetooth, headphones, satellite radio/TV, and digital imaging. For general merchandise, key growth categories have been chemicals, clothing, and gloves. More

Respond and React to Poor Reviews of Your Truckstop with These Tips

Everyone knows that in today’s world, businesses have to have a social media presence. But simply showing up isn’t enough. You have to be engaged. Someone is managing your image in cyber space, and if you are not involved in that process, it can do more harm than good. More

Managing the Challenge of Holiday Schedules at Your Truckstop

The trucking business never sleeps, which means truckstops and travel plazas have to keep their doors open around the clock. That can create a challenge when scheduling employees, particularly around the holidays. Learn how one NATSO member, Seth Miller, manager of Petro Travel Store #353 in Portage, Wisconsin, handles the issue. More

How Trends Translate to Coffee Sales

Throughout the month of November S&D Coffee & Tea shared on trends and how they impact coffee sales. More

Focus on the Warm Winter Feeling, Not Just the Products

It was great to see operators like Stamart #5 preparing for the winter that will soon be upon us. The location had all the warm-you-up products for you and your truck, such as blankets, gloves, Howe’s, Power Service, ice alert thermometers, heaters, windshield wash and the like. More

Coffee Holiday Promotions

Throughout the month of October S&D Coffee & Tea shared coffee holiday promotional ideas. More

Pine Cone Travel Plaza's Sweet Tooth Heaven

NATSO’s President & CEO Lisa Mullings and I had the fortunate tasty treat opportunity to visit Pine Cone Travel Plaza earlier this year to learn about their operations and NATSO needs. More

Getting Started with an Online Presence for Your Truckstop

As NATSO’s information technology director, one of the most frequently asked questions that trickles back to me is how to market your truckstop online effectively. The two most important places to start in managing your online presence are Yelp and Google, as they power the business listings on your customer's phone. More

The 3 P’s to Succeed as a Convenience Retailer

Convenience stores within the truckstops and travel plazas are important profit centers for the locations, and they also provide a valuable customer service. Today more than ever shoppers are on the go and looking for solutions to meet their hectic lifestyles. C-stores at truckstops and travel plazas can capitalize on that growing demand by offering the right products at the right place at the right time. More

Creative, Quality Sandwiches are the Key to Boosting Sales

Sandwich consumption is on the rise, with today’s consumers eating more than three sandwiches per week. The problem with sandwiches, however, is that many people simply make them at home. A study by the research firm Technomic showed that 54 percent of consumers, up from 51 percent two years ago, are preparing sandwiches themselves. More

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