Eight Ideas to Help Draw Summer Traffic Into Your Truckstop or Travel Center

Whether it is fresh food to stock the fridge, s’mores supplies, or recreation items such as bait, truckstops and travel centers should consider offering things they may not have sold before this summer. NATSO's Darren Schulte and Amy Toner sat down to talk about ideas to bring families and RVers through the doors.
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Eight Ideas to Help Draw Summer Traffic Into Your Truckstop or Travel Center
 

This summer especially families and RVers will be on the road, looking to fuel quickly and get back on their way.

Smart retailers will have something travelers need, which will get them inside. Whether it is fresh food to stock the fridge, s’mores supplies, or recreation items such as bait, truckstops and travel centers should consider offering things they may not have sold before.

(See 14 Things RVers and Recreation Travelers Need on the Road, RVers are Hitting the Road and Truckstops Have What They Need and Eleven Tips and Tricks to Capture Booming RV Traffic.)

Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president, membership, and I sat down to talk about ideas to bring them through the doors.

Here are eight ways shared in the video to get summer traffic into your truckstop or travel center this summer.

  1. If you are next to a national forest, consider offering walking sticks.
     
  2. If you are next to a lake, think about selling tubes. However, you’ll want to stock the right amount. You don’t need 1,000 tubes.
     
  3. Have a picnic area outside your truckstop or travel center.
     
  4. Many truckstops have a lot of space. Have a movie night and have hot dogs and hamburgers for sale.
     
  5. If you are close to a lake, rent out fishing equipment and sell bait. If you rent equipment, allow a free trailer drop.
     
  6. Capture ideas about what customers want by having your cashiers write down what people are asking for. Folks are probably asking for items that they haven’t asked for before. Big retail is transitioning quickly to make room for new products. For example, Hy-Vee is now selling shoes.
     
  7. Pay special attention to cleanliness. NATSO recently did a survey of 1,500 professional drivers, and the No. 1 thing they are thankful for at truckstops is cleanliness. This is the new expectation.
     
  8. If you want families to stop at your location, make sure your billboards and monument signs are in very good condition. Otherwise, people will pass you by. 

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