{"id":27978,"date":"2017-08-26T00:52:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-26T04:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/how-to-succeed-in-low-income-areas\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T12:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:51:14","slug":"how-to-succeed-in-low-income-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/how-to-succeed-in-low-income-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed in Low-Income Areas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a convenience store owner, it\u2019s important to know who your primary customer is and how to best serve them.\u00a0 If your c-store, like so many others, is in an area where most of the consumers are low-income, serving your primary customer has some unique challenges.\u00a0 Serving a low-income demographic doesn\u2019t have to mean your business won\u2019t be successful.\u00a0 In fact, with the right strategy, you can make your c-store a hub in your community and maximize your profits.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Understand the Need<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first step to building and maintaining a successful c-store business in a low-income area is to truly understand the financial situation of your customers.\u00a0 You can access income level data online at website like <a href=\"https:\/\/incomebyzipcode.com\" rel=\"noopener\">IncomeByZipcode.com<\/a>, where all you have to do is search for your store\u2019s zip code.\u00a0 Outside of census data, you should also spend some time exploring the surrounding environment and becoming familiar with the community.\u00a0 By learning more about how your customers live, you can more easily decide what resources they need and want access to.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Address the Struggles<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Owning and operating a business in a low-income area means that your primary customers likely struggle with everyday situations that others may take for granted.\u00a0 Those in low income areas may have trouble paying bills, getting groceries, and even transportation.\u00a0 Instead of assuming these customers will be a burden to your business, consider their situations an opportunity for you to provide the best service.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fill in the Gaps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many c-store owners are accomplishing success by providing the things they\u2019re customers have trouble gaining access to.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/solutions\/billpay\/\">Bill Pay<\/a> \u2013 Allows customers to walk into a c-store and pay their bills with cash or check. This service means low-income customers, who are often <a href=\"\/why-the-unbanked-community-matters-to-your-business\/\">unbanked<\/a>, can avoid missed payments or shut offs.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/prepaid-cards-revolving-income\/\">Prepaid Cards<\/a> \u2013 Low-income and unbanked customers often utilize these cards to avoid carrying cash and so that they can take advantage of online shopping and other activities that require a credit or debit card.<\/li>\n<li>Cell Phones &amp; Accessories \u2013 Having reliable means of communication is important for all people, no matter their income level. Selling prepaid cell phones, phone cards, top-up service, and accessories like chargers and cases is a great way to make your c-store a valuable resource in a low-income community where cellphone providers are scarce.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/produce-isnt-impossible-fresh-and-healthy-in-convenience\/\">Fresh, Healthy Food<\/a> \u2013 Many low-income consumers are living in areas that are considered \u201cfood deserts\u201d. In these areas, where there are few to no grocery stores, having nearby access to nutritious food options is important.\u00a0 While carrying fruits, veggies, and other traditional grocery items may be difficult, it could mean bringing in a lot of added revenue.<\/li>\n<li>Hot &amp; Prepared Food &amp; Beverages &#8211; If your consumers struggle with having reliable transportation, their food options can be very limited. If your c-store offers tasty foodservice options, your consumers will come in for more meals and snacks throughout the day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Be Realistic<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Obviously if your consumers are low-income, they may not have a lot of extra cash to spend.\u00a0 Make sure that your pricing makes sense for both your business and your consumers.\u00a0 Also, when adding new products or additional services, you should be mindful of what your consumers actually need and want, not just what works at other c-stores.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Personality Goes a Long Way<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Consumers are very appreciative of local business owners and staff that are pleasant to interact with.\u00a0 Avoid coming off as untrusting of your customers, and be sure to engage them whenever you can.\u00a0 You may even want to consider hosting community events at your store to show your appreciation.\u00a0 By showing consumers that you value their business, you can better guarantee that they will remain loyal customers and continue to spend money at your c-store when they can.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a convenience store owner, it\u2019s important to know who your primary customer is and how to best serve them.\u00a0 If your c-store, like so many others, is in an area where most of the consumers are low-income, serving your primary customer has some unique challenges.\u00a0 Serving a low-income demographic doesn\u2019t have to mean your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":27979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[219,220,209],"class_list":["post-27978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-important-announcement","tag-building-your-business","tag-consumer-trends","tag-snap-ebt-tips-for-retailers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/244"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27978"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31144,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27978\/revisions\/31144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}