Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1013201
Chain Drugstore Daily Saturday, August 25, 2018 5 0 On Trend Lifestyle Drinkware from Mugs Made Easy Another year – another emerging con- sumer trend. What's hot? What's on trend? What are your customers looking for? Value priced vacuum insulated tum- blers and branded lifestyle refillables! The advanced technology of vacuum insulated tumblers allows them to keep cold for 12 hours and hot for 4 hours. Their extreme popularity originates with the high perceived value of the product and culminates with its phenomenal daily heat/cold performance. Vacuum, it appears, is here to stay! High-end branded lifestyle refill- ables are not only trending, but are the ultimate c-store messaging vehicle and advertising tool. The simple branded item has customers not only carrying around a retailer's billboard, but they also pay for it – a win/win. Providing in- store items that customers feel reflect their lifestyle choices reinforces the c- store brand and helps cement the con- sumer/retailer relationship. The convenience store industry has focused on lending an upscale treatment to their coffee bars, bringing them up to the level of specialty coffee houses. Upscale foodser- vice and dispensed bev- erage refill programs are central to in-store sales and crucial growth areas. The goal for the c- store industry of trans- forming random convenience store visits into purposeful destination stops is driv- en by quality refill programs. Dispensed beverages are the hallmark of conven- ience store profits and drive tremendous amounts of in-store traffic. Refill discounts are the best form of customer loyalty programs – the ultimate value-added proposition to keep customers com- ing back. The inherent value of refill programs work both ways – cus- tomers enjoy the daily discounts as retailers enjoy morning, mid-day and evening day part growth. As customers return daily to take advantage of loyalty programs, they also increase their basket prices, (i.e. a muffin, sandwich, foodser- vice items, etc.). Mugs Made Easy delivers on trend lifestyle drinkware reflecting the ever- changing convenience store customer needs! BIC: Trusted for Quality, Value and More for Your Money Worldwide, BIC is one of the most rec- ognized and trusted brands for sta- tionery products, lighters and shavers. For more than 60 years, BIC has pro- vided high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Each day in more than 160 countries, consumers choose to buy over 32 million BIC products wherever, whenever and how- ever they shop. BIC Stationery products are renowned for the quality and the value they deliver. Whether it be for work, home or in the classroom, BIC has a wide range of high-quality options to meet consumer needs. The new BIC ® Gel- ocity™ Quick Dry Gel pen provides con- sumers with comfortable, super smooth- writing and colorful, fast-drying gel ink that minimizes smudging. If you are looking for a smooth, comfortable, styl- ish and long-lasting ballpoint pen, then the BIC Atlantis ® is a perfect choice. The BIC Velocity ® Mechanical Pencil offers comfort and a strong and dark-writing lead, giving you the assurance you need from a mechanical pencil. Consumers prefer BIC Lighters because of their unsurpassed safety, qual- ity and reliability, and the great value they provide. These attributes set BIC apart from the competition and are why BIC continues to be trusted as "America's No. 1 Lighter" and as a top- performing, fast-moving, profitable, front-end item. Consumers also enjoy BIC's extensive and expanding offering of new and exciting a d d e d - v a l u e pocket lighter designs, making them a desirable acces- sory that reflects consumers' interests, personality and lifestyle. Consumers seek out designs that feature their favorite team, rock band or TV show, or just as an accessory to their favorite outfit. BIC also offers a wide variety of multi-pur- pose lighters built to BIC's high-quality standards that consumers trust and want to have on hand for the barbecue, fire- place, candles and for weather-related emergency preparedness. BIC Shavers offer a vast portfolio of razors for men and women that provide an ultra-close shave at an affordable price. BIC's newest offerings include the top-performing BIC Flex5 Hybrid ® men's razor, which has five flexible blades that adjust to the contours of your skin, a Balancing Sphere™ that adds weight for enhanced control, and an edging blade for shaving those hard to reach spots. It has already become a men's favorite! BIC has also recently launched the BIC Soleil ® Balance™ Disposable Razor for women. Featuring five blades that adjust to the body's curves, it offers a built-in mois- ture bar infused with Shea Butter, elimi- nating the need for shaving cream, deliv- ering a superior smooth shave at an affordable BIC price, and it too has quickly become a top performing new women's shaver! For more information, go to www.bic.com. i3 International Video Surveillance i3 International understands the responsi- bilities faced by convenience stores and travel stops, and has designed a complete video surveillance solution meant to effectively address the everyday chal- lenges faced by the c-store industry that will do more than just video surveillance. Convenience stores need to preserve the bottom line, mitigate risk, keep everyone safe and maintain a high-level of compliance, in a complicated and per- petual balancing act that requires time and experience. Addressing the need to do more with fewer resources, i3 transforms a tradi- tional CCTV system into a complete LP/AP safety and operational manage- ment solution. Tools are available to drive profit, increase compliance, reduce cost and minimize liability. In short, this system is set to tell you where to look, when to look and what to look for. i3's solution includes software cre- ated to help you mini- mize the risk of loss, monitor and man- age injuries, damage to people and prop- erty, track tobacco sales and provide operational metrics needed to run your business most effectively. Additionally, with its user-friendly software, video searches and backups are quick and easy, reducing the amount of resources needed to investigate internal and external threats to a multi-store operation. With i3's reliable enterprise-grade hardware, user-friendly viewing software and useful real-time data gathered with Business Insights, there is no telling what can be accomplished in any one day. Why Clyde's Market Chose Midax An interview with Gene Edwards, Chief Financial Officer, Clyde's Market, 718 South Veterans Blvd, Glennville, GA, 30427. Contact Gene at 912.654.3052 or gedwards@clydesmarket.com. CDD: Tell our readers about Clyde's Market, your company and the market you serve. GE: Clyde's Market is a family owned convenience store chain locat- ed in southeast Georgia. We were established in 1969 in Glennville, Georgia by Clyde Woolard. We cur- rently operate 43 convenience stores within 72 miles of Glennville. Our market consists mainly of rural com- munities, so we adhere to our small town values. CDD: What do you feel were the tech- nology pain points facing your company, and what led you to Midax as a solution? GE: In a competitive environment where loyalty programs have become a necessi- ty, we found it difficult to find a loyalty solution that would work with multiple fuel brands and unbranded sites. Midax offered a flexible solution that would integrate seamlessly, regardless of the fuel brand. CDD: Currently, what solutions are you employing? GE: Clyde's Market is currently employ- ing two solu- tions from Midax. We use the Midax loy- alty platform and the Midax ACH payment platform. CDD: Do you feel the solutions provided have ultimately helped to favorably posi- tion Clyde's Market against the competi- tion? GE: Yes. The Midax ACH payment solu- tion will allow us to gain traction with a customer base that is already educated by the competition. The ACH solution allows us to compete on a level playing field. The Midax loyalty solution has allowed us to reach our customers with innovative programs that our competition does not currently offer. The flexibility of the Midax solution, coupled with Midax's willingness to develop custom solu- tions, will keep us one step ahead of the compe- tition. CDD: Looking into the future, and the relationship you have developed, are you looking at other technology applications provided by Midax? GE: Yes. As an extension of our loyalty and ACH payment solution, we will develop a mobile app with Midax. Because of Midax's ability to perform across multiple fuel brands, we will also look to Midax in the future for a gift card and fleet fuel management solution. For more information, go to www.midax.com, email jim.n@midax.com or call 757.620.4168.