Snack foods grew dollar sales 3.5% in 2015, which outpaced total retail sales of consumer packaged goods (3.2%) and total food and beverage sales growth (2.9%), according to research from SNAC International (formerly the Snack Food Association) and Chicago-based IRI.   

The diverse sizes of snacks, innovation, intriguing flavor mashups and retail/online channel efficiencies—all combined with dynamic tiered pricing inducements—led to an upward trend of dollar sales and, to an extent, units. 

Convenience stores always seem to be fighting for share from bigger industries with fewer stigmas and stereotypes. But as grocery sales move online and technology and related services innovate, c-stores may find themselves with distinct advantages. Here’s a look at the latest trends in online grocery and some innovations on the fringe.

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Los Angeles-based research firm IBIS World predicts $9.4 billion in revenue for online grocery in 2017, a total

There is a chance the roll-your-own/make-your-own ­RYO/MYO‑ tobacco segment gets overlooked in your store. Industrywide, it accounts for approximately 1% of tobacco sales. Some might even say it doesn’t offer the glitz and glamour of other new tobacco products, such as e-vapor.

But it’s a mistake to overlook this segment, says former retailer Andrea Myers, director of business development for Republic Tobacco Co., Glenview, Ill.

There are energy bars, fruit bars and granola bars, and nut bars, protein bars and candy bars. But a meat bar?

It exists.

While most meat bars are available now at retail locations such as Whole Foods, these bars, which tout natural ingredients and lots of protein, are poised to take the channel by storm.

Imagine you, a Kit Kat lover, are faced with the ultimate tease. Which would you choose: The honeycomb and cookie dough Kit Kat flavors? Or, for the more adventurous, soy sauce, apple vinegar, watermelon and salt and sake Kit Kats?

Here’s the rub: It doesn’t matter. They’re not yet available stateside.

They are diminutive yet influential. Before there were millennials impacting consumer packaged goods (CPGs) trends, there were “the kids.”

You know them—you might have a couple. Children’s influence on CPGs and retailer strategies is significant. From the weekly shopping list to impulse purchases at checkout, little ones greatly influence what their parents buy. 

Whether their food comes from mall food courts, airports, stadiums, vending machines or workplaces, consumers now expect fresh, quality meals.

As the channel antes up with made-to-order foodservice programs, one way to differentiate the c-store offer is to implement a rotating menu concept featuring local restaurants.

Market baskets are experiencing a slight dip. And lower retail prices of several foods, including salad, orange juice, shredded cheddar and ground chuck, are at fault, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Spring Picnic Marketbasket Survey.

What’s the one word that captures the shift in the foodservice industry? Transparency.

Nothing says accountability quite like an open kitchen. And as more convenience stores look to compete with their restaurant counterparts through made-to-order foodservice programs, the question of whether to open some or all of production to consumers’ prying eyes looms large.