Next Stop
Existing Market
Currently we are selling to anyone
who is driving down US HWY 301 after the new route opens. We are starting with
1 store and 2 parcels of land one at each end of the new bypass. The 1 parcel
of land is for growth. The first station will be just a normal gas station and
restaurant it will be name brand franchised stores. We will be selling gas,
food, and normal convenience store items.
After interviewing people that would
already be in our customer segment I found that a lot suggested opening up a full-service
store for semi-trucks or at least opening another store that is similar but has
different business names to diversify my offerings. I would have to see what the
franchise contract would say about opening a different kind of restaurant. One
customer also mentioned opening a gas station that sells food itself like
Wa-Wa.
New Market
This new market would kind of a B2B
market since I would target professional drivers. Opening a full-service
station aimed at the professional driver’s market with a diesel mechanic shop, trucker
accessories store, showers, and laundry facility.
After interviewing a few professional
drivers this market seems very attractive. One interviewee told me the industry
is always growing and the number of drivers is always increasing. Everyone I
talked to said that they like going to clean and quiet places where they can
relax. As well as the normal customers cleanliness is a high priority for them.
Also having a store that sells accessories for their trucks as well as a place
that can fix tires when they lose their treads is important.
I think your new market idea of targeting professional truck drivers is a very interesting concept that would definitely help your venture. The idea of providing showers is especially a good one since you could probably charge people to use them in a vending style way so that truck drivers can leave feeling refreshed, yet you still make a profit.
ReplyDeleteBradley,
ReplyDeleteThe professional trucker market ahs great potential. They are a subset of customers that will use a lot more services than the normal client. You will also be able to set up your store to cater to them and will be able to make higher profits per person, and also sell more gas because they have such big tanks.
Hey Bradley,
ReplyDeleteI was interested to see how you would target a new market, but you definitely found a good way to do so. Getting in contact with the professional trucking companies and building a relationship with them to develop a certain brand loyalty. If you could successfully do so, this would be a great new market for your business. Great job on targeting a new market!
-Dakota Horlocker