Ipsos and W. Capra announce the results of its 2025 Channel Check-In ꟾ The C-Store Experience Study
New York, December 15, 2025 - Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, and W. Capra, the premier end-to-end consulting and services business, today announced the release of the Ipsos 2025 Channel Check-In ꟾ The C-Store Experience Study, an exclusive ranking of C-Store / Travel Center experiences and the brands that are meeting or exceeding consumers’ expectations.
In its third year of identifying consumer desires for a premier experience and benchmarking key brands in their ability to deliver, the Ipsos report is built from two complimentary data sources: an Ipsos survey of 2,000 U.S. adults who visited a C-Store and/or Travel Center within the last week, and assessments by 1,500+ mystery shoppers from Ipsos’ mystery shopping practice, iShopFor Ipsos, who evaluated 16 leading brands’ operational execution.
These findings enable site operators, marketers and brand teams to identify pain points, prioritize action and develop competitive strategies that drive brand loyalty and share-of-wallet. The report also identifies standout performers in the industry for both the traditional C-Store and Travel Center formats:
- QuikTrip – Recognized for best brand, Traditional Convenience Store
- Love’s Travel Stop – Recognized for best brand, Traditional Travel Center
- Buc-ee’s – Recognized as best brand, Overall Experience
The research reaffirmed that site attributes, like safety and cleanliness, matter most to consumers when choosing between brands, and consumers expect brands to consistently uphold these standards.
“As expectations and desires can change significantly over time, it’s critical to survey consumers each and every time brands are assessed and ranked. For example, we found a sense of safety, particularly in the external forecourt and fueling lighting environment, has ranked higher during this round of our research. One thing that doesn’t change is the importance of available, clean, well-stocked restrooms” said Chris Koetting, SVP of Strategic Growth, Ipsos.
In fact, when it comes to restrooms: the study concluded that if a location is not delivering on that key service, 50% of those consumers are willing to drive 10-plus miles more to a brand that does.
Noting the value that constantly measuring and monitoring consumer expectations plays, W. Capra Partner Mike Streams shared, “Benchmarking customer experience is no longer optional – it’s a strategic necessity. This study gives retailers a clear look at where they excel, where they lag, and what matters most to shoppers across formats and missions.”
Brands seeking to understand how the industry performed and what actions they might take to upgrade their offers can schedule a complimentary review of the study results by contacting Chris Koetting at [email protected].
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Christopher Good
Communications Manager
[email protected]
About the Study
Ipsos conducted a consumer survey of 2,000 respondents aged 18-75, all of whom had previously visited a convenience store or travel center within the past week, aiming to understand their preferences and expectations for an onsite visit and engagement. Leveraging these insights, Ipsos performed a key driver analysis to outline those operational and experiential attributes, which were configured into measurable performance attributes.
Subsequently, Ipsos deployed approximately ~1,500 mystery shoppers across the retail network of 16 brands (100 mystery shops each), assessing how effectively each brand delivered on those operational standards. The findings of this study reflect the opinions and perceptions of survey participants and the observations gathered by mystery shoppers.
About the Channel Check In ꟾ The C-Store Experience Study Awards
Each brand included in the Ipsos Channel Check In ꟾ The C-Store Experience Study received scores reflecting their delivery on operational and experiential standards, grouped into four key assessment categories: Forecourt Experience, Fueling Experience, Store & Restroom Experience and Customer Amenities Experience. From there, Ipsos recognized the overall and by-format top performers with an award. Those awards were as follows:
- Best Brand – Overall Experience: This award recognizes the brand achieving the highest overall score across all performance categories, calculated using a weighted average based on the mystery shop scores. The brand outperforming the mean score across participating brands is deemed the overall winner.
- Best Brand – Traditional Convenience Store: This award recognizes the brand achieving the highest overall score across all performance categories in the smaller format C-Store retail model, calculated using a weighted average based on the mystery shop scores. The brand outperforming the mean score across study-targeted c-stores brands is deemed the overall category winner.
- Best Brand – Traditional Travel Center: This award recognizes the brand achieving the highest overall score across all performance categories within the larger format of the traditional travel center, calculated using a weighted average based on the mystery shop scores. The brand outperforming the mean score across study-targeted travel center brands is deemed the overall category winner.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
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About W. Capra
W. Capra is the premier end-to-end consulting and services business – driving high impact customer-first business transformation – from high level strategy through implementation in every vertical served. Leveraging our breadth of industry expertise and innovative thought leadership, we collaborate with our clients to optimize operations, enhance consumer experiences, minimize risk, and achieve strategic business goals. As industry and technology evolve, so does our expertise and drive – and that keeps us at the cutting edge as we help clients navigate the complexities of today’s technology ecosystem and prepare for the new opportunities of tomorrow.
