Thought Leadership

Idle pumps, lost profits: How to capture more gallons without adding sites

By attracting customers earlier in their decision-making process, fuel retailers can boost capacity utilization without adding new sites.

The Upside Team

April 16, 2025

Retail media networks turn engagement into revenue, but are grocers getting the full picture?

These networks effectively reach loyal shoppers. Paired with Upside’s offers for uncommitted customers, one and one can make three.

The Upside Team

April 14, 2025

Tracking retail fuel trends: February 2025

Demand picked up as warmer weather thawed much of America, but a refinery fire marred an otherwise encouraging month.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

March 7, 2025

Tracking retail fuel trends: January 2025

Sanctions on Russia led to a rise in crude prices, while a cold snap suppressed fuel demand. Get your full trend update here.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

February 10, 2025

Upside's most popular blogs of 2024

Revisit our top insights from the past year — with much more to come in the future.

The Upside Team

January 31, 2025

Cracking the loyalty code: How to set a new program up for success

By bringing more new and uncommitted customers into your orbit, you can maximize the impact of a loyalty program from day one.

Tyler Renaghan

January 17, 2025

Tracking retail fuel trends: December 2024

Cold weather and the holiday season brought expected declines in demand. Plus, we take a closer look at c-store metrics.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

January 8, 2025

Winning the uncommitted customer: Lessons from Save A Lot’s journey

Save A Lot CIO Jennifer Hopper spoke with me on stage at Grocery Impact 2024. Find out what she had to say.

Alex Kinnier

December 23, 2024

Where do people go out to eat on Christmas? (No, it's not just Chinese.)

We determined the businesses that are most likely to be open for the holidays — and the ones that see the biggest boost in visits.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

December 19, 2024

Tracking retail fuel trends: November 2024

Despite a rise in holiday travel, fuel demand still fell month-over-month in November. Get a full look at the numbers here.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

December 9, 2024

How Roy Rogers is winning customers without relying on the value menu

Diners have plenty of choices for affordable meals outside of the home these days. But are value meals and blanket discounts good for your business?

The Upside Team

December 5, 2024

Retailer survey: Cautious optimism spurs greater focus on growth

Our latest survey shows retailers are thinking less about surviving and more about growing, a notable shift from the beginning of 2024.

The Upside Team

November 18, 2024

Fuel Trends by Upside: Methodology and FAQs

Take a closer look at how we built our Fuel Trends data series.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

November 14, 2024

Tracking retail fuel trends: October 2024

Sign and rack prices are expected to fall this time of year, but disruptions brought about by inclement weather have changed the story.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

November 14, 2024

What does an interest rate cut mean for shoppers?

When the Fed cuts rates, purchasing power increases. What does that impact actually look like for the average consumer?

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

November 12, 2024

Q&A with Giant Eagle: How this grocer earns more loyalty from uncommitted customers

Of the new and non-loyalty shoppers Upside brought to Giant Eagle, over 60% joined myPerks.

Tyler Renaghan

October 21, 2024

Q&A with GetGo: How this retailer turns uncommitted customers into loyal customers

Of the new and non-loyalty customers Upside brought to GetGo, over 60% joined myPerks.

Sam Berkovitz

October 21, 2024

'Breaking Down Buying Trends': The top three takeaways from our experts

Upside’s retail experts broke down the trends shaping the way we shop in a live webinar. We’re revisiting the conversation’s highlights.

The Upside Team

October 11, 2024

Tracking retail fuel trends: September 2024

Aligned with year-over-year trends, we observed low sign prices and foot traffic at U.S. stations. October should hold more of the same.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

October 10, 2024

Consumer spending trends in 2024 and the rise of the uncommitted consumer

Breaking down Upside's inaugural Consumer Spend Report

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

September 18, 2024

Dynamic pricing vs. personalized promotions: Mutual benefit makes all the difference

Personalized promotions center the customer while protecting the retailer’s margin; they sit at the intersection of efficiency and fairness.

Alex Kinnier

June 17, 2024

Consumer c-store demand: Even as top-line revenue rises, other metrics tell a different story

Transaction data from more than 1,700 c-stores shows demand is actually in decline. We contextualized the numbers and interviewed consumers to find out what’s behind the shift in shopping behavior.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

June 14, 2024

With more fees and higher prices, who's really to blame?

Consumers and politicians often pin the blame on retailers, but the real picture isn’t quite so clear. What’s driving high fees, and where do we go from here?

Kevin Hart

June 13, 2024

Price predictions for Memorial Day Weekend 2024

We looked at the last three years and factored in today's market conditions to estimate fuel and grocery prices for Memorial Day 2024.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

May 13, 2024

Busting Memorial Day BBQ myths: What you need to know for your holiday grill-out

Is there a “best” time to grocery shop? Are burgers or dogs more popular? Here, we’re answering some of the biggest questions about holiday BBQs.

The Upside Team

May 13, 2024

What to do with Upside in low-margin fuel environments

Today, thousands of retailers use Upside to win more visits and higher customer spend at a positive, fully-attributable ROI.

Allison Baker

May 8, 2024

Navigating thin margins in fuel and avoiding the 'vicious cycle' of cost-cutting

When fuel margins are low, retailers make less profit. But industry executives say cutting costs can make pre-existing pressures worse.

David Poulnot

May 6, 2024

C-store revenue is up, but what about demand?

Upside reviewed transaction data from 1,700+ convenience retail locations and surveyed 1,500+ consumers. Here’s what we found.

The Upside Team

May 1, 2024

How grocers bridge the gap from loyalty membership to loyal behavior

Most loyalty members behave like any other shopper. Here's how grocers can turn their average members into super-users.

The Upside Team

April 15, 2024

Bridging the gap between loyalty membership and loyal behavior

There's a gap between loyalty membership and behavior; retailers have an opportunity to turn their average members into super-users.

The Upside Team

April 5, 2024

Fuel promotions that change customer behavior at the pump

Upside surveyed consumers on effective fuel offers. Then, we reviewed transaction data from 30K fuel sites to learn what really changes buying behavior.

David Poulnot

February 29, 2024

Retailer survey: Costs remain top-of-mind even as inflation cools

Upside polled thousands of retailers to understand the biggest challenges they currently face, and a common theme emerged.

The Upside Team

February 5, 2024

How far will your restaurant customers travel?

The average American only travels about three miles for casual meals out. How can restaurateurs get customers to go farther to choose them?

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

January 12, 2024

Diners travel farther for cash back

On average, Americans travel about three miles for a casual meal outside the home. Restaurateurs are turning to Upside to get them to go farther.

The Upside Team

January 8, 2024

How grocery loyalty programs stack up against the "Big Five"

We reviewed the loyalty programs from best-in-class American grocery retailers to see if successful programs drive more market share.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

January 5, 2024

Grocery shoppers travel farther for cash back

U.S. shoppers usually buy groceries close to home, but the right cash back offer can motivate grocery shoppers to travel almost 3x the typical distance.

The Upside Team

November 30, 2023

How far will your grocery customers travel?

The average grocery shopper is only eight minutes away from their preferred store. How can grocers get customers to travel farther to choose them?

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

November 15, 2023

Cost-passing is backfiring for full-service restaurant owners

Customers are no longer willing to foot the bill for rising food costs, so restaurateurs need a new way to cover those increases.

Dr. Thomas Weinandy

November 14, 2023

Personalization vs. segmentation: How to build customer loyalty in grocery

How Upside is helping grocers drive incremental revenue and boost sales with personalized promotions

Tyler Renaghan

April 7, 2023

Segmentation is now. Personalization is the future.

Retailers need to stop using personalized and segmented approaches interchangeably — only the former generates true incremental profit every time. Learn how these strategies differ and how to leverage the data you already have for long-term growth.

The Upside Team

February 9, 2023

Why measuring capacity utilization is essential for grocers

By making better use of your existing assets, you could see a profit that could cover the cost of hiring additional staff to fill that empty register. Learn more here.

Tyler Renaghan

December 13, 2022

The long-term value of leading with your mission

As companies grow, there’s often a trade-off between doing what is best for the customer and doing what delivers the fastest business growth. I've learned: prioritize what’s best for the customer.

Alex Kinnier

November 25, 2022

How marketplaces unlock new sales potential for retailers

Brick and mortar businesses have an inherent constraint on their usage: their physical location. Marketplaces are unlocking incremental transactions for retailers with very little lift.

Alex Kinnier

November 17, 2022