Client Impact: Retail
Pilot Flying J Profile
Pilot Flying J is North America’s largest operator of travel centers, as well as the largest
provider of diesel fuel to over-the-road truckers. Formed in 2010 following the merger of Pilot
Travel Centers LLC and Flying J. Inc, Pilot Flying J operates truck stops, convenience stores,
and quick-serve restaurants across the United States and Canada. At the core of Pilot Flying J’s
customer-centric strategy is a longstanding commitment to improving the lives of America’s
drivers through exceptional experiences and quality service.
“One of my key takeaways is how flexible the testing is in terms of areas that you want to measure. I think the testing is essential to us and really to anyone out there in terms of just deliberately testing your intuitions before you roll things out nationally.”
Tim Purcell
-Director of Marketing
The Opportunity
In response to stagnant sales and declining market share in 2009, Pilot Flying J partnered with QualPro to gain insight into the needs of the marketplace in order to exceed customer expectations and drive gross profit dollars. QualPro consultants worked with Pilot Flying J to optimize product mix, store design and layout, and product placement, as well as to determine which combinations of
promotions, signage, and item values would be most effective in driving purchasing behavior within its retail operations.
The Approach
QualPro consultants assisted Pilot Flying J in identifying 21 key ideas to undergo screening experimentation in order to calculate the specific impact of each idea, testing each individually and in combination with other ideas, on measures such as signage, couponing, and incentive programs. QualPro identified the optimum media mix to drive impulsive purchasing behavior and helped design a monthly promotion plan to ensure consistent execution and implementation of project learnings. QualPro recommended simplifying existing messaging and actions in order to increase the impact of marketing messages, all while streamlining overall marketing costs.
The Impact
QualPro helped Pilot Flying J achieve a 6.5% increase in in-store sales, worth nearly $8 million in annual profit growth. Moreover, during this period of sales growth for Pilot Flying J, the industry experienced a 5–10% sales decline.
