Kwik Trip rolls out new ugly sweater, other seasonal merch

Dive Brief:

Kwik Trip has unveiled its new holiday merchandise for 2023, according to the company’s website.
The star item of the new line is an ugly sweater based on Kwik Trip’s Glazers, the company’s popular donuts that were introduced in 2003.
As merch shops become more popular among convenience retailers, companies like Kwik Trip, 7-Eleven, Stewart’s Shops and more are rolling out holiday updates for the heightened shopping season in late November and December.

Dive Insight:

This is Kwik Trip’s third year of offering ugly sweaters, a company spokesperson said via email. The sweaters can only be purchased through the company’s website.

In addition to the sweaters, shoppers can buy a trapper hat with ear flaps, a beanie hat that matches the sweater and an ornament. The holiday section of the store also offers last year’s ugly sweater along with similarly designed children’s wear and beanie hat.

Kwik Trip is not the only convenience store to get in on the ugly sweater trend. Kum & Go also has one in its merch shop, and 7-Eleven included one in its holiday line, along with pajamas, holiday t-shirts and more.

Stewart’s Shops, which initially opened its online shop on Cyber Monday 2022, did not include an ugly sweater for its store’s one-year anniversary, but did debut flannel pants, ice-cream-themed socks and a bobblehead of the company mascot. The company noted that in its first year operating the store, it’s seen more than 10,000 orders overall, with orders coming from all 50 states.

This move to get more customers repping their favorite c-stores can augment loyalty programs as a way to build rapport between customers and the stores they frequent.

“The thing about loyalty is sometimes your loyal customers just want more of your brand, which is something companies like Nike and Disney understand at a deep level,” said Frank Beard, head of marketing for app company Rovertown, in a column earlier this year.

La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip is one of the largest c-store operators in the U.S. with over 800 locations in its network.