GSTV Survey Ties Holiday Errands to Impulse Buys at Fuel Stations
2026-11-07 · via invidis
GSTV, which runs a video advertising network at US fuel stations, has published new survey data arguing that holiday errands open a window for out-of-home advertisers to influence last-minute purchases. For retail media buyers and convenience-store operators, the numbers offer a rationale for placing campaigns where people are already moving through their day rather than sitting at home.
The company's Consumer Pulse survey, conducted by research firm MFour among GSTV viewers in August 2026, found that 69% of respondents run more errands than usual during the holidays and 61% report increased driving. Thanksgiving week stands out, with 55% expecting extra trips, mostly for grocery shopping (52%) and holiday or Black Friday purchases (48%).
More notable for anyone selling screen space: 69% of respondents said they bought an unplanned item during their most recent errand trip, and 78% said they add stops when a retailer sits conveniently along their route. GSTV frames this as evidence that purchasing decisions are often made after consumers leave the house, which is the basic pitch behind any out-of-home media network.
Convenience stores as the beneficiary
GSTV says 77% of its viewers regularly shop at convenience stores while running errands. Cold beverages were the most common recent purchase (49%), followed by snacks (36%), fountain or frozen drinks (28%) and lottery products (22%). More than half of respondents, 52%, said they added at least one unplanned item during a convenience-store visit, and half of those attributed it to simply seeing something they wanted in the moment.
That last data point is the one GSTV will lean on with advertisers: if half of impulse buys come from seeing a product, screens at the pump or near checkout are positioned as a direct lever on that behavior. The release does not say which categories of advertisers saw lift, nor does it provide any sales-conversion data tied to actual campaigns on the network. It is a self-reported attitudinal survey of GSTV's own viewers, not an independent measurement study, which is worth keeping in mind when weighing the claims.
GSTV says its network spans more than 29,000 US locations and reaches 115 million unique adults monthly, figures the company has cited in prior research releases. The announcement does not break out regional detail, screen counts per location, or methodology beyond naming MFour as the survey vendor.
For operators and brands planning holiday DOOH budgets, the takeaway is less about new technology and more about timing: GSTV is using seasonal errand-running data to argue for fuel-station and convenience-store screens as a complement to grocery and big-box retail media buys during Thanksgiving week and the broader holiday period.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
New research from the US fuel-station video network finds that holiday errands create opportunities for convenience retailers and advertisers to influence purchasing decisions.
US consumers expect to spend more time driving and running errands during the holiday shopping season, creating additional opportunities for advertisers to reach them outside the home, according to new research from GSTV.
The company’s latest Consumer Pulse survey found that 69% of respondents run more errands than usual during the holidays, while 61% report increased driving. Thanksgiving week is particularly busy, with 55% expecting additional trips, primarily for grocery shopping (52%) and holiday or Black Friday purchases (48%).
For GSTV, which operates a video advertising network at fuel stations across the US, the findings highlight opportunities to reach consumers while they are already on the move.
The survey suggests that many purchasing decisions are made after consumers leave home. Some 69% of respondents reported buying an unplanned item during their most recent errand trip, while 78% said they add stops when a retailer is conveniently located along their route.
Convenience stores are among the beneficiaries of this behavior. According to GSTV, 77% of its viewers regularly make purchases at convenience stores while running errands.
Cold beverages were the most common recent convenience-store purchase, cited by 49% of respondents, followed by snacks (36%), fountain or frozen drinks (28%) and lottery products (22%).
More than half (52%) reported adding at least one unplanned item during a convenience-store visit, with half of those shoppers attributing the purchase to simply seeing something they wanted.
The findings point to the potential role of digital out-of-home advertising in influencing purchasing decisions at fuel stations and other locations along consumers’ shopping routes.
GSTV operates across more than 29,000 US locations and reports reaching 115 million unique adults monthly.
Research firm MFour conducted the Consumer Pulse survey among GSTV viewers in August 2026.