The holistic service station experience

The aspiration to expand the service station business has led to an increase in touchpoints with customers that often lack cohesion and interconnectivity. PetrolPlaza spoke to experts about their strategies for creating a unified service station experience for all customer journeys.

How connected are services offered at the forecourt? | © jamesteohart - stock.adobe.com

Today customers stop at a station for a wide range of reasons, including refueling, grabbing a quick meal, and getting their vehicle inspected. As the number of touchpoints between retailers and customers multiplies, the key to unlocking their full potential lies in establishing a strong connectivity between every touchpoint.

Weaving together all these services into a comprehensive and holistic system requires retailers to analyze the different customer journeys that can take place – from the pump to the car wash, grabbing a coffee while your EV charges, learning about a discount on maintenance services while using a loyalty app.

In the same vein as the "Choose Your Own Adventure" book series, all these pathways can culminate in an experience that exceeds the sum of its individual parts. The central question then becomes: How to transform a single need into multiple transactions?

The heart of a holistic environment

Management systems play a central role in creating comprehensive environments where all touchpoints seamlessly converge. However, it's not solely about the multitude of features and options these solutions can offer, it's equally crucial to gauge the depth of connectivity they establish within the facility and with customers.

Raf Tormans, Senior Manager and Product Management | © Dover Fueling Solutions

By leveraging data analytics, stations can gain a deeper understanding of customer preferences, behaviors, and trends. “Companies need to integrate both their customers and managers' perspectives, these two should be in perfect harmony when building management solutions,” describes Raf Tormans, Senior Manager and Product Management at Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS). Such alignment can prepare retailers for the customer and optimize the transaction flow, enhancing the overall site experience.

The expert also highlights the importance of providing access to a comprehensive dataset for experimentation. Managers can explore multiple and tailored approaches to create unique, interconnected customer journeys. Although some of these paths are already active in stations around the world, new ones will get unlocked as the industry evolves.

More diverse and specific approaches can help stations create their own intertwined journeys. “We started out with standard fuel dispensers and a lot more devices are now connected to stations. Essentially, we want to make sure all retailers have enough flexibility to make cross selling and cross offer promotions towards the consumer, which is why our product offering now caters to both clean and conventional fuels,” concludes Tormans.

The store, app or pump are just some examples of the different touchpoints that coexist at a station. | © Dangubic - stock.adobe.com

Connect through reliability

Once the entire ecosystem is established, the initial focus should be meeting driver expectations across all the station’s offers. For instance, retailers have placed a strong emphasis on expanding their fueling options due to the increasing adoption of alternative fuel vehicles. However, this type of expansion also presents challenges that can disrupt the customer’s journey.

David McGuinness, Director and Product Management for Electric Vehicle Charging | © Dover Fueling Solutions

While much attention has been given to how an EV charging session can extend a customer's visit to and potentially boost sales, it's crucial not to overlook the critical aspect of charger reliability. “We have gone from range anxiety to charging anxiety. Reliability is what most worries drivers now and it has been affecting the industry for the past ten years,” states David McGuinness, Director and Product Management for Electric Vehicle Charging at DFS.

The expert underlines the importance of usability as a critical factor that can make or break the experience. The company considers it vital to provide an intuitive display system with straightforward and user-friendly instructions, along with a diverse range of payment options.

This type of approach across all touchpoints can serve as a launchpad to engage customers with additional services. When the offerings are interconnected and dependable, this raises a new question – how will drivers embrace connectivity?

Providing a reliable and intuitive experience can unlock new revenue opportunities. | © Viktoriia - stock.adobe.com

Within sight, within reach

The influence of smartphones in the interaction with stations cannot be overlooked. Lately, retailers worldwide have been upgrading and relaunching their apps to showcase on-site offers more effectively. They've integrated features like digital wallets, car wash and delivery services into these platforms, enhancing engagement and providing a clearer view of the station's offerings.

Increasing customer awareness is another challenge in promoting interconnectivity between services. Returning to EV charging, leveraging equipment for advertising is a trend that has gained traction among manufacturers. “It is something that we have to consider in the future, especially in regions which really like media and advertisements,” emphasizes David McGuinness.

Some companies have integrated display screens into the equipment to showcase content and unlock cross-selling opportunities. In the case of retail brands, the biggest chains are harnessing the potential of retail media networks, spanning online channels and in-store equipment. These approaches can elevate customer engagement through well-timed product offerings at every touchpoint.

In the end, the key to a successful strategy in a holistic ecosystem is matching the right product to the right customer. “We are still trying to find what offers and advertisements will work well on EV charger displays versus what we already know is effective on conventional fuel dispensers. Because sometimes a meal might be better than just a donut and a coffee,” exemplifies McGuinness. With customer journeys increasingly intertwined, finding the appropriate offer will eventually become less challenging, provided reliability and engagement across all touchpoints are maintained.