Petrol stations are constantly reinventing themselves. Pitstops at these channels are an everyday thing, and the truth is that most gas stations turn a significant profit, not at their core product -fuel-but at convenience store items. As a result, almost all stations in Australia have on-site convenience stores.
That said, the growing trend of establishing convenience stores is becoming more and more vital and, over the last few years, petrol convenience stores have been expanding their assortment of products and services, from freshly prepared foods to bakery products and newspapers.
The diversification of services is one of the prominent trends that are currently transforming the petrol station industry. Primarily due to the uncertain future of fossil fuels in developed markets, combined with other factors such as the increase in mobility options such as electric vehicles and ride-sharing, which has decreased the usage of diesel cars, petrol stations have been expanding their business beyond traditional fuel, even beyond convenience store offerings.
Some alternative revenue streams, such as made-to-order takeaways and even sit-down restaurants, are already popular in the forecourt. In addition, the broad spectrum of offerings and the fast services are constantly increasing petrol stations' footfall, enabling them to effectively integrate with other retail channels, as these stores meet the increasingly diverse needs of shoppers.
Shoppers' Behaviour
According to a recent study conducted among the SmartSpotter community, over 90% of consumers usually shop in petrol station stores when they fill up their car, although the frequency varies.
Variety and better price deals and promotions are two of the most important criteria that influence customers' purchase decisions. 49.69% of consumers answered that they always look for promotions at these stores, while 23.4% claim they rarely look for better deals.
The most popular products to buy at these stores are sweet snacks (55%), refreshing drinks (54%), and coffee or tea (50%).
Also, in every state in Australia, shoppers are mainly willing to pay between 5-10 dollars at a petrol shop.
Opportunities
With all this potential, this retail channel is increasingly needed to conduct in-store execution evaluations to improve compliance and customer service. Lucky for these businesses, crowdsourced in-store checks are one of the most cost-effective ways to provide petrol convenience stores with quality and real-time information.
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