Quality of Service Station Food Offering Impacts Driver’s Fueling Decisions
April 11th, 2017 by Fiedler Group
NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, recently released a new national survey which suggests drivers are increasingly influenced to purchase fuel at locations based on the quality of the food offered at the fueling location.
Although gasoline price continues to have the greatest impact on a driver’s fuel station selection – 51 percent site gas price is the reason they prefer a specific store or chain, the quality of food offered at the station also has a bearing on where consumers buy their fuel.
In-store food offerings now impact 16% of fueling decisions, a 5 percent increase since 2015.
Jeff Lenard, NACS Vice President of Strategic Industry Initiatives noted “The numbers clearly show the growing trend of consumers seeking out food and beverages as part of their fueling experience.
While retailers know they need to aggressively compete on gas prices — 67 percent of Americans say they will drive 5 minutes out of their way to save 5 cents per gallon — it also shows that there are other ways to compete for customers with a quality in-store offer.”
The NACs survey also noted:
- 42 percent of customers fueling went inside the store – a 7 percent increase from 2015.
- The most popular reasons for entering the store are to pay for gas at the cash register (55%), to buy a beverage (45%) or to buy a snack (36%).
- More than one in five (22%) say they used the restroom.
- Nearly three quarters of customers pay by debit (37%) or credit (36%) card.
- The evening rush is the most popular time to buy fuel (36%), significantly more than the morning rush (22%).
- Nearly half (46%) of consumers say they have gotten a discount for their fuel by using a loyalty card or app, and 23% have gotten a discount for paying by cash.
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