Every driver has their own logic when choosing a gas station. Some prioritize speed and convenience—they look for a station without lines, where they can refuel contactlessly and grab a coffee on the go. Others value comfort and predictability, preferring locations where the restroom is always clean, the payment terminal works, and the staff is friendly at any time of day. Some primarily drive on highways, while others navigate city streets, but all of them return to places where their needs are understood without words.
So why do some gas stations become a driver’s go-to choice, while others remain one-time stops? The answer lies not in price but in understanding customer motivation. And this is where small and medium-sized businesses have an advantage.
Members of the Fuel and Energy Business Association—local and regional gas station networks—compete daily for customer loyalty through service, understanding their needs, and flexibility in decision-making. They can quickly test new approaches, adapt offerings, and implement personalized loyalty programs.
What Is the Customer Really “Buying”?
According to the “Jobs to Be Done” framework, a customer doesn’t buy a product—they hire it to perform a specific “job.” At a gas station, this means a driver isn’t just stopping for fuel but to solve particular tasks, such as:
• Saving time. They want to refuel quickly and without waiting in line, preferably without leaving their car.
• Energy for the road. A good coffee, a snack, or even a full meal matters.
• Comfort and predictability. A clean restroom, a working payment terminal, and friendly staff—small details that create a habit of returning.
• Safety. Especially important for drivers traveling with family or working night shifts.
The more of these needs a gas station meets, the higher the chances that a customer will return.
How to Effectively Collect and Analyze Customer Experience
To understand customers’ real needs, guessing isn’t enough—you need to analyze behavior patterns and data:
• When do customers visit most often? Morning stops for coffee, evening visits for snacks and refueling before heading home.
• What routes intersect with your station? Are your customers transit drivers or local residents?
• What do they buy along with fuel? Receipt analysis helps identify the most popular accompanying products.
• What do they say on social media? Customer comments provide insight into their emotional perception of the brand.
Data Collection Methods:
1. Customer surveys and feedback
2. Analysis of receipts and transactions
3. GPS data on routes and stops
4. Social media and mobile app monitoring
This data allows businesses not just to respond to customer requests but to anticipate their needs.
How to Use This Data to Improve Service
For customers to choose your network, you need to create not just attractive offers but a comfortable customer experience:
• Personalized promotions. Dynamic discounts based on customer behavior—such as a special coffee offer for those who stop by every morning.
• Assortment optimization. If most customers buy coffee with pastries, consider adding combo deals.
• Enhanced comfort. Small details like contactless payments, fast service, and well-thought-out rest areas can be decisive factors.
• Influencing emotional brand perception. Atmosphere, visual style, and communication all contribute to a customer’s emotional connection with a gas station network.
A loyalty program deserves special attention—its effectiveness depends not on the number of bonuses but on how useful they are to the customer.
What Motivates Customers to Return?
• Personalized discounts based on their behavior.
• Bonuses not just for fuel but also for coffee, snacks, car washes, etc.
• Special offers for frequent customers at the same station.
When a loyalty program makes a customer’s life easier, they won’t check competitors’ prices—they’ll return to you.
Conclusions and Recommendations
For customers to return not because of price but because of service, gas station networks should:
• Understand real customer needs, not just sell fuel.
• Collect and analyze data to personalize offers and improve experience.
• Optimize the loyalty program to be not just about accumulating points but actually useful.
• Work on emotional connection—through service, atmosphere, and consistent quality.
Customers choose the gas station that helps them not just with logistics but with creating a comfortable, fast, and pleasant experience. The future belongs to networks that think like service companies, not just fuel sellers. And what innovative approaches does your network implement? Share your experience—together, we can improve the market!