A recent survey of 1,003 U.S. consumers conducted by Dover Fueling Solutions sheds light on factors that weigh most heavily on their choices when filling up their tanks.
According to the survey, fielded in July 2023, customers are not concerned merely with the nuts and bolts of refueling but are increasingly driven by the allure of a superior customer experience. Half of the surveyed consumers would readily switch to a competing gas station if it offered a substantially improved experience. This number surges even higher among Millennials, with a resounding 60% expressing a willingness to trade convenience for a superior encounter. Key determinants of this choice include safety, amenities, cleanliness, ease of access, a friendly staff, and an extensive selection of food and beverages.
Strikingly, younger consumers, those under 34, place less emphasis on proximity when choosing their refueling destination, with only 48% considering it a top-three factor, compared with 66% of consumers over 34. These trends suggest that younger demographics are willing to go the extra mile for top-tier service.
Nearly 80% of respondents emphasize the importance of safe payments, a significant uptick from the 70% recorded in the previous year. This surge in demand for secure transactions is indicative of a growing awareness and concern among consumers about credit card skimming devices at the pump.
“The survey results paint a clear picture that customers value payment security above all else when making their purchases,” said Ben Danner, Senior Analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. “This is why it is imperative that fuel merchants obtain the latest technology in payments fraud and security such as maintaining a security check procedure in the forecourt and upgrading their terminals to the EMV standard. One compromised terminal could be disastrous for hundreds, if not thousands, of customers.”
As with all such surveys, the data is limited in what it can provide. When customers say something is a factor in the choices they make, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they actually act accordingly. Nevertheless, the survey data can provide a good snapshot of what customers say they want, which can be helpful to gas stations as they adapt for the future.