For Gas Station Owners: Insights into Fuel Customer Behavior

Understanding consumer behavior is critical to running a successful gas station business. Knowing what fuel customers prefer, what they dislike, and what they specifically look for when picking a gas station to stop by is of utmost importance and helps you optimize your operations accordingly.

Insights into Fuel Customer Behavior

This blog shares a few interesting and valuable insights on fuel consumer behavior, based on the recent findings from Consumer Behavior at the Pump, an annual survey conducted by the NACS.

Price is the most important factor

According to the survey, lower fuel prices are what mainly drive customers to gas pumps, with 59 percent of the survey respondents rating price as the most important factor when deciding where to buy gas from. However, we see some interesting variations by shopping location. For example, when shopping for gas on the highway, as opposed to in the community, customers place high importance on the ease of entrance and exit to a gas station.

The takeaway: Sell gas at competitive prices and make sure your gas station is easily accessible to fuel customers.

Customers prefer filling up between 10 am and 3 pm

Most customers fill up their tanks mid-day, roughly between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. In the survey conducted by NACS, 50 percent of consumers said they try to hit the pump and get their tanks filled up during the late morning and early afternoon.

The takeaway: Make sure your gas station is accommodating to fuel customers, especially during mid-day. If there is any maintenance (or inspection) work that you need to do, try wrapping it up in early hours of the morning or do it in the evening when customer visits are expected to be low.

When people stop by to fuel up, they usually opt for a full refill

Another interesting finding from the survey reveals that when fuel customers stop by at a gas station to fuel up, they usually fill up. In the survey, 70 percent of the respondents said they fill their gas tanks to full to avoid any inconvenience on the road.

The takeaway: Make sure your gas station is always full on the stock.

So, are you ready to take your gas station business to the next level?

The John W. Kennedy company can help you!

We sell everything you need to run your gas station business smoothly, efficiently and safely. From pre-fabricated convenience store buildings to fuel dispensers to service station fittings, you can find all the essentials you need on our online store. Visit today!

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