Price is still the driving factor in where consumers buy their fuel, The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing (NACS) notes in its 2015 Retail Fuels Report.
While price is the No. 1 consideration, according to 71 percent of those surveyed, location is next (18 percent), followed by brand (8 percent) and ease of entrance and exit (3 percent). That’s according to the NACS Consumer Fuels Survey of 1,108 consumers.
Most of the biggest group, the price-conscious shoppers, are using gas station signs to make their decisions (63 percent), although loyalty cards are also important to 18 percent of those consumers. The survey found that 9 percent of the shoppers in this group use online price comparisons, and 9 percent rely on a store or company’s reputation for having low prices.
Almost half of consumers (48 percent) have a preferred chain or gas station they frequent, mainly because of lower prices. The next consideration was fuel quality (46 percent), followed by loyalty programs and the quality of store merchandise.
More than a third of those filling up go inside the store after they buy fuel. Younger customers were the most likely to do so; 42 percent of consumers 18 to 34 went in the store the last time they bought gas.
Not surprisingly, the No. 1 reason people go inside the store is to pay for their gas, followed by buying a beverage; buying a snack; buying cigarettes; buying lottery tickets; using the bathroom; buying beer or wine; buying grocery items; buying a sandwich or meal; and using the ATM. More than 10 percent just browsed.
The most common time to fill up was in the afternoon, between 3 and 7 p.m. (38 percent), followed by midday, or 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (29 percent) and morning (23 percent). About 10 percent of people fueled vehicles between 7 p.m. and midnight. Statistically, almost no one fueled their cars overnight.
More than three-fourths of customers pay with cards – debit and credit – an increase of 24 percent over the past six years.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average U.S. household will spend about $2,000 for gasoline this year.
Here are more interesting statistics the report gathered from various sources:
– Nearly 40 million Americans fill their tanks every day.
– About 80 percent of the gasoline purchased is sold by convenience stores.
– There are 127,588 convenience stores selling fuel in the United States.
– The average U.S. vehicle travels 32 miles a day and is 11.4 years old.
– 85 percent of Americans drive or car-pool to work.
– In a year, the average American uses 22.27 barrels of oil.
– The average household buys 729 gallons of gas per year.
Check out the report for more information on how oil supplies affect fuel prices, the complexities and costs of credit card sales, and taxes and gasoline requirements by state.
