Bobby Haskins, Vice President of Retail Partnerships at Auror examines what retailers across the globe are investing in as the traditional gas station model evolves โ for the better.
Right now, gas stations are redefining what convenience means across the world.
Theyโre looking to create communities at their forecourts, transform the roadside shopping experience and connect to their customersโ wants and needs as they continue to evolve.
Itโs no longer a case of less is more.
What does that look like now and what could that look like in the not-too-distant future?
Right now, the gas station experience across the US is transactional and itโs largely driven by the high risk of theft and drive-offs.
You pre-pay, either at the pump or in the store, then go back to your vehicle and fill up.
It doesnโt matter whether thereโs 100 pumps or four โ this is what weโve come to expect from our gas station experience.ย ย
This isnโt the case globally and now many gas stations across the US and UK are reassessing how they can be a better part of their communities, while still managing to reduce or avoid fuel theft.
With collaborations between retail giants like bp and Marks & Spencer in the UK, people are shopping longer and spending more at their gas stations โ and their desire for good customer service as well as a less transactional nature is growing.
As an industry, we need to continue to adapt.
And thereโs good reasoning and data behind this too โ customer experience matters and consumers are becoming more loyal to brands that invest in world class customer experience.
A recent KPMG study showed that 65% of consumers were most likely to be loyal to brands that deliver top customer service.
Furthermore, 85% of consumers went as far to say they are willing to pay higher prices for exceptional service.ย
Good customer service is an ongoing battle, particularly as crime is becoming more brazen in our communities.
Retailers want to protect their associates, their loyal customers and continue to grow as community hubs.
This is a global issue โ itโs certainly not one the US is facing alone.
However, pre-pay pumps arenโt the norm across the globe. In the US, to keep pumps off pre-pay and maintain excellent customer service levels, gas station attendants were effectively having to make judgment calls on whether someone was likely to steal gas.
And theyโd have to do so within seconds.
Theyโd achieve this using a variety of methods โ a quick cheat sheet of known license plates, probably taped to a computer screen at the counter, or maybe an assessment of the person, what they were wearing, how they were dressed, the car they were driving โ the list goes on.
Not only are these efforts unsustainable and ultimately ineffective, theyโre all loaded with human bias.
To be blunt, it wasnโt providing good customer service and itโs not the model we want to employ here in the US as gas stations look to evolve.
There are ways to overcome this and by using data-led decisions rather than human bias.
Utilizing license plate recognition (LPR) technology, as a vehicle drives into the forecourt, gas retailers are able to identify vehicles connected to incidents when gas or other goods were stolen from them.
This means they can put those pumps onto pre-pay to require them to pay at the pump, yet switch on the pump for honest and loyal customers โ within seconds and discreetly.
Thereโs no bias, itโs a data-driven decision and your loyal customers are grateful for the experience.
As we start to see the change in gas stations to community hubs, this will become a more pressing matter for gas retailers to assess: how do we continue to provide good customer service, encourage our customers to come in and shop, while still protecting ourselves from drive-offs and theft?
Regardless of pumps on pre-pay, thereโs still the overwhelming threat of violence in retail at the moment โ and itโs on the rise. Since 2021, Auror data has shown a 257% increase in violent and serious behavior by repeat offenders across the US.
Many retailers across the US are looking at implementing LPR technology in order to combat this โ to ensure their teams and communities feel safe โ and gas station forecourts are no exception.
However, a license plate with no actionable intelligence isnโt going to tell you what you need to know quickly, in order to help your associates make good decisions on the spot.
Whatโs needed is that further intelligence picture, like whether the vehicle is associated with previous incidents at your stores or if the individual connected with this vehicle is known to carry a weapon.
As a retailer, you need to know the security blanket youโre paying for does what it set out to do.
Security and retail professionals need to be able to move from detection to actionable intelligence, connecting vehicles to their subjects and their associated offenses, including violent and threatening behaviors.
To do this, you need a single system for retail crime intelligence and LPR โ this combination will provide you with a powerfully simple experience to stop crime and violence.
Law enforcement globally is stretched โ police are having to do more with less as crime becomes more brazen, but also as more responsibility falls under law enforcement.
As a result, law enforcement has historically been an advocate for pumps to be switched to pre-pay โ stating that investigating gas drive offs isnโt the best use of police resources.
However, when it comes to the risk of drive-offs and crime, as well as engaging with police, it doesnโt have to be binary.
With the use of technology, law enforcement isn’t having to make the decision to investigate serious crime over gas station theft, their processes around gas theft can be enhanced and retailers can continue to provide excellent customer service.ย
We want to see fuel and gas retailers empowered to be the community hubs theyโre looking to be, while still reducing the violence and loss in their stores.
The use of technology can enable both retailers and law enforcement to create more sustainable solutions that create powerful and positive impacts on their local communities through good customer experience and safer environments.ย
Utilizing Aurorโs LPR technology, purpose-built for gas stations, providing excellent customer service, a well-known fuel retailer saw the following results:
How does it work?
Bobby Haskins is a loss prevention expert, having spent the last 15 years in the industry, solving complex operational problems with technology.
Formerly of Target Corporation working in their Asset Protection team for ten years, Bobby deeply understands the concerns of retailers, both security and loss concerns, as well as technological advancements that retailers need to be across to prevent violence and loss.
Bobby now spearheads Aurorโs key partnerships as Vice President of Retail Partnerships in North America and is always willing to discuss the overwhelming benefits of LPR for gas retailers, particularly when supercharged with crime reporting intelligence.
See more at auror.co, or for LPR specifically, click here.
This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition,ย click here.
