More than 14m drivers will make their getaway this weekend as schools close for the summer and families embark on holidays, representing a big opportunity for the car care category in forecourts.
The RAC expects that the number of road trips this weekend will be the second highest since its records began in 2016, surpassed only by 2022 when the country came out of lockdown.
The motoring organisation is warning of a ‘Saturday summer scramble’, with the largest number of journeys on a single day (3.8m) set to take place on July 18. Both Friday and Sunday will see an estimated 3.4m individual trips taken.
Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, along with the Northwest of England, will see the highest number of holidaymakers, with RAC figures showing 9% flocking to these destinations.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Harriet Hernando says people should prepare for delays and getting stuck in a jam in potentially very hot weather. “This means ensuring your car is ‘summer-ready’ – checking that oil and coolant are topped up and making sure that tyres have plenty of tread and are pumped up to the correct pressures.”
She also advises travellers to carry plenty of water, as well as suncream and an umbrella to provide shade. And a phone charger and a portable battery pack are a must in the event of a breakdown.
Anything that holiday drivers forget can easily be picked up from a forecourt shop plus there will be the obligatory stops to fill up with fuel, pick up some snacks, drinks and ‘sucky sweets’.
Warning lights
Hopefully most people’s travel will be incident free but there’s always the times when a light appears on the dashboard to warn about tyre pressures or oil levels.
The RAC says its patrols check the oil level of every vehicle they attend but find that one in three have dangerously low levels of oil, which can cause a breakdown and lead to engine damage.
The AA recommends that car owners check their oil regularly to improve their engine’s performance and help extend its life. The oil itself contains additives that help enhance a vehicle’s performance which is why oil changes are necessary at regular intervals.
As much as drivers can plan for trips with regular services and oil checks before setting off, there will always be cases where that pesky oil light comes on and action is needed to prevent any damage.
Chris Nuttall, head of forecourts UK at Newco, says many forecourt customers will seek assistance when it comes to choosing oil: “They often don’t know what they need other than that they simply know they need oil. This will usually be because a light has appeared on the dashboard telling them that their oil level is low. It then depends on their motoring knowledge and experience as to how they then approach the top up oil purchase.”
He says this is where a knowledgeable member of staff could assist and at least help the customer find their vehicle requirements via the internet or the QR codes on point of sale material and on packs.
Nuttall says Newco covers everything required to support retailers with their lubricants category. “Established brands such as Mobil, Castrol, Shell, Havoline and Total Quartz provide a premium solution for those who require it. We also offer our own lubricant solution under the Dunlop brand. This is still a top quality range but does give retailers a chance to offer their customers a secondary premium option, but at a lower price point where needed.”
Nuttall says price is a factor when choosing oil, which is why he recommends having an alternative to the premium products where space allows. However, he adds that customers with expensive and high-performance vehicles will almost always select the premium options even if the price is higher.
He explains that consumers have different levels of knowledge about what goes into their vehicles, some like the variety of being able to select a trusted premium brand that will offer an enhanced performance while others rely on retailers to support them with their knowledge and look for the value option.
“We feel it is important to provide consumers with that knowledge through QR codes that identify the correct grade of oil to cover their needs. Marketing support within this category is therefore absolutely vital.”
Mind the gaps
Planogram compliance is critical too: “One of the biggest challenges faced is staff seeing a gap on the shelf and, through good intentions, filling it with an incorrect grade. This has an impact on sales and profitability in store and so at Newco our merchandising team ensures any deviation from plan is quickly picked up and rectified.”
Nuttall says staff should be trained to help people buy the right oil but as to offering to fill up their oil tanks he says: “While this would be very good in principle it is likely to be very difficult to undertake in reality due to pressures on staff at site level and the huge range of vehicles on the road today.”
While oil is often a distress purchase, Nuttall says it depends on the store demographic. “For example, out-of-town stores may have a larger element of planned purchasing by more knowledgeable consumers. At Newco we determine the store needs via our ‘Store Survey Model’. By combining the detailed survey with local insights we quickly understand the in-store opportunities to maximise sales. This then ensures that the correct space is allocated in the car care planogram and that the correct oil grades and pack variants are offered.”
