Fuel retailers are offering promotional packages on unleaded petrol in a bid to retain customer loyalty, with Asda this week announcing a 5p per litre reduction for members of its rewards programme.
It comes as the industry comes under fresh scrutiny over pump prices, after fresh hostilities between the USA and Iran push up the cost of oil.
In a first for the supermarket giant, customers at 321 participating stores who spend £40 or more on the Asda Rewards app will save £3 on a single fill-up of a typical family car, says the company.
Independent forecourt operators are also recognising the opportunity, with Highland Group one of three firms offering money off deals on fuel on myAutomate’s PetrolPrices app, which connects with one million motorists a month looking for the cheapest fuel in their area.
On Thursday (July 16) Highland Group was offering customers 5p per litre off fuel when they spend £30 at its BP St Ives site in Cambridgeshire.
Some forecourt operators are linking fuel in deals with other products or services. Ascona on the same day was offering 15p per litre off fuel with purchases of its platinum car wash. Park Garage Group has been giving away a jam doughnut or ‘yum yum’ with every fuel purchase at its Valero, Mogador site in Surrey.
With fuel prices back on the rise, myAutomate’s sales director Clare Lafferty expects unleaded promotions will become more commonplace.
“Our platform allows dealers to compete with what Asda is doing,” says Lafferty. “It is an opportunity to cater to people that are price conscious.”
Lafferty, who has offered the advertising service to dealers for two months, says she is working with five independent forecourt operators who are including fuel in some form of promotion across 50 sites, and the tactic is working. One site, she says, has seen a weekly rate of 79 redemptions.
Asda, already recognised for its low fuel prices, has timed its promotion to coincide with the school holidays, when more families are on the road. Its digital discount coupons will be awarded and transferred to its Rewards members’ app until July 31.
They will be valid to use at Asda Express sites that offer Asda branded fuel, until August 7. But Asda says it plans to expand fuel rewards to more stores and extend the bonus beyond August.
Rachel Eyre, chief customer officer at Asda, says: “Through our new Grocery and Fuel Bonus, customers can now unlock saving on fuel alongside their weekly shop, another step in our plans to keep growing Asda Rewards and give our customers even more value every time they shop with us.”
To catch up on what is happening in the wider fuel market, download for free Forecourt Trader’s Fuel Market Review here.
