CATERING TO CONSUMER DEMANDS

The Convenience Growth Manager of bp Australia and New Zealand, Fiona Wakelin, joined the company in March 2020 just as the country entered the first lockdown.

Fiona Wakelin Convenience Growth Manager BP AUS & NZ

“It was a strange time to start a new role with only two weeks in the office before transitioning to working from home,” said Wakelin.

Spending her first year and a half in fuel pricing, Wakelin built a strong foundation of understanding of the market and competitive context of the industry before moving convenience.

Wakelin works with a talented team passionate about improving bp’s retail offer.

“What I love most is seeing our work come to life in-store for our customers and knowing that you have been instrumental in creating positive change.”

Bp serves over 12 million customers daily across Australia and New Zealand, with its convenience business consistently expanding and adapting to cater to consumer demands and needs. One of the most significant changes for the sector post-pandemic has been an increased appetite for home delivery.

However, there has also been a broader adoption of digital solutions since the pandemic, with applications such as the bpMe pre-order function for coffee and pay-in-car fuel transactions. These digital options allow customers to access convenient services in low-contact ways safely.

Wakelin stated that the company is focused on providing customers with convenient options, whether consumers are on the go or searching to have retail products delivered straight to their door.

Bp has managed these consumer needs through its partnership with Uber Eats, trialling check-out free technology and reimagining ‘food-for-now’ offers.

Most recently, the company has invested in enhancing its retail offering to serve customers better. It includes a rebrand of bp’s Wildbean cafe and a new look and feels to enhance digital and loyalty offers.

On-the-go consumers are increasingly looking for varied options that are both convenient and delicious. Bp’s consumer uptake of food and beverage has remained stable over the last few years with moderate growth across cold drinks, snacking, food, and coffee options in-store.

Wakelin said that the team was proud of its Wildbean cafe coffee, which has continued to perform as the number one coffee brand in New Zealand.

“For those of us behind the wheel or in the passenger’s seat, there’s nothing like a fresh cup of barista-made coffee to start, or finish, the day.”

Customers who have opted for an EV car have driven fuel retailers to adapt. Traditionally customers would visit fuel retailers to purchase fuel. Still, the growing popularity of EV cars has seen consumers seeking more charging options and spending more time in-store while their vehicle charges.

Primary purchases of consumers spending more time in-store have seen the rise of ‘food-for-now’, ‘food-for-later’, and coffee purchasing. This provides significant opportunities for convenience food development, cross-selling, and in-app offers. Bp is committed to supporting customers as the market moves towards a mobility revolution.

With customer needs evolving and technology advancing rapidly, retailers such as bp need to continue to provide consumers with a seamless experience that results in repeat customers. To do this, Wakelin explained that it was important for bp to understand what products and services customers value, what transaction methods they prefer and what habits they have around loyalty.

“The bar for customer experiences will continue to increase, as convenience is not only being compared with like-for-like, but across all consumer-facing industries.”

By 2025, bp has aimed to increase its customer touchpoints to more than 15 million a day globally, with a distinctive and unique convenience strategy that sets the business apart from competitors. This will be achieved through trialling, testing, and rolling out compelling offers across its network.

With consumer demand for plant-based products growing, bp has begun catering to these needs with an alternative milk, including Coconut, Almond, and Oat.

With decarbonisation increasing across the transport industry, Wakelin said that there is an expectation that more people would embrace Ev cars and would look for charging stations rather than the fuel. Therefore petrol and convenience retailers are at a crossroads to look into and support drivers throughout this transition.

“bp’s ambition is to install more than 100,000 EV chargers globally to help accelerate the transition to zero tailpipe emissions vehicles. In New Zealand, we now have 76 charging points at 36 locations that drivers can easily find through the bp EV charging app.” n