Caltex Australia is investing heavily in technology in the hope that boosting convenience will have a knock-on effect on loyalty.
Among its tech-driven ambitions are petrol-payment apps and automatic number-plate recognition, which could bill drivers without them leaving their cars.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review Caltex Chief Information Officer Viv Da Ros said the chain wants to “challenge traditional concepts of what a petrol station can be”. To do so, it needs to focus on a growing demand for convenience. This means rethinking how it engages with drivers to boost their loyalty.
Making things simple
Mr Da Ros says the ambition is to make filling up with Caltex as easy as paying a household bill.
“We want to make it really simple for our customers to shop with us,” he said. “Just like the way you pay for your TV subscription or utilities bill at home. You don’t pay for it each time you use it. You use it and you get a bill at the end of the month. So why can’t we do something similar?”
“We anticipate change well. We have the humility to change, and we’re early adopters of technology.”
Mr Da Ros says Caltex’s app would also let drivers pay for their petrol quickly at the bowser. This would make life easier for those travelling with small children, he says.
“If I go to the petrol station with my two girls in the back of the car, I can fill up,” he said. “I don’t need to unbuckle them out of their safety seats and take them into the shop to pay. I can pay on my app.”
‘Convenience business’
According to ACAPMA, Caltex wants to rebrand itself in consumers’ eyes as a convenience business, not just a petrol station.
It now has 59 ‘Foodary’ outlets across Australia, where customers can order coffee through the app and buy fresh food.
In 2016, Caltex Chief Executive Julian Segal told The Australian Financial Review he wanted to introduce technology that would allow customers to use the app to organise their dry-cleaning and choose what they wanted for dinner.
Although this hasn’t happened, Mr Da Ros was bullish about the company’s ambitions.
“That is our company vision,” he said. “Vision, by definition, is aspirational. I think we’re making some very good headway in that direction.”
