When it comes to fueling their vehicles, American’s are more loyal to their wallets and schedules than they are to a particular gas station, according to a new consumer study by Market Force Information.
Although traditional national-brand gas stations sell the most gas, customers are increasingly using pumps at mass retailers like Costco (NASDAQ:COST) and Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) — and its subsidiary Sam’s Club. Grocery stores, especially Kroger (NYSE:KR), are popular as well.
Results from the panel research study, which was conducted with more than 4,500 participants across North America, showed that 48% of customers choose gas stations based on convenient locations. Price also is an important deciding factor to 46% of the respondents.
The 12 favorite gas stations of Americans are as follows (results are based on door count):
- Costco
- Kroger
- Sam’s Club
- Hess (NYSE:HES)
- Shell — owned by Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A, RDS.B)
- Wal-Mart
- Sunoco (NYSE:SUN)
- Valero (NYSE:VLO)
- 7-Eleven
- Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM)
- BP (NYSE:BP)
- Chevron (NYSE:CVX)
Wanna know if loyalty cards really help gas stations? Check out the entire report: Market Force Study Finds Grocery and Wholesale Retailers are America’s Favorite Gas Stations. And in case you didn’t know this already … consumers also have strong opinions concerning where they’ll purchase gas.
