In all the years I’ve spent developing products and technologies for retail businesses, one fact has remained constant: customer experience determines which brands foster loyalty and which are left behind. As retailers navigate the economic and competitive pressures of 2026, the winners will be the ones who invest deliberately in customer experience to earn preference and drive growth.
This focus on experience matters everywhere, but it’s especially critical in fuel and convenience retail. These locations serve millions of customers every day, often in moments defined by speed, habit, and necessity. With frequent transactions, high expectations, and tight margins, fuel and convenience retailers operate on the front lines of customer experience.
A recent survey we ran among North American fuel and convenience retail leaders underscores the growing importance of experience in driving profitability and growth. Findings from the Retail Rewired: 2026 Fuel and Convenience Trends Report reveal how retailers are prioritizing investments to meet rising expectations and future-proof their businesses. Three insights, in particular, stand out as a playbook for success in the year ahead.
1) Retailers will grow profits by delivering superior customer experiences
Today’s consumers expect much more from a modern convenience store than just a place to fuel up. For many, it has become a quick-service restaurant, a coffee stop, or a last-minute grocery run, and the entire experience must be fast, intuitive, and rewarding. Retailers who deliver on those expectations will be the ones who grow share, even in a challenging economy.
Customer experience is the battleground in 2026: convenience, payments, loyalty, and service must feel effortless, or shoppers will treat your brand as a pitstop, not a preference.
What we’re hearing is that, in 2026, fuel and convenience retailers will focus on three primary strategies to increase gross profits: expanding food offerings, enhancing sites and facilities, and adopting tech-enabled loyalty programs and promotions. These types of investments are what create more convenient, personalized, and elevated customer experiences that drive loyalty over time and help fuel retailers to stand out from the competition.
Top 3 Strategies for Increasing Gross Profit in Fuel & Convenience Retail*
• 60% – Expanding food offering
• 47% – Site enhancements
• 36% – Adopting tech-enabled loyalty or promotions
*Multiple responses permitted
Based on what we’re seeing work in the market, my advice for retailers is to focus near-term investments on food, site upgrades, and loyalty technology that make each visit faster, more rewarding, and more personalized to drive profits.
2) Service station upgrades will turn more fuelers into shoppers
In conversations with fuel retailers, I’ve found that they’re increasingly viewing the forecourt as the starting point for customer engagement and an omnichannel marketing strategy, which is a really encouraging mindset shift. It’s my belief that the most successful retailers will be those who view every fueling moment as an opportunity to influence the next purchase and create an experience that continues inside the store.
Technology is making that possible in new ways, from interactive pump screens and personalized promotions to connected loyalty programs that extend the customer journey from “fuel and go” to “fuel and shop.”
Over the next two years, our research shows that fuel and convenience retail leaders are eyeing three main technology upgrades: their loyalty and rewards offering, their food service equipment, and their promotion and advertising technology. The goal here is to encourage more fueling customers to take a few extra steps inside and provide them with a reason to return.
Upgrades Fuel & Convenience Retailers Plan to Make Within Two Years*
• 47% – Loyalty and rewards offering
• 43% – Food service equipment
• 36% – Promotion or advertising technology
• 34% – Digital signage
• 30% – Shelving and display fixtures
• 30% – Fuel dispensers and nozzles
• 25% – Point-of-Sale (POS) system
*Multiple responses permitted
These planned investments closely align with the tactics retailers say are most effective in driving in-store traffic: discounts and promotions, improved food and beverage options, and personalized loyalty programs.
To ensure your forecourt becomes the first step of a larger engagement, use fueling moments, digital touchpoints, and targeted offers to give customers a clear reason to step inside and come back again.
3) Employees will make—or break—the customer experience
And finally, the most competitive fuel retailers in 2026 will recognize that employees are central to the customer experience. In a high-frequency, fast-paced environment, every interaction at the counter shapes customer perceptions.
The challenge is that convenience store employees are asked to do more than ever before, juggling checkout, restocking, food service, and facility upkeep. If clunky tools slow employees down or create friction, customers can feel it.
That’s why intuitive technology, especially at the point of sale (POS), has become so critical. Our research found that one in four fuel retailers plans to upgrade their POS system in the next two years, with usability emerging as the top priority. In fact, 71% of leaders say the most important POS feature is that it’s easy for employees to learn and use.
When store technology is simple and easy to use, new hires can get up to speed faster, and employees can work more confidently. In short, empowering employees with intuitive tools is one of the most effective ways retailers can strengthen the customer experience in 2026.
It’s time to turn experience into a competitive edge
The fuel and convenience retail winners in 2026 and beyond will be those who view every stop as an opportunity to build preference and loyalty. That means investing not only in technology, but in experiences that are easy, reliable, and delightful for customers and employees. In an industry defined by speed and frequency, small improvements compound quickly. Retailers who get the fundamentals right today will be best positioned to adapt to whatever comes next, turning everyday transactions into lasting relationships.
