How Fuel Retailers Can Build Long-Term Customer Loyalty with DFS

July 16, 2025

Across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”), fuel retail is moving in a new direction. Traditional pump-first thinking is giving way to fully integrated, service-led forecourts where convenience, speed, and choice matter as much as the fuel itself.

Consumers are not only arriving to refuel, but they’re also going to a convenience store – predominately across Europe and the Middle East – to purchase lunch or coffee, collecting car wash tokens, scanning loyalty cards, etc. They are moving through the site with purpose. Today’s consumers are time poor and their need to complete more than one task at a time (e.g., refuelling and purchasing lunch on route to work, while also being able to pick-up a delivery from parcel lockers) is highly sought after. In today’s retail environment, this level of accessibility is no longer “nice to have”, it’s a necessity.

The most successful fuel retailers understand this behaviour. They don’t treat a customer visit as a one-time transaction, but as a series of consistently good experiences, delivered every time to capture true consumer loyalty.

Dover Fueling Solutions^® (“DFS”) helps retailers deliver those experiences through a connected suite of technologies, from advanced Wayne^® and Tokheim^® fuel dispenser technology to the DFS Order Kiosk^™ powered by FLYX and Prizma, DFS’ connected mobility and convenience hub that links forecourt and store systems. Together, these tools help build operational consistency, streamline service, and create journeys worth repeating. Loyalty is more than collecting points.

First Impressions Start at the Dispenser

The dispenser – whether conventional fuel or clean energy – is often the first point of engagement between a consumer and the fuel retailer or fuel site. It sets the tone for the overall consumer experience. If the refuelling process is slow, unclear, inconsistent, or payment doesn’t work as expected, consumers notice, and they remember. If a dispenser is out-of-service, many consumers, particularly during rush hour or peak driving times, will leave to refuel elsewhere – approx. one in three consumers (32%) would walk away from a brand or company after one bad experience. But when the experience is seamless, responsive, and informative, it becomes part of a broader service standard that encourages return visits.

DFS’ latest dispenser portfolio in EMEA has been developed with both performance and communication in mind. Large-format displays, fast-response interfaces, and improved accessibility help ensure a smooth fuelling experience.

Site Control Without the Complexity

Managing a modern fuel site involves more than just fuel. Car washes, loyalty schemes, mobile payments, unmanned terminals, and point-of-sale (POS) systems can all add value, but also complexity. Prizma helps fuel retailers simplify this ecosystem.

By unifying control of multiple touchpoints into a single interface, Prizma enables retailers to streamline operations across single or multi-site setups. This is especially valuable in EMEA, where cross-border retail often involves managing language preferences, regional regulations, or differing fuel types.

With real-time analytics and remote diagnostics, retailers can address issues before they impact customer experience. Prizma also integrates with back-office systems and supports a wide range of payment methods, making it easier to deliver a smooth, joined-up journey from pump to c-store. This kind of operational consistency enables the seamless integration of fuel reward programs in EMEA, supporting personalised offers, loyalty apps, or card-based schemes. By removing friction across the site, Prizma makes on-site and remote control easy and enables retailer to optimise the customers experience, which helps maximise site profits.

This is incredibly important as 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience, with those customers spending up to 140% more than those who experience negative interactions.

Reducing Queues and Improving Service Flow

Self-service technology is gaining traction across certain parts of EMEA, particularly at fuel sites with integrated convenience stores. In many European markets, consumers are familiar with self-checkout kiosks in retail and hospitality settings, making fuel site adoption more practical. Yet, it’s not consistent across the region, as some sites in Middle East and Africa (MEA) markets operate without a c-store, and full-service fuelling remains standard in many areas.

For forecourts where self-service is viable, the DFS Self-Checkout Kiosk helps reduce queues, shorten transaction times, and ease staffing pressure during busy periods. It makes the overall experience quicker, allowing consumers to continue their day with minimal interruption. In fact, 77% of consumers opt for self-checkout due to faster service.

When it comes to made-to-order food and beverage transactions, the DFS Order Kiosk improves flow and provides retailers with upselling opportunities without slowing down the front counter. Sites using the system have seen basket value increase by up to 26%. Not only does the DFS Order Kiosk benefit fuel retailers, it also improves the overall customer experience, helps to reduce queues and waiting times in the c-store. It’s a win-win!

These solutions help keep sites moving, which directly impacts the customer experience and in turn, loyalty. When wait times are shorter, transactions are smoother, and service feels efficient, consumers are more likely to return – 53% of consumers will go out of their way to visit a specific fuel site because they favour its c-store. Operational consistency isn’t just good for throughput, it’s what builds repeat business.

Delivering Consistency Across the Forecourt

Loyalty doesn’t come from a single promotion or an app download. It comes from consistency: a dispenser that works, payment that’s seamless, signage that makes sense, a self-checkout that doesn't stall, an offer that arrives just when it's relevant. These are all small touchpoints, but together they create a “standard” consumers notice and choose to return to.

DFS helps enable that standard across the entire fuel site. Whether it’s through Prizma’s centralised control, the flexibility of the DFS Self-Checkout, or the ease of the DFS Order Kiosk, every interaction is designed to strengthen the customer experience and support retail technology loyalty in EMEA.

Fuel retailers don’t need short-term incentives to build customer loyalty. Consistent service, connected systems, and seamless transactions are what drive long-term engagement, strengthening fuel customer loyalty.

Let DFS help you build and retain a loyal customer base, today. Reach out to us for guidance and assistance to help you improve your fuel site offering.