The Rise of Omnichannel Strategies: Accelerating Payment Freedom

March 4, 2026

Today’s consumers are digitally literate, and their expectations have been shaped by other retail and service providers creating a harmonised and cohesive experience across all channels. As a result, most consumers expect the businesses they interact with to know their preferences and buying habits, and fuel sites are no exception.

Technology is ever present and its implementation across fuel retail is only expected to increase. Rising consumer expectations, energy diversification, and growing competition mean retailers need to implement the right technology to become more efficient and proactive.

With brand loyalty weak across the industry, convenience in digital payments has become a major driver of repeat fuel site visits, as highlighted in the recent Dover Fueling solutions^® (DFS) Beyond the Pump European report. As such, there is now a need for retailers to shift from simple, siloed payment transactions, e.g. cash or card at dispensers or c-store point-of-sale (POS), to a digital-lead payment experience which connects customer, vehicle, and c-store.

By focusing on a digital-first payment experience fuel retailers can effectively provide speed, security, and convenience to their customers. This, however, requires retailers to integrate an omnichannel payment strategy which incorporates mobile apps, in-store payment via POS, dispenser payment (DIT), outdoor payment terminals (OPT), and payment integration with multi-energy dispensers or chargers. An omnichannel payment strategy enables consumer-led payment options, and the freedom to choose.

Connectivity is Key

Customer data is the most powerful tool available to a fuel retail business. Each customer interaction, and subsequent purchase, is part of a bigger picture – it provides retailers with the insights they need to gain a better understanding of each customer’s buying habits.

Data can help retailers understand their customer preferences; for example, it can help identify customers’ preferred payment methods (e.g., app, cash, card or contactless), the average number of times customers visit their service station, or if customers use any additional services while on site (e.g., car wash, coffee shop, parcel pick-up and drop off, etc.). Once this information is available, retailers can start to understand their customers on a whole new level, improving the customer journey, increasing sales and profit margins, and becoming a fuel station motorists want to re-visit.

With enhanced connectivity and digitalisation, fuel retailers can meet, or even exceed, customer expectations of speed and convenience. Digital solutions support retailers in establishing a smooth customer journey; for example, the ability to accept various payment methods for different fuel or energy types make the refuelling process stress-free for motorists.

Today, many consumers rely on electronic devices when carrying out their day-to-day activities. This provides retailers with the opportunity to offer consumers a quicker and safer shopping experience by accepting mobile and app payments, in addition to other payment methods. Furthermore, this allows retailers to launch site promotions on the spot via digital advertisements in loyalty apps.

These small, but incredibly effective, initiatives enable retailers to become proactive – piggybacking on the connected customer to provide individuals with the tools they want and use in all other retail experiences, but on a fuel site. These investments also allow retailers to meet their customers in their digital journey, adapting as time goes on to become more proactive and focusing on non-fuel retail items which can help boost the bottom line.

An Effective Omnichannel Payment Experience

Fuel retailers should strongly consider implementing an omnichannel payment strategy, as motorists become more “connected”. This is particularly important for retailers who are focusing their business on “mobility hubs”, where the integration of cafes, foodvenience, car washes and parcel pick-up/drop-off require a unified payment system that can support both in-store and forecourt purchases. In fact, once in place, and implemented correctly, mobility hubs will enable consumers to transition seamlessly between payment methods across an entire fuel site.

Investing in an omnichannel strategy is one thing, but to ensure it works as intended is another. If a site has aging, slow, or “unavailable” payment systems it can cause congestion, queuing, and increased frustration, all of which can damage a fuel sites reputation and encourage customers to go elsewhere – approx. 63% of consumers would not return to a site if equipment was out of use and one in three consumers (32%) would walk away from a brand or company they love after one bad experience.

Investment in a highly secure and trustworthy payment system – like Prizma or Tokheim Crypto VGA^® OPT (outdoor payment terminal) – as part of a complete fuel retail omnichannel strategy, provides 24/7, unattended, and automated payment options which help retailers reduce labour costs, improve throughput during busy periods, and provide a 360-degree view on consumer behaviour, thus giving retailers the ability to track how a customer pays for fuel and subsequent purchases in the c-store.

As key part of the payment landscape, Tokheim OASE^™ (Online Authorisation and Switching Environment) presents fuel retailers with the ability to accept a wide range of cards (over 250) from across Europe – providing maximum payment flexibility. Furthermore, Tokheim OASE simplifies acceptance of fuel and bank card payments by centralising transaction processing. Through the use of a single, secure payment architecture – predominately based on IFSF Industry standards – Tokheim OASE can easily be integrated with Prizma to reduce on-site complexity, while ensuring full compliance and seamless payment processing. Today Tokheim OASE handles over 930 million transactions from 22,000 fuel retail sites in thirty-two countries, annually.

In addition, advanced retail solutions such as the DFS Self-Checkout Kiosk and DFS Order Kiosk^™ powered by FLYX focus on the fast-paced nature of today’s consumer and provides a quick and effortless retail experience, helping to reduce queues and waiting time by up to 40%. In addition, these cost-effective retail solutions can increase the average basket size, which in turn helps grow c-store revenue.

Connect, Innovate and Evolve your Omnichannel Payment Strategy with DFS

The omnichannel payment shift requires retailers to adapt to the changing mobility landscape by embracing new technology and focusing on the overall customer experience.

The path forward is clear: omnichannel payments merge digital transactions with real-world actions. Reliability, convenience, and adaptability in payment options and availability will define the next generation of fuel sites. Payment freedom, in a world where expectations and technology are constantly changing, should not be underestimated.

DFS delivers the connected infrastructure to help retailers unlock the power of payment on any fuel retail site. Through investment in the latest payment and retail system innovations, that truly stand the test of time, retailers can evolve their site to meet the needs of the modern consumer.

Fuel retail technology is changing, and a smart, integrated omnichannel payment strategy is one of the ways retailers stay ahead of the competition.