How omnichannel retail is changing the forecourt experience
EV charging has moved from rollout to responsibility
A customer fuels up, grabs a snack, gets a loyalty discount and pays seamlessly. An attendant serves a driver in the car and processes payment on a mobile device. An EV driver orders food while charging and picks it up without waiting in line. And on the back end, operators see everything in one dashboard and can act quickly.
Omnichannel is quietly reshaping the forecourt. What used to be a simple fuel stop is turning into a multi-service destination — and connected systems are the reason why.
At RTC Europe, Fabio Docci and Raul Trenado Martin demonstrated how Passport X isn’t just a point of sale; it’s an omnichannel solution designed to enable the customer journeys that retailers are expected to provide.
Why the shift is happening
Consumers expect personalization, speed and convenience. We order food to arrive at home, tap to pay without touching a terminal, and want local, sustainable options. At the same time, mobility itself is changing: shared vehicles, e-scooters, EVs and alternative fuels mean customers arrive at forecourts with different needs and different dwell times.
What omnichannel brings to the forecourt
Omnichannel isn’t just having many sales channels; it’s about making them act like one brand experience. That means consistent pricing, coordinated promotions, and a single customer view whether someone pays at the pump, orders from their phone, uses a drive-up attendant, or picks up a meal from an on-site kitchen.
Connected systems make this possible. A unified platform links point-of-sale, pumps, mobile ordering, loyalty programs and third-party delivery or payment providers through APIs. The result is practical and visible:
- Faster, frictionless transactions: touchless payments, loyalty discounts applied automatically, and fewer queues.
- Better personalization: offers and promotions tailored to a customer’s history and preferences.
- New revenue opportunities: drive-through and forecourt devices let staff sell directly at the pump or car; ordering apps let customers buy while charging an EV.
- Operational control and resilience: cloud-based head-office tools manage prices, items and staffing across sites, while local systems can continue operating if connectivity drops.
- Flexibility for different business models: from a single-pump independent station to a multi-site brand with dealer tenants, permissions and views can be tailored.
The takeaways
Forecourts are becoming convenience hubs. Retailers that adopt unified, connected systems gain an edge by delivering seamless customer experiences, unlocking ancillary sales, simplifying operations and future-proofing for multiple energy types and mobility trends.
Omnichannel is no longer optional. It’s essential for modern convenience operations.