NEW DELHI: From convenios at petrol pumps to fleet cards and consumer clubs, fuel retailers are always looking for ways to create customer following among car owners or fleet operators. The advent of super cars and bikes in recent years set off an octane war with offerings of high-performance fuels. But as electric vehicles encroach on the traditional turf, the companies are focusing on emerging social mobility and lifestyle trends to sway niche markets.
Market leader Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), for one, is opening ‘biker’s café’ at its outlets to capitalise on the growing popularity of motorcycling tours among the youth, more and more of whom are riding out into the wind in quest of adventure — and Insta fame or a few thousand YouTube subscribers as add-ons.
The first such bikers café — aptly named ‘Pit Stop’ — has come up at the Indian Oil’s petrol pump between Shoghi and Shimla, 330 km north of Delhi, on the route taken by rider travelling to Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.
