3.1 5.

Article

Digitalization and Strategic

Changes in Romanian Retail
Fuel Networks: A Qualitative
Study

Dan Andrei Panduru and Cezar Scarlat

Special Issue
The ICT Influence on Strategic Thinking
Edited by
Prof. Dr. Cezar Scarlat

https://doi.org/10.3390/info13090416
 information

Article
Digitalization and Strategic Changes in Romanian Retail Fuel
Networks: A Qualitative Study
Dan Andrei Panduru * and Cezar Scarlat

Doctoral School of Entrepreneurship, Business Engineering & Management, University Politehnica of Bucharest,
060042 Bucharest, Romania
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +40-727-802-624

Abstract: The oil and gas industry is among the most affected industries as a result of war in Ukraine,
on top of other economic, political, and environmental global turbulences that culminated with the
coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this qualitative, explorative study was to identify strategic
changes as well as the role played by newer technologies—digital technologies in particular—in
this industry. The focus is on the Romanian oil and gas industry, more specifically on the retail
fuel networks of the top companies. In addition to secondary research (literature and company
documents), interview-based primary research was conducted. The data were collected during spring
of 2022 by conducting interviews with two groups of subjects: the strategists—consisting of top
managers from the largest companies active in the oil and gas industry in Romania; and the informed
consumers—selected from people working in the oil and gas industry. The interview guides were
slightly different depending on the two groups targeted, and the structure of the interview guide
was developed according to research questions. Among the findings, we can observe that the fuel
retail market and consumer behaviour changed due to a series of factors, such as the global economic
crisis, COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and inflation. Those factors forced fuel retail
companies, at the global level, to invest in filling station shops, services development, digitalization,
and divestment—selling gas station networks in countries with poor integration with refineries.
Citation: Panduru, D.A.; Scarlat, C.
Romanian fuel retail companies are following the global trends and focusing on filling station shops,
Digitalization and Strategic Changes
in Romanian Retail Fuel Networks: A
alternative fuels development, and digitalization. The results are followed by discussions, and several
Qualitative Study. Information 2022, managerial implications are suggested. The study limitations and several further research paths are
13, 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/ also identified. Based on the data available, we can conclude that the strategic directions at the level
info13090416 of products and services are aligned, but at the execution level, specialists offer different solutions for
customer expectations.
Academic Editor: Luis Borges
Gouveia
Keywords: strategic changes; digitalization; digital strategy; digital transformation; digital acceleration;
Received: 5 July 2022 coronavirus pandemic as digital accelerator; fuel retail networks; trends in oil and gas industry
Accepted: 22 August 2022
Published: 1 September 2022

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral

with regard to jurisdictional claims in 1. Introduction: Global Changes
published maps and institutional affil- 1.1. Global Strategic Shift
iations. The concept of globalisation is about a half-century old as it was launched [1] by French
economist François Perroux in the 1960s (as mondialisation), and it was solidly coined and
spread by Theodore Levitt during the 1980s. The concept evolved from globalisation to
glocalisation [2] to current “globalisation reinvented” as The Economist [3] defines the current
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
trend. The need for reinventing globalisation is a result of a series of global turbulences
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
(socioeconomic, political, and environmental) that recently culminated with the coronavirus
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
pandemic and war in Ukraine [4] and its impact on the oil and gas industry [5].
conditions of the Creative Commons
Traditional globalisation looked for efficiency; however, “Hyper-efficient globalization
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// also had problems. Volatile capital destabilised financial markets. Many blue-collar workers
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ in rich countries lost out.” [3] (p. 9). Currently, the same source identifies two more serious
4.0/).

Information 2022, 13, 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13090416 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/information

Information 2022, 13, 416 2 of 11

issues: (i) some lean supply chains “are not as good value as they appear”; and (ii) increased
dependency on “autocracies that abuse human rights and use trade as a means of coercion”.
As a result, the companies shift from efficiency to security and resiliency [6]. The best
indicator is that inventories of the largest 3000 companies worldwide increased significantly
since 2016: from 6% up to 9% [3] (p. 9)—as precautionary measures.

1.2. Impact on Strategic Thinking

The aforementioned turbulences impacted the companies’ strategic thinking; the
evolution of strategic thinking experienced a crossroads—from which two tendencies could
be identified [7,8]—apparently contradictory:
• Shorter term, more flexible strategies—based on new concepts as blue ocean [9] or
marketing as strategy [10];
• Very long-term foresight exercises [11,12].
The two trends do not contradict each other (but complement each other), nor are they
in contradiction with previous strategies: a solid example is the use of Porter’s generic
strategies and/or models in the case of digital transformation projects [13]—even in the case
of small businesses [14]. Therefore, the transition is neither abrupt nor total—as elements
of older and newer strategies may coexist.

1.3. Strategic Thinking and Digitalization

Currently, the strategic thinking and digitalization are inexorably and intrinsically
merging—in such a manner that discussion is about digital strategy [15]—small businesses
included [14]. In general, the digital strategy involves digital transformation [16].
Authors agree that digital transformation is driven by strategy and not by the digital
technology itself (technology is important; still, it is just a means)—according to a solid
report jointly developed by MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte [17].
Of particular interest, is the observation that global threats—such as the coronavirus
pandemic—might act, selectively, in certain circumstances, as digital accelerators [18,19].
When the process of digital transformation is analysed, it seems that the small and
medium-size business sector (SMEs) enjoys more attention from researchers—probably
for its dynamism. In addition to the examples already cited for the case of low digital
maturity—when a roadmap for the digital transformation can be defined [14], other authors
investigate the process of SME digital transformation from different perspectives—e.g.,
from the capability perspective [20] or from the ecosystemic perspective [21]. Of note is
that digital marketing is currently a common approach [22].
The main research question is if and how the oil and gas industry has reacted and
how sensitive it was to these strategic changes. As there seems to be a literature gap in
this respect, this study aims to contribute to covering this gap: how the Romanian oil and
gas industry was impacted—in particular, retail fuel networks belonging to top companies
active in this industry. In addition, the process of digitalization (digital transformation) is
under scrutiny as well.
Consequently, this paper is structured as follows: a closer look at the oil and gas
industry—in global and European/Romanian contexts—supported by secondary research;
methodology—method, instrument, and data (primary research on retail fuel networks
of the top oil and gas companies); results and discussions (research limitations and future
research avenues); followed by conclusions. Managerial implications are of interest for the
main stakeholders (industry strategists and companies’ top managers).

2. Strategic Changes in Oil and Gas Industry

2.1. General Trends in Oil Industry
In the past years, many factors influenced the fuel retail market globally. Up to today,
the global economic crisis, energy transition, COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
followed by inflation dramatically affected the market and consumer behaviour.
Information 2022, 13, 416 3 of 11

Taking into consideration these factors, fuel retail companies find themselves in a
sensitive position and have to adapt and invest to retain and attract customers to survive.
Consumption of petroleum products in Europe had an upward trend during the years
1990–2006. Starting with 2006, due to the global economic crisis, it started to decrease until
2014 (Figure 1).
The increase in consumption starting in 2014 was significantly negatively affected in
2019 by the COVID-19 pandemic [23].

Figure 1. Final consumption (energy use), oil and petroleum products, in the EU, 1990–2020. Source:
Eurostat 2022 [24].

In Europe, the gross profit of fuel retail companies comes from both the sale of fuel
(between 60 and 70%) and non-fuel products (between 40 and 30%) [24]. Considering the
significant percentage of gross profit from the area of non-fuel products, the trend in fuel
chains is to focus on quality, fresh, and healthy food choices using information gathered
about consumer behaviour [25].
Both the economic crisis and COVID-19 reduced the demand for oil and gas prod-
ucts, which generated a price drop in the pump price. By end of 2021, the demand for
fuel products exceeded supply, followed by the Russian sanctions that generated a short-
age in supply, and the price per barrel, followed by the fuel pump price, dramatically
increased (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Oil prices over the past two decades (2002–2022). Source: tradingeconomics.com [26].
Information 2022, 13, 416 4 of 11

2.2. Changes in Oil and Gas Industry—In Particular in Fuel Distribution

The main strategic trends of the fuel retail companies at the global level are focusing
on alternative fuels, digitalization, convenience stores or multi-brand partnership, and
connected services [27].
In terms of digital transformation, one of the main goals of oil and gas companies
is to develop contactless payment systems. By developing contactless payment features,
fuel networks aim to streamline point-of-sale financial operations and increase customer
satisfaction by reducing time spent at cash registers and improving their experience [28].
A McKinsey research report demonstrates that digital developments are an important
factor in the strategies of fuel distribution companies and have a significant positive impact
on market differentiation. Digital developments have the potential to increase customer
satisfaction by up to 20%, reduce operating costs by 20 to 40%, and improve conversion
rates by up to 20% [29].
Other researchers argue that the oil and gas industry is constantly looking for in-
novative solutions to streamline business processes, reduce costs, and improve safety at
work [30]. The focus of oil and gas retail networks is on predicting demand and forecast
trends in retail using solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning tech-
nologies, big data analytics to design the most personalised offers for customers, and also,
the Internet of things (IoT) for security.
At the level of the oil and gas industry, artificial intelligence is used in extraction
technology, in the production and marketing of petroleum products, and to increase the
accuracy of the data collected [31].
Artificial intelligence technology is also used for smart payments [28]—which is
one of the strategic directions on which fuel retail networks focus to streamline business
operations and maximise the time that the consumer can use on-station [32]. The type
of smart payments that companies in the industry focus on is integrated license plate
recognition systems, smart cash registers, or fuel pump payments. Moreover, companies
focus on smart loyalty programs, which are tools that fuel chains use to reward loyal
consumers. The strategic trends of companies in the industry, but also one of the main
expectations of consumers, refer to these loyalty programs. Personalised loyalty programs
can be developed using big data analysis by collecting consumer data from cards used for
refuelling and associated with cash register information on purchases of non-fuel products
and services. Through big data, companies can capture consumer behaviour and generate
personalised loyalty offers.
Gupta and Gergele have shown that to attract future consumers, fuel retail networks
should focus on [24]:
(i) Creating a personalised sales experience in each location by integrating available
consumer data (financial data, social media data to demographics, and consumer revenue
data) to build personalised loyalty offerings and sales experiences;
(ii) Accessing alternative fuels through the development of electric charging points,
hydrogen supply points, but also other derivatives of petroleum products, such as liquefied
petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, and liquefied natural gas.
Personalised offerings and assortment in gas station stores, built on digitally collected
data, and complemented by a personalised loyalty program, will bring considerable benefits
to companies holding fuel networks [McKinsey, 2020]. Also of great interest, are multi-
brand partnerships, partnerships in which fuel retail networks share their locations with
companies in the retail industry, such as Carrefour, Auchan, Starbucks, and Subway, to attract
new consumers.
From the consumers’ perspective, post-COVID-19 trends show that they are interested
in issues such as [27]:
Information 2022, 13, 416 5 of 11

• Sustainability and the environment, the comfort to be supported by companies through

fast operations;
• Hybrid integration of the physical environment with the virtual environment, through
which companies allow consumers to access physical experiences through virtual
digital applications;
• Flexibility and minimisation of the time spent by the consumer on the operations of
the companies to facilitate the maximisation of his free time;
• Representation of consumer interests by companies through media and social net-
works, thus generating the feeling of belonging to a cause, situation, and brand.

2.3. Strategic Changes in Romanian Retail Fuel Networks

Romania is following the global trends in terms of fuel retail trends. The main players
in the Romanian fuel retail market are OMV Petrom, Rompetrol, Mol, and Lukoil.
OMV Petrom has the largest market share, amounting to approximately 40%, followed
by Rompetrol with a total market share of 24%, Lukoil at 22%, and Mol with 15% (Figure 3).

Figure 3. The main fuel retail companies in Romania and their market share. Source: based on market
data from Nielsen, 2021 [33].

In terms of strategic trends, the OMV Group aims to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050
and focuses on the development of alternative fuels such as biofuels. It is also developing
new strategic directions for geothermal energy and carbon capture and storage [34].
The Mol company’s strategy is two-pronged: the transition from oil to chemicals
and an integrated digitization-focused mobility service provider. Mol focuses on the
development of the service area (the newest service is individual laundry), the variety of
non-fuel products, but also the portfolio of alternative fuels [35].
Rompetrol’s strategy focuses on expansion, intending to open 44 new fuel stations by
2024. Another strategic project is the partnership with the Carrefour group, which operates
several stores in the Rompetrol station network. Other strategic directions of Rompetrol are
represented by alternative fuels, the development of the electric charging network, and the
development of digital solutions for the non-fuel area (pre-order applications, applications
for loyalty programs, etc.) [36].
The Romanian retail market, driven by increased consumption and economic growth,
had one of the best dynamics in the region. Petrol Stations experienced an increase in
the revenue stream from complementary products (food/drinks/sandwiches/coffee, etc.).
Even though sales generated by Petrol Stations are only around 2% of the total FMCG (fast
moving consumer goods) market, the growth of this distribution channel (from 1% in 2019)
shows important potential and customer orientation towards convenience (Figure 4).
Information 2022, 13, 416 6 of 11

Figure 4. Value of the total FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry, in Romania, Q3 2021.
Source: adapted after Nielsen [33].

3. Materials and Methods

This paper presents just a part of a larger research project; it is a qualitative, explo-
rative study—based on secondary research (studies and company documents) as well as
primary research: qualitative methodology, using a semi-structured interview with oil
and gas industry specialists and consumers of oil and non-fuel products. Semi-structured
interviews are flexible and facilitate the opportunity to capture “hidden facets of human
and organizational behavior” [37].
The data were collected during spring of 2022 (March–May) by conducting interviews
with two groups of subjects: the strategists (S)—consisting of top managers from the largest
companies active in the oil and gas industry in Romania; and the informed consumers
(C)—selected from people working in the oil and gas industry.
There are four basic research questions to be addressed:
RQ1: Are the global and local fuel retail markets in a transition period?
RQ2: What are the main challenges for Romanian fuel retail companies?
RQ3: What will be the strategic implications of these challenges?
RQ4: How can these challenges be addressed (from a digitalization and customer expecta-
tions point of view)?
The interview guides were slightly different depending on the two groups targeted,
and the general structure of the interview guide was developed according to research
questions—as it is shown in Table 1.
The group of specialists (S) consists of employees of the top 3 companies in the oil and
gas industry from Romania (Omv-Petrom group, Rompetrol, and Mol), with positions in
the strategic department of station network development fuel sales.
The consumer group consists of people who are from the target group of the first
3 companies of fuel sales. The consumer group is built taking into account several status
indicators that the first 3 companies in the oil and gas industry target as follows: age
between 30 and35, with above average incomes (Romania’s average net monthly salary in
2021 was RON 3540 [38]), who constantly consume services and products from gas stations.
Information 2022, 13, 416 7 of 11

Table 1. The interview guides—adapted for the two groups targeted: company managers or strate-
gists (S) and informed consumers (C).

No. Crt. Company Managers/Strategists Consumers

In which direction do you think the retail strategies of
What are the trends in the retail strategies of gas
1 the gas station chains in Romania are heading
station chains?
(1–3–5 years)?
What would you like to find in gas stations (products,
What products and services should gas station chains
2 services)—what should gas stations offer to be
develop in the future?
attractive?
What are the expectations of customers (what they
What are the reasons why you choose a certain gas
3 want) from a gas station chain (in terms of products
station chain?
and services in stations)?
In terms of digitization, what kind of digital In terms of digitization, what kind of digital
4 applications or services should or will gas station applications or services would you like a gas station
chains offer? chain to offer you?

The semi-structured interview was built on a set of predetermined questions, which

offers the researcher the opportunity to exploit other questions related to the topic [39].
In this particular case, qualitative research has been used as a critical tool that provides
perspectives that can challenge or support theoretical expectations [40] and provides a
different perspective on the subject of the paper. The qualitative method responds to the
need for research objectives by helping the current work to discover natural conditions,
focusing on a holistic vision through the perception of a certain event [41].
The total number of selected respondents is 10 (five in each target group). They were
selected out of the top three Romanian fuel companies.
The group of strategists includes managers in the Romanian oil and gas industry, with
positions in strategic departments, responsible for developing fuel retail networks.
Note that all members of the group (C) are industry professionals that participated in
the study as consumers—as depicted in Table 2.

Table 2. Company managers or strategists (S) and informed consumers (C)—oil and gas industry
professionals—who participated in the study.

No. Crt. Company Managers/Strategists Consumers

1 Senior executive (S1) Salesperson (C1)
2 Trade executive (S2) Audit professional (C2)
3 Marketing manager (S3) Business consultant (C3)
4 Strategy developer (S4) Marketing researcher (C4)
5 Brand manager (S5) Advisory manager (C5)

4. Results
Research of fuel retail chain strategies—from the perspectives of industry strategists
and consumers—can suggest if they are aligned and calibrated, respectively. The re-
sults of the research are shown (i) from the standpoint of specialists; and (ii) from the
consumers’ perspective.
According to strategists (group S):
• Strategic trends of fuel retail networks incline towards expansion, service development,
and positioning as convenience stores.
• Positioning as convenience stores is achieved through partnerships with market retail-
ers (Auchan and Carrefour) or adapting the range of non-fuel products in stations and
aligning product prices with those in traditional convenience stores.
• The services that fuel retail companies should develop are alternative fuels, fast
payments, and services that ensure sustainability.
Information 2022, 13, 416 8 of 11

• The main expectations of consumers are related to the variety of fuel and non-fuel
products, the prices and related services, promotions, and the friendliness of the staff.
• In terms of digitization, fuel chains offer or should offer digital applications and
services—such as pre-order non-fuel products, loyalty applications, and fast payment.
According to consumers (group C):
• Strategic trends of fuel retail networks indicate a movement towards convenience
stores and the development of complementary services.
• Consumers’ expectations regarding shopping stations are related to the diversification
of services and products (laundries, restaurants, and children’s playgrounds).
• Proximity, price, and quality are the most important factors that influence consumers
in choosing a particular chain of gas stations.
• From the point of view of digitalization, consumers’ expectations are oriented towards
fast payment and intelligent loyalty systems.
The trends of the retail strategies of the fuel retail networks viewed from the two per-
spectives suggest that the vision of the specialists regarding the expansion of the networks
and the positioning of the fuel retail networks as convenience stores is supported by the
consumer perspective. The latter argues that it is necessary to expand fuel retail networks
in direct proportion to the development of transport infrastructure and the number of
vehicles: “Also, with the development of infrastructure in Romania, it is necessary to
ensure a sufficient number of gas stations, especially on highways, on transit routes for
tourists and freight vehicles” (S3).
As for their transition to convenience stores, this view is also supported by arguments
about partnerships with retail companies (C4): “the need of appearance of more and more
stations with supermarket type stores (e.g., Petrom and My Auchan); soon, several fast-food
restaurants with non-stop operation on the same plot with the station, not even attached,
should appear”.
From a service perspective, experts believe that fast payments and services that ensure
sustainability will be services that companies will focus on in the future, while consumers
focus more on the experience in the gas stations, leisure areas, restaurants, and car wash,
but also, alternative fuels. Regarding the products, the specialists consider that own-brand
products, organic products, vegan products, but also medicines should be the categories
developed in the future. This aspect is also supported by consumers who consider the
development of the variety of products present in the villages.
Experts in the field believe that customer expectations relate to the variety of fuel
and non-fuel products, the prices of related products and services, promotions, and the
friendliness of the staff.
From a digital perspective, experts believe that digital applications and services offered
by fuel retail networks should focus on pre-order, non-fuel products, loyalty applications,
fast payment—through smart cash registers, payment at the feed pump, or recognising the
registration number of vehicles. Consumer expectations for digital services and applications
focus on fast payments, smart loyalty systems, real-time fuel pricing applications, and
crypto-currency purchases.

5. Discussion
As a research study in progress (inception phase of a larger research project), the paper
has inherent limitations; the next step aims at getting more quantitative results by opening
future research paths both longitudinally and transversally in the oil and gas industry:
focusing on a specific case to watch the evolution of the company’s strategy over time,
under the influence of new technologies; and comparing current strategies of different
actors active in the oil and gas industry, in a particular country (Romania).
In addition to surveying a larger representative sample—in order to conduct a multi-
level quantitative research study, an appealing path to investigate is to add a third layer of
respondents—regular customers. In this case the range of customer needs will definitely be
Information 2022, 13, 416 9 of 11

larger; in addition, the bias introduced by the “more informed customers” would be an
interesting research objective itself.
Future research should also consider the dynamics of the digitalization and strategic
changes in the oil and gas industry from the perspective of mentioned factors, such as the
Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflation.
First and foremost, the main implication is the base for extended research. Then, the
results of this study allow formulation of recommendations for the main stakeholders:
longer-term for industry strategists (at the macroeconomic level) and mid-term for top
managers as well as marketing specialists (at the microeconomic, company level).

6. Conclusions
Consumption of petroleum products in Europe has been increasing in the past 20 years.
Since 2006, due to the global economic crisis, consumption has started to decline until 2014.
After a short recovery period, consumption was again negatively affected in 2019 by the
COVID-19 pandemic and in 2022 by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The main retail strategies of global fuel retail companies focus on innovation through digi-
tal solutions, expanding supply chains, and reducing costs by selling assets in certain markets.
At the local level, the main retail strategies of Romanian fuel retail companies follow
global trends and focus on expansion, investments in the redevelopment of the shops,
continuous development of services and product variety, loyalty programs, and investments
in non-fuel services. Strategic trends focus on migrating retail chains to convenience stores
through the partnership model or developing a variety of products and calibrating prices
with consumer needs.
In conclusion, by analysing the data collected from the specialised reports and compar-
ing them with the data collected from the interviews organised with both specialists in the
field and with consumers, we can notice that the strategic directions at the level of products
and services are aligned (network expansion, payments, transition to convenience stores,
and availability of alternative fuels), but at the execution level, specialists offer different
solutions for customer expectations. In other words, the system of fast payments for opti-
mising payment transactions and maximising the time spent on-location at the consumer’s
choice is taken into account both in specialist reports and by specialists and consumers. The
way it is applied by specialists is different from the expectations of consumers. Consumers
want a fast payment system at the pump, and experts believe that the fast payment solution
refers to smart cash registers.
At the level of need, companies strive to cover what the market and global trends
dictate, but at the level of functionality, companies’ solutions are different from the needs
of consumers themselves.
Following the research questions stated in the paper, we can observe that the oil
and gas industry is in a transition period generated by several factors mentioned in the
paper, such as the global economic crisis, COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
and inflation.
Those factors challenged the industry by generating an increase in fuel pump price, a
decrease in volume consumption, and a change in the consumers’ behaviour that is forcing
fuel retail companies, at the global and local level, to invest in filling station shops, new
services development, digitalization for customer retention, and attracting new ones.
In facing the challenges of these factors, oil and gas retailers must properly address
them in such a way as to manage covering the new needs of the consumers.
The strategic implication of these challenges is significant, and improper treatment
can have a negative impact at the company and market level.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, D.A.P. and C.S.; methodology, D.A.P.; formal analysis,
D.A.P.; investigation, D.A.P. and C.S.; resources, D.A.P. and C.S.; data curation, D.A.P.; writing—
original draft preparation, D.A.P.; writing—review and editing, D.A.P. and C.S.; visualization, D.A.P.;
supervision, C.S.; project administration, C.S.; funding acquisition, not applicable. All authors have
read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Information 2022, 13, 416 10 of 11

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the
corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to GDPR policy.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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