IOC bid to catch ‘em young with café for bikers – Times of India
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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.
“The cafe offers a welcoming space for taking a break and can accommodate several large groups at a time. There is a small conference room for group meetings, mobile charging facility, changing room for ladies, clean toilets with hot water in winter, parking space with CCTV coverage and quick bites. Emergency medical aid is also provided,” Tarsen Bharti, the dealer told TOI.
Bharti said there was space available at his pump so he decided to try out the concept suggested by IOC a year ago. He declined to disclose his investment or the return, saying: “I haven’t had a second thought.”
Senior IOC executive Piyush Mittal told TOI that by setting up such cafés, the IOC is recognising the “streak of adventure in the youth” and also helps dealers to supplement their income.
Other executives said IOC could also replicate the concept in other regions. IOC insiders said the idea was spawned after field inputs pointed to 150 tour operators specialising in motorcycling tours, which are increasing by the day after Rohtang tunnel’s commissioning. The biking tours commence in the first week of June and continue till the first fortnight of October.
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.
“The cafe offers a welcoming space for taking a break and can accommodate several large groups at a time. There is a small conference room for group meetings, mobile charging facility, changing room for ladies, clean toilets with hot water in winter, parking space with CCTV coverage and quick bites. Emergency medical aid is also provided,” Tarsen Bharti, the dealer told TOI.
Bharti said there was space available at his pump so he decided to try out the concept suggested by IOC a year ago. He declined to disclose his investment or the return, saying: “I haven’t had a second thought.”
Senior IOC executive Piyush Mittal told TOI that by setting up such cafés, the IOC is recognising the “streak of adventure in the youth” and also helps dealers to supplement their income.
Other executives said IOC could also replicate the concept in other regions. IOC insiders said the idea was spawned after field inputs pointed to 150 tour operators specialising in motorcycling tours, which are increasing by the day after Rohtang tunnel’s commissioning. The biking tours commence in the first week of June and continue till the first fortnight of October.
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