Digital Ranking Profile: Phillips 66 Brands (June 2018)

HOUSTON -- Fuel brands under the Phillips 66 umbrella, including Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco, have each recently improved their standing in Stuzo’s digital c-store ranking.

Phillips 66 moved up one position on the list and Conoco jumped four, but 76 improved by 10 places after the oil and gas conglomerate added the Masterpass payment platform from Mastercard into the company’s mobile app in April. This move allowed pay-at-the-pump and pay-in-store functionalities through mobile devices.

The overall scores for each chain since their improvement in standing are as follows:

• Phillips 66: 2.5
• 76: 2.35
• Conoco: 2.2

Click here to see Stuzo’s complete online ranking. Stuzo is a digital-product-innovation company focused on the convenience-store and fuel-retail industry.

The ranking covers 100 c-store chains, measuring each chain’s digital presence, including mobile commerce, connected car, website and social media. Each company is ranked on a points-based system with a score of zero to 5 for each metric. Each metric is calculated using four more specific metrics. While this article examines the details behind the Phillips 66 ranking, it is meant more as a profile than an attempt to compare it to competitors.

Click through for details on where the Phillips 66 brand stands in Stuzo’s C-Store Digital Ranking and information on the brand’s digital capabilities …

Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart.

The Phillips 66 brand’s overall score for mobile commerce is 2.37, the highest among the company’s brands. Here’s how it breaks down:

App Performance: 2.96
Mobile Payment: 1.5
Loyalty Program: 2.5
UX/UI: 2.5

Most of the Mobile Commerce metrics measure the same tools, when considering each Phillips brand, but Phillips 66 came out with the best score of the three because its app performs slightly better than 76’s or Conoco’s, according to Stuzo’s ranking.

“In just three months, the number of companies that offer pay-at-pump functionality has grown by over 41%,” said Sandra Sydlik, marketing manager and head of research for Stuzo. “The promise of mobile commerce is huge. Taco Bell’s mobile average order value is 30% higher than its nonmobile in-store AOV. To stay competitive, more fuel and convenience retailers must adopt mobile payment capabilities that meet the needs of their consumers. To further increase their digital ranking and mobile commerce performance in market, Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco could implement more methods of payment, such as credit/debit, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more to make payment even more convenient.”

Photo courtesy of Stuzo.

Phillips 66’s overall score for its website is 3.71. The same score is shared by each of the company’s brands. Here’s how it breaks down:

UX/UI: 4.17
Loyalty Program Promotion: 3.67
Personalization: 1.5
App Promotion: 4.5

The Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco websites all have the same format and design. Sydlik said the sites are well-designed, use bright colors, clear images and a simple, intuitive layout. The site hosts information on gas cards, rewards programs, pump locations and their mobile apps. The mobile apps are promoted on the homepages, where consumers can be redirected to the app stores.

However, Sydlik said it is very difficult for consumers to locate where to log in to the site to track their earned rewards. Additionally, the web login requires that consumers already have a physical KickBack card in order to sign up or log in. Sydlik said adding options to register or login with Facebook, Google or email would make the process easier and increase loyalty sign-ups.

Photo courtesy of Stuzo.

The Phillips 66 brand’s overall score for social media is 3.94, the highest among the company’s brands. Here’s how it breaks down:

Brand Responsiveness: 4.5
Frequency of Posts: 4
Creativity of Content: 2.25
Level of Engagement: 5

Of all three brands, Phillips 66 has the highest social-media performance. Phillips 66 posts frequently across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sydlik said the Phillips 66 and 76 brands post images and videos on social media that are creative and funny, and the two brands have a YouTube account with videos reaching more than 1 million hits.

But Sydlik said all three brands are lacking promotion of their mobile app and loyalty program. Promoting mobile and loyalty via social media and offering special incentives for enrollment in both could increase conversion.

Photo courtesy of Stuzo. 

The Phillips 66 brands did not score in the connected-car metric, though this score is not unusual for c-store chains on Stuzo’s list. This metric is largely focused on the future. Stuzo predicts chains will put more resources into such initiatives as the industry evolves and becomes more technology focused.

Connected car measures the chain’s use of a car’s "infotainment" system on the dashboard, which will become more common as the capabilities of car platforms expand further.

Houston-based Phillips 66 is a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company. Using a network of branded marketers and dealers operating about 7,500 retail outlets, its U.S. marketing business supplies Top Tier-branded gasolines under the Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco brands.

Philadelphia-based Stuzo helps businesses humanize technology by designing, defining and delivering digital products that drive strategic outcomes.

Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart.