Looking for research (statistics, trends, etc.) on automobile fuel
(gasoline) purchase behaviors in the United States.  i.e. why do
people choose one gas station (or brand) over another and why do they
choose one grade of gasoline (octane level) over another?  Even more
specific, what are consumer attitudes and perceptions of
Ethanol-blended gasolines?

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 24 Oct 2003 09:38 PDT

There is very limited amount of information out there regarding this
topic that isn't fee-based.  I have, however, located a few resources,
but they are a few years old.  Would you be interested in something
like this?

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 24 Oct 2003 09:39 PDT

If so, feel free to adjust the list price of your question as you see fit.

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Clarification of Question by billc2-ga on 24 Oct 2003 10:48 PDT

How old is the free information and how many of the fee-based sources
did you find?  Is there a price range that you can give me for the
fee-based
sources?  I think I'd like the free information for sure if you think
it's still good info and would it be possible for you to make a
recommendation on which fee-based source I should use to supplement?

I still feel the list price of my question is fair if you are OK with
it.  You are helping me out tremendously.

Thanks,
Bill

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 24 Oct 2003 12:15 PDT

Bill -

I have found a chart from 1999 which shows a breakdown on factors that
influence consumer patronage of gasoline-selling convenience stores. 
I have also found a comprehensive study from 1997 on public views of
ethanol-blended fuel.  I have found another small article that
discusses factors that influence the purchasing of gasoline from a
Canadian-based company -- but I think it would correlate to America.

I have found a very definitive fee-based resource for exactly the type
of information you're looking for.  This is what the majors use. 
Subscriptions ordinarily range from $20,000 to $75,000, and it's
real-world data from real-world motorists updated monthly.  However, I
talked to the VP from the company, and asked him if he could prepare a
specialized "data slice" (or data excerpt) for this very specific
information you're looking for.  He said that could be done.  He gave
a very off-the-cuff estimate of between $1000-$3000 for this
information.  I wouldn't look any further than this resource for very
up-to-date, real-world fee-based data of this type.

If you'd like, I could post all of this information as an answer.  I
am OK with whatever price you feel is fair.  Please let me know.

Thanks,

jbf777
researcher

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 24 Oct 2003 13:55 PDT

that should read, "I talked to *a* VP"...

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Clarification of Question by billc2-ga on 24 Oct 2003 15:12 PDT

Sounds like some great information.  Yes, if you can post all this
information as an answer per your last email that would be great. 
Would you be willing to share the contact for the fee-based source
that you mentioned or would I need to purchase that information
through you or google.  I know the $20,000 to $75,000 subscription is
way out of our budget but if they would be willing to sell just a
recent, one-time "snap shot" of current trends that we could use that
would be great.  I appreciate all your help with this project.  I knew
there wasn't a whole lot of data out there, and it sounds like you've
tapped into the best sources.

Thanks again,
Bill

Hello -

Thank you for your question.

Firstly, an important note: Your satisfaction with this answer is most
important.  If you choose to rate this answer, please do so *after*
giving me the opportunity to provide you any additional clarification
or information you may need.  Thank you for your understanding.

There is actually another fee-based resource I discovered, for $125:

Convenience Store Shopping Behavior: Gasoline
http://www.csnews.com/csnews/store/2002/nfo/pdf_gasoline.jsp
"This report looks at the demographic profile and purchase behavior of
adults who purchase gasoline at convenience stores. Research for the
Shopper Panel was conducted exclusively for Convenience Store News by
NFO Research Inc. Telephone interviews were conducted in October 2001
among a nationally representative sample from NFO's panel of more than
425,000 households.

Only adults age 18 and older who indicated they had shopped in a
c-store within the 30 days prior to the interview were included in the
study. Interviews were completed among 1,021 adults.

Chart Index:
    • Percent Who Purchased Gasoline At a C-Store In the Past Month
    • Average Number of Times Gasoline Was Purchased in the Past Month
    • Usual Method of Payment for C-Store Gasoline Purchases
    • Frequency of Making In-Store Purchases When Stopping for
Gasoline
    • Reasons for Rarely/Never Making In-Store Purchases 
      When Stopping to Purchase Gasoline
    • Influence of Various Factors on Where Gasoline Is Purchased
    • Percent Who Are Greatly Influenced by Certain Factors 
      Determining Where Gasoline Purchases Are Made
    • Locations Other than C-Stores Where Gasoline Is Purchased
    • Services Gasoline Purchasers Would Like To See Offered at
C-Stores
    • Gasoline Buyers' Cross-Purchase Behavior 1
    • Gasoline Buyers' Cross-Purchase Behavior 2"


The original fee-based information I found is available through The
NPD Group, who publishes the Motor Fuels Index -- the description of
which can be seen at this link:

http://www.npd.com/industries/automotive/automotive_motorfuels.html

You'll want to contact Larry Moore at 713-576-5125 and mention the
Google Answers 10/24/03 ballpark quote of $1000-$3000 for a one-time,
specific data slice/excerpt of information regarding gas station
purchasing behavior.
Larry will confirm this, but I believe this study is from a
cross-section of a significantly greater number of individuals
(10,000's) compared to the $125 report above; you'll want to verify
the number of respondents included in your data excerpt.


Here the free resources I've tracked down:

Importance Factors in Deciding Which Convenience Store to Shop for
Gasoline
A chart from: National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) 
http://www.nacsonline.com/NR/rdonlyres/effdlnxwy3cmwjkb3uqs4sxv3q3jfwky5k7op5zipbguig53324yxotxycxhwihto4tfqhqtzddsy76fi4yae4r3rze/fs2005_importance_gas_chart.gif

Drivers Awareness, Attitudes & Usage Of Ethanol-Blended Fuel
Summary Research Findings October 31, 1997
http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/energy/MAIN/PROGRAMS/ETHANOL/cevette.html

Imperial Oil
http://www.imperialoil.ca/Canada-English/News/Issues/N_I_GasDecision.asp
An over-riding reality of gasoline retailing is that almost no
customer will buy from you if your price is felt to be uncompetitive,
because alternative retail sites are almost always available --> see
more at URL



Additional Links:
 Convenience store/gasoline statistics
http://www.nacsonline.com/NR/exeres/000014cdtqzulrzbcvstrwyl/GenUseWithOneCallOut_Resource.asp?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fNACS%2fResource%2fConsumers%2ffs2005_consumers%2ehtm&NRNODEGUID=%7bE4E9D6FF-7819-4420-90EF-768A7D6D70BF%7d&NRQUERYTERMINATOR=1&cookie%5Ftest=1

 Consumer Views on Transportation and Energy
 Discusses public views of ethanol (not blended) fuel
 http://www.ott.doe.gov/pdfs/transp_energy_survey03_final.pdf


Search strategy:
 "who purchase gasoline at"
 "gasoline shopping behavior"
 gasoline spending trends
 gasoline spending behavior
 gasoline "consumers are"
 gasoline "purchasing decision"
 gasoline "purchasing decisions"
 gasoline retail choices
 gasoline retail consumer trend
 gasoline retailing
 gasoline shopping "white paper"
 gasoline consumption "white paper"
 gasoline shopping <survey> <trend> <study> <statistics>
 "buy gasoline from"
 "buy * gasoline than"
 "buy * gasoline over"
 gas buying statistics

I was very impressed with my researcher.  I presented a very
challenging research question and this individual did an excellent job
finding great sources of information on my topic.  It saved me a lot
of time and that made it worth the money in my opinion.

Bill -

Glad to be of service!  Thank you very much for the kind words,
rating, and generous tip!  If you have any additional questions,
please don't hesitate to ask.

jbf777
researcher