Price regulation in Germany
Less leeway at the pump, more opportunities in digitization and customer value.
In Germany, fuel prices fluctuate hourly and in some places even every minute. Reports from DPA and others show that consumers can hardly keep track of the current price because gas stations sometimes make more than forty price changes per day. In the spring, the Bundeskartellamt even registered stations with more than fifty daily price movements.
This extreme volatility makes it almost impossible for consumers to consciously fill up at low prices. As the Minister of Consumer Protection of Baden-Württemberg points out, some prices are only visible for a few minutes. According to him, this means that motorists are being “systematically fooled.”
In states such as Baden-Württemberg, it has been proposed that gas stations should only be allowed to increase their fuel prices once a day, as is currently the case in Austria. This is intended to provide clarity for consumers and counteract extreme daily price fluctuations.
For gas station operators, however, this means a significant change. Less price flexibility forces entrepreneurs to no longer seek their margin in the price per liter, but in digitization, customer value, and strategy.
The challenge:
Less tactical room in pump prices
The question for operators is therefore shifting: how do you maintain profitability when you are less able to play with the price at the pump?
From pump price to customer value
The current model is not tailored to the user. This is also evident from consumer reactions in the news. In the NOS article:
“Very annoying,” sighs a taxi driver filling up his tank. “When I drove here, the price was even lower.”
– NOS
A survey shows that almost everyone knows that prices fluctuate, but no one really understands how they are determined. This lack of transparency undermines trust and makes it more difficult for gas stations to build lasting customer relationships.
When price variations are further limited, the margin space does not move into the background, but to another domain: digital customer value. It is not the price per liter, but the customer relationship that determines the return.
With modern SaaS solutions, operators can systematically build this customer value. Consider:
Various market reports, including the Gas Station Market Study, show that data, customer segmentation, and loyalty programs are increasingly becoming the driving force behind the profitability of modern mobility hubs.
Investing in customer value creates a more stable, predictable, and profitable basis than the current, unpredictable price dynamics can ever offer.
Shop turnover as a strategic lever
Industry figures show that shop sales are often higher in the evening than in the morning. During the day, sales are mainly driven by coffee and small items, while in the evening, sandwiches, snacks, and meals are sold at higher margins.
In a system with fewer price fluctuations, this creates a logical strategy: a slightly higher pump price in the morning when there is little shop margin, and a lower pump price in the evening to attract traffic to the site, where the high-margin shop sales take place.
With an integrated loyalty system, this is controlled automatically: customers receive offers or discounts at the right time of day, without any manual action on the part of the operator.
The role of AI: predicting, optimizing, personalizing
News media such as Handelsblatt and analyses by consulting firms such as McKinsey emphasize that the future of mobility retail will be determined by data and artificial intelligence.
Digital platforms that use AI can:
It is no longer about profit per liter, but about average return per visitor. This allows price fluctuations to be absorbed.
What MoveYou means for German gas stations
MoveYou offers a single integrated platform that supports all aspects of modern mobility retail. For the German market, which is now moving towards stronger regulation, these functions are particularly crucial:
Smart price management
Operators can set fuel prices based on location, competition, or target price levels. Even when there are no official government rates, the platform can work with benchmarks, scenarios, and predictive models.
Loyalty, shop, and fuel in one system
The MoveYou Platform combines refueling, shop promotions (loyalty), charging, and parking in a single digital customer journey.
Discounts can be linked to customer profiles, time slots, and shopping behavior.
Real-time insight and automation
Operators gain immediate insight into margins per customer, per time slot, and per product category.
Order and invoicing processes are fully automated.
Ready for AI and scale
The cloud platform is prepared for predictive pricing, AI-driven recommendations, and cross-border interoperability.
Conclusion:
The announced price regulation in Germany limits the room for maneuver at the pump, but at the same time opens up a new playing field. The era of optimizing profits through pump prices is coming to an end; the era of customer value, data, loyalty and digitization is beginning.
Gas stations that invest in an integrated data strategy now will not only maintain their returns but also strengthen their competitive position.
MoveYou supports gas station operators throughout Germany in remaining not only compliant, but above all profitable and future-proof in a rapidly changing market.
Curious about what the MoveYou platform can do for your location?
Contact our sales department for a live demo.
