Petro-Retail Automation - As a Marketing Tool in Near Future

Sankalp Kohli

Abstract: Automation is there to address certain critical issues, primarily to curb adulteration and to deliver quality and quantity to the customer. Automation being a part of a larger branding strategy cannot be studied in isolation. The study analyses the present status of 19 outlets in the pilot phase of automation by dint of mapping dealer response. The responses are further statistically treated. It intends to measure their satisfaction level and identifies areas of requiring concern. It delves into the technicalities of the prevailing automation and subsequently proposes suggestions. There are both technical and socio-economic issues which may act as a can of worms and thus need to be resolved. As automation is in an embryonic stage, there are myriad of parameters, if analysed, could act as grist for the mill. Automation per se, isn?t quite a tool for marketing. But as the deplorable status quo in India suggests, Quality and Quantity cannot be taken for granted owing to presence of nefarious elements, and hence any means bringing respite from these can certainly serve as a vantage point for a company, provided the company is agile enough to take stock of the situation and position it well. Automation is certainly propitious for a business as it provides a better control over the resources. The report intends to acquaint Indian Oil corp. with the present status of the automation project (the gamut restricted to pilot phase). It also provides some suggestions based on the observations.

Keywords: Automation, downstream petroleum, market research, statistics