Using human-centered design and product innovation to make it simple for Australians to cost effectively refuel with CommBank’s Fuel Finder.
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Introduction.
Through discovery research examining the impacts the rising cost of living was having on households, we discovered that Australians were increasingly relying on fuel price apps to find the most affordable fuel. We explored this insight further by employing human-centered design methodologies to ideate, design and develop a solution.
The problem space.
In 2022, the average annual fuel spend for NSW residents was rising alongside the increasing difficulty of keeping up with the cost of living. Customers were losing ~$20 per tank to price disparities of up to 40¢/L, between stations less than 3km apart.
Fuel prices are influenced by market dynamics, retail competition, and wholesale costs. Customers face the challenge of navigating through too much information to find the best time and place to buy petrol. We saw an opportunity to streamline this, helping Australians refuel their vehicles conveniently and affordably.
The solution.
Through ideation we designed and prototyped a solution that could harnesses CommBank’s AI-powered customer engagement engine to check customers’ transaction history and predict when they will next refuel their vehicle. It locates nearby petrol stations and presents the cheapest option in their area via the CommBank app.
Fuel apps can often require customers to take the initiative and trawl through information, which can make it difficult to decide the best place or time to buy petrol. This solution does all the work – it helps customers make informed decisions about where and when to buy fuel.
Product strategy.
We designed Iterative lightweight experiments to quickly validate our hypothesis and gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior, enabling us to strategically design towards our product vision, ensuring we created an experience that people would (and could) use.
Experiment: Phase One.
To gauge desirability for the service, we designed a quick, lightweight experiment focussed on engaging customers with fuel alerts.
The experiment ran over the course of five weeks, reaching over 50,000 customers. The MVP alert example of “$1.67 at Campbelltown BP is the cheapest fuel (U91) in your area. Now is the time to top-up your tank” was tested, and if interacted with would navigate the customer to directions to the fuel station.
Experiment: Phase Two.
Following the successful lightweight experiment, we designed and built a production pilot within the CommBank App, releasing to 250,000 pre-selected customers over the course of six months.
In the pilot experience customers could access a fuel station map, identify cheapest prices, subscribe to fuel alerts, and track expenses.
Experiment: Phase Three.
Following the successful pilot, we conducted an analysis of the insights gathered, redesigned the experience for enhanced usability, updated the information architecture to support additional features, and implemented visual design enhancements.
The complete Fuel Finder experience was then released to all customers in New South Wales.
Key Features.
The complete experience offered customers the following features.
Outcome.
Over a 10 month period from June 2023 and March 2024, Fuel Finder saved CommBank customers almost $2 million. These customers savings were accomplished through:
Total 109,038 customers that opted into Fuel Finder and configured their preferences on fuel and alerts for saving.
Total 664,149 fuel purchase transactions following customer interactions and usage of Fuel Finder.
Average 5.45% savings per customer fuel transaction after having interacted with Fuel Finders recommendations.
Average $199,166 total savings per month over all Fuel Finder customers during from June 2023 and March 2024.