Retailers Turn to EV Charging Stations for Added Curb Appeal

When drivers park their electric vehicles (EV) at public charging stations, they’re going to have to find a way to pass the time. Suppliers of chargers note that those consumers are likely to go shopping while their EVs are charging.

“We’re all quite familiar with the significant time involved in EV charging,” Francois Chadwick, chief financial officer at EV charging network Volta, said Monday (April 18) during the company’s quarterly earnings call.

To catch the attention of these drivers and others who walk by public charging stations, Volta offers a range of charging solutions, including some with 55-inch digital screens that can display content that’s customized for the venue at which they are installed.

“The company’s high-impact, large-format digital screens located near the entrances of popular commercial properties and retail locations simultaneously serve as the demand pole for EV adoption, attract customers to site and allow brands to reach shoppers seconds before they enter a store to make a purchase,” Chadwick said.

Drawing High-Income Shoppers 

Other suppliers of EV charging networks also promote to retailers the benefits of offering EV drivers a place to charge.

When Volvo Car USA announced a pilot program that will install 60 chargers at 15 Starbucks locations, a company executive suggested that EV owners will be able to relax with a cup of coffee while their vehicle is charging.

Read more: Automakers Partner With Third-Party Networks, Apps to Ease Electric Vehicle Ownership

ChargePoint Chief Marketing Officer Colleen Jansen wrote in a blog post that EV charging attracts drivers to retail stores, increases customer spend by keeping them around longer, puts stores on the maps of EV charging apps, creates connections with drivers who interact with the stations online or in an app and allow retailers to deliver special deals to drivers.

“Because EV drivers tend to have higher incomes on average and are often loyal to places where they can charge, they can become a brand’s most valuable customers,” Jansen wrote.

Spending a Dollar per Minute Shopping 

Another charging network, EVgo, found in a survey that 80% of the users of its charging stations often shop at local retailers while their vehicle is charging, 80% said that the availability of charging stations influenced their decision to shop at a particular location and the customers’ average spend per shopping session equaled more than $1 per minute spent charging.

“EVgo drivers enjoy having the ability to do other things while their vehicle is charging,” EVgo Regional Manager, Site Development Rosa Davies wrote in a blog post that shared this data. “What this means for retail businesses is that charging time at an EVgo public charging station (15-45 minutes depending on the EV) can be shopping time.”

During Volta’s April 18 earnings call, Volta Interim CEO and Chief Revenue Officer Brandt Hastings, citing third-party studies, said partners that had used the company’s stations found that they increased awareness of the advertised product, created greater favorability to their brand because of the charging amenity and led consumers to choose that store over another because of the charging amenity.

One of Volta’s partners, Walgreens, is adding another 1,000 charging stalls at 500 locations over the next 12 to 18 months. Volta Senior Vice President of Network Operations Drew Bennett said during the call that a shopper typically spends 15 to 20 minutes at a Walgreens, long enough for the EV to get a meaningful charge at the station.

“This charging interaction is another touchpoint for the Walgreens customer, providing an opportunity to increase sales during the store visit in a number of ways — a win for all parties, Walgreens, the driver and Volta,” Bennett said.