The Intevacon Fleet Card offers a business solution to compensate for consumer ups and downs. Consumer optimism is a fickle thing these days, with an August 2014 survey reporting that fewer than 39% of consumers are optimistic about the economy.  In July, just a month prior to this report, consumer optimism was at its highest for the year at 46%. Often, gas prices are cited as a barometer for consumer optimism, but that didn’t seem to be the case over the last few months. August saw gas prices on average lower by 15 cents over the past month.

When consumer optimism fluctuates, it tends to also affect the frequency that consumers drive their cars, which in turn affects fuel volume for petroleum marketers. Partnering with businesses that fuel their fleet cars is a strategic way to navigate inconsistent consumer optimism and create a new avenue of revenue that brings repeat business. The Intevacon system provides online user access and powerful reporting tools to better equip fuel managers and create a mutually beneficial relationship between buyer and seller.

Petroleum marketers provide a service to the businesses in which they partner by offering the Intevacon fleet card with all of its controls. Businesses save money when they utilize a fleet card to enforce product restrictions and credit limits. If consumer optimism is flagging, businesses will be grateful to control costs and manage their driver and vehicles expenses. The Intevacon fleet card offers real time authorization and credit limits, as well as special pricing options. Product restrictions can be as specific as a bag of ice or a fountain drink, and specific fuel grades can be restricted at both card locks and retail sites. Other card restrictions can be enforced, such as dollars per transaction, transactions per day,  gallons per day (card lock), dollars per day (retail site), and location restrictions. Drivers can also be prompted for PIN, odometer, vehicle number, etc. This helps keep the card secure, and it better allows the business owner to manage his/her fleet.

A 2010 fleet management article describes a few ways that fuel managers can save money: restrict to particular grades of fuel, limit the number of transactions per day, and restrict from specific non-fuel items that are not required for vehicle maintenance. An article published in 2012 by Convenience Store Decisions reports, “With fuel costs again on the rise, a fleet card network can attract new business while offering fleet managers the safety, security and reporting tools they need to be successful.” Later in the article, it is quoted that fleet cards are a very stable business. This stability is important when consumer optimism shifts with each month. The Intevacon Fleet Card offers a business strategy to capture loyal, repeat business each month.