The Upside competitive advantage

In a challenging market like retail fuel, the only way you can grow is by taking market share away from your competitors. Today’s strategies, like competitive pricing and onsite advertising, are necessary to keep pace with your competitors, but they’re not helping you outpace them. 

That’s where we come in! 

Upside was designed to give you a leg up on your local competition by offering personalized promotions and consolidating local consumer demand - both of which encourage consumers to choose your business over your competitors’. Upside actively funnels consumers to participating businesses like yours by limiting the number of sites allowed on the Upside platform in each local area.  This is achieved through two layers of exclusivity: blocking nearby competitors within each Upside station’s exclusivity zone and capping in-market station density. 

Exclusivity zones

Each station on the Upside platform is given geographical exclusivity over nearby competitors. Once you join Upside, other stations within your “exclusivity zone” are blocked from joining the program. This means when consumers are looking for places to buy fuel on the Upside app, they’ll see your station and not your nearby competitors. 

Each Upside station is classified as urban, suburban or rural based on local population density.  These classifications determine the size of the circular exclusivity boundary drawn around each Upside station. Stations located within this circle are blocked from joining the Upside program.

Market density cap

In addition to blocking competitor stations within your exclusivity zone, Upside limits the total number of stations that can join the platform to 30% of stations within each Designated Market Area (DMA). Once the 30% “density cap” is reached, no new stations are allowed to join, and we consider the market “closed”. By limiting the number of stations in a market that are able to join, we reduce the pool of stations where Upside users transact.  Non-Upside stations aren’t even visible in the Upside app! 

The Upside first mover advantage

Once you join Upside, your advantage is locked in! Exclusivity zones ensure your nearby competitors are blocked from joining, regardless of whether the 30% market density cap has been reached, and the density cap ensures that Upside stations like yours are diverting customers and transactions from at least 70% of local competition. Many markets are already closed. 

Have sites not currently on Upside? Don’t wait! Sign them up now before they’re blocked.