South Africa’s latest fuel price increases will do far more than raising the cost of filling up a tank, they are fundamentally reshaping how consumers shop, travel and spend.
As of October 2026, the country will experience the highest fuel prices ever. Diesel prices are expected to surge beyond R33 per litre, while 95 octane petrol is expected to rise to R30.04 per litre.
Rising fuel costs are pushing up food prices, increasing taxi and transport fares and making everyday shopping trips significantly more expensive. As household budgets tighten, consumers are shopping down to more affordable retailers and becoming more cautious, intentional and value-driven in their purchasing decisions.
At the same time, retailers are facing mounting pressure of their own. In an already highly competitive retail environment, businesses are grappling with rising operational costs while also needing to drive more shoppers into stores.
This creates a new challenge for all retailers: how do you remain relevant when every shopping trip comes with a transport cost calculation?
The proof s in the data
According to our data, consumer behaviour has shifted significantly following the April 2026 fuel price increases.
Average daily fuel station visits declined by 58.6% after 1 April 2026, indicating that consumers are becoming far more cautious about travel and discretionary trips. The data suggests that as fuel costs rise, consumers are travelling less overall including reducing shopping trips and consolidating purchases into fewer store visits.
Our proprietary first party location data enables us to understand consumers at a highly granular level. This gives retailers valuable insight into how consumer behaviour changes in response to economic pressures like fuel increases.
Retailers are now competing on convenience and value
Retailers are no longer competing only on price, they are competing on convenience, proximity and value. To win shoppers, retailers must communicate deals and savings before consumers leave home, while also retargeting audiences that typically shop at more expensive competitors.
While bulk-buy offers, combo deals and staple promotions remain important, success now depends on how effectively these offers are targeted to nearby shoppers. The focus has shifted from selling individual products to winning the full basket by positioning the store as the most convenient and cost-effective destination for a complete shopping trip.
The role of hyperlocal, omnichannel marketing
This is where hyperlocal, data-driven marketing becomes essential. Using its first party location data, Vicinity Media enables brands to target nearby consumers, as well as shoppers who typically visit more expensive competitors.
Brands can reach shoppers within specific geofenced areas through mobile advertising on premium publishers such as TimesLive, Sowetan and Daily Maverick, while reinforcing messaging through DOOH billboards positioned near retail stores and key shopping areas. This omnichannel approach drives measurable results, including increased store visits, website engagement and online searches.
Our DealFeed ad unit and Deals2Dine recipes were specifically designed for this retail environment. DealFeed is a mobile-first catalogue that showcases in-store promotions, shows shoppers how far they are from a store, provides directions and enables catalogue downloads so consumers can plan before they shop. Deals2Dine drives bigger basket size by linking recipes to live deals.
DealFeed In-store and Deals2Dine In-store extends the experience into the physical store through an NFC tap and QR code that give shoppers instant access to deals at the point of purchase.
Measuring what drives real user action
Understanding which marketing efforts truly drive store visits, website engagement and online searches for specific store locations has never been more important.
With Vicinity Media’s award-winning Omnichannel Analytics™, every engagement whether through DealFeed, Deals2Dine or DOOH can be measured against real business outcomes.
Store visit, website and online search uplifts can be measured per DOOH and mobile placement, campaign and channel at location level. This closed-loop measurement approach enables retailers to identify exactly what drove specific consumer actions, enabling smarter optimisation and more effective budget allocation.
The bottom line
Retailers can no longer rely on traditional promotions alone. In a market where shoppers are more intentional and value-conscious, success depends on delivering clear value, communicating it effectively at a hyperlocal level, measuring real consumer actions and using data-driven omnichannel strategies to continuously optimise performance. Ultimately, retailers must prove they are worth the trip.
