My company is xxx, as you can see it on the web under https://xxx.com and https://xxx.stores.com How can I get organised for innovation to face and endorse the key trends shaping the future of our motorway industry and market, before building and implementing a detailed innovation strategy and action plan?
Ask AI 🪄
Marketplace Answer:
Thanks for sharing that xxx is your company—love that you’re diving into this before building out your innovation strategy. xxx operates in a space where the future of motorway retail is being shaped by some really big shifts—sustainability, electric vehicles (EVs), digital convenience, customer experience, and new food/service formats.
So before jumping into detailed innovation plans, here’s how xxx can get organised for innovation, using the SPOC framework and the Connect–Learn–Practice–Innovate model. Let’s break it down.
🚀 What’s Changing in Your Industry (Motorway & Forecourt Retail)
Key trends shaping your market:
• 🌱 Sustainability & Net Zero: Pressure to decarbonise fuel and build greener infrastructure.
• 🔌 EV Charging & E-Mobility: Disruption by Tesla Superchargers, Gridserve, Ionity, etc.
• 🤖 Digital Self-Service & Loyalty: App-first, frictionless convenience.
• 🥗 New Retail Formats: Premium food-to-go, local partnerships, wellness.
• 📊 Data & Personalisation: Using AI to target and optimise real-time offers.
Success stories:
• Gridserve built an innovation-first model combining EV, retail, and solar power.
• BP Pulse & Shell Recharge are pivoting to energy services and digital platforms.
Failures:
• Little Chef’s collapse shows what happens when you don’t adapt.
• Older forecourt chains have struggled where they failed to integrate new digital and sustainability models.
🧭 How xxx Can Get Organised for Innovation (Before Strategy)
1. Connect – Start building innovation readiness
• Audit your SPOC: Use the SPOC framework (Systems, People, Organisation, Culture) to run a diagnostic.
• Internal interviews & customer insight loops: What innovation readiness gaps exist?
• Leadership alignment: Run executive roundtables to clarify appetite for innovation and ambidexterity.
2. Learn – Build capability across teams
xxx can’t rely on “idea hunting.” People need innovation skills.
✅ Recommended InnovMates Learning Hall Products:
• Organisational Capability for Innovation
• Driving Innovation Culture Change
• Innovation Leadership for Executives
• Customer Journey and Experience Design
• Open Innovation Strategies & Applications
(Instructor-led or self-paced options available from the InnovMates portfolio)
3. Practice – Develop systems before scaling strategy
Use pilot projects or “safe-to-fail” experiments to practice innovation before a full rollout.
✅ Recommended Practice Hall & Innovation Hall products:
• Practice Hall: De-risk & test concrete strategies
• Agile & Lean Innovation Implementation
• Design Thinking & MVP Development
• Customer-Centric Innovation Programs
✅ Recommended Tools:
• Stage-Gate for fuel/retail rollout innovation
• Agile for digital & loyalty experience design
• Open Innovation for partnerships with tech, EV charging & food startups
Use these to test ideas across fuel, food, forecourt, and EV segments.
4. Innovate – Build your innovation system
Now you can build an integrated innovation system aligned with:
• Your brand strategy
• EV expansion roadmap
• Food service partnerships
• ESG targets
Use the Innovation Value Chain to structure:
• Idea Generation (internal and external)
• Conversion (pilots, testing, feedback)
• Commercialisation (scaling within xxx & partners)
Add design thinking to create services customers love (not just operate).
🔁 Wrap-Up: Your Innovation Kickstart Plan
Learning Outcome | Action |
|---|---|
LO1 | Run a SPOC-based audit for systems, people, org & culture. |
LO2 | Define strategic intent aligned to EV, food, and net-zero targets. |
LO3 & LO4 | Use innovation value chains tailored for both product (fuel, food) & service (charging, loyalty) contexts. |
LO5 | Match Stage-Gate, Agile, Open Innovation to right context. |
LO6 | Evaluate early innovation pilots using clear metrics (speed, cost, value created). |
🌐 Let’s Go Further
💬 Get 1-2-1 support:
• For organisational alignment: organisation.partner@innovmates.com
• For EV tech & digital transformation: technology.partner@innovmates.com
• For customer loyalty and service innovation: market.partner@innovmates.com
🧰 Products to consider:
• Innovation Strategy & Roadmap Design
• Organizational Capability for Innovation (Instructor-led)
• Innovation Training & Certification for Teams
• Lean Startup & MVP Development Programs
• Sustainability & Eco-Innovation Strategy
Let me know if you’d like a tailored readiness checklist for xxx or help prioritising which trends to tackle first!
Take the First Step Toward Innovation Success