MOL Move kicked off the year by introducing its first entirely digital service in the app: highway ticket purchase in Hungary. This article tells the behind-the-scenes story of how and why this service was selected and created to represent the first building block in MOL Move’s Ecosystem strategy.
There are four classic ways to grow a business. Market penetration means selling more of what you already have, and this is where our loyalty program plays every day. Market development is about taking existing products to new markets, and MOL Move is now present across the region, serving 7 million users. That leaves two options: product development (new products for existing customers) and diversification (new products for new markets). For a well-known, trusted brand with a large and active user base like MOL Move, product development is the natural next step.
At first glance, it’s not obvious what an oil company can sell online. But customer perceptions of MOL are already evolving. Through MOL Move and Fresh Corner, the brand has shifted from being seen merely as a provider of traditionally utilitarian mobility needs to a set of integrated experiences that combine functional efficiency with comfort, convenience, and enjoyment. As customer perceptions evolve, expectations expand accordingly, creating an organic pathway to bring our relationship to the next level by extending the MOL Move experience beyond service stations and across the full customer journey.
Supporting mobility needs by integrating services related to mobility is one of the three key pillars of the Ecosystem Strategy. It outlines the product development roadmap and identifies highway ticket purchases as the ideal first digital service to introduce.
You can read more about the Ecosystem Strategy in our previous article HERE.
Highway tickets aren’t a purchase people look forward to. They are predictable, centrally priced, and purely functional, leaving little room for differentiation or traditional loyalty mechanics. On their own, they may not seem like an obvious fit. Within MOL Move, however, the logic changes. By integrating highway ticket purchases into an already established mobility-focused loyalty program, a routine obligation becomes a seamless part of the journey.
Customers can rely on a trusted brand and proven technology, while highway ticket purchases are rewarded just like other MOL Move services. Users can collect points with every purchase and benefit from occasional promotions such as coupons or free products. For customers, this means greater convenience, added value, and fewer interruptions on the road. Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the go, reducing queues at service stations and allowing stops to be spent resting rather than waiting.
For MOL, the service creates a natural reason for customers to engage with the app more frequently, deepening the relationship and enabling more personalized, relevant experiences over time. Just as importantly, it marks a meaningful first step in the Ecosystem Strategy, reinforcing MOL Move as the digital home for mobility and paving the way for future services that extend beyond the service station in a logical and intuitive way.
Due to these characteristics and challenges, designing the service was a complex process. We quickly realized that users do not want space rockets; they just want to get their highway tickets as quickly as possible.
For this reason, we implemented multi-ticket purchase, allowing users to add several county tickets to their basket, Apple Pay and Google Pay as payment methods, and a three-tap purchase flow.
Highway tickets are not only a great first step for MOL Move and our customers towards the Ecosystem, but the team has also gained insightful and valuable experience throughout the process. In the first month of operation, we exceeded our goals in terms of sales volume and conducted a successful introduction campaign across our own and external platforms, combining both physical and digital channels.
This first milestone is just the beginning. Highway tickets set the tone for what’s next, and we look forward to welcoming customers back to MOL Move as we continue to expand with new services that make everyday mobility easier and more rewarding.
