As Viv Da Ros, Caltex Australia’s Chief Information Officer said when talking about the company’s approach to innovation, “It’s about ensuring seamless connectivity between key systems, processes, operational workflows and customer touchpoints.”

Petrol stations have a multitude of customer touchpoints available to create a seamless digital experience. From the forecourt and entrance to in-store point of sale advertising screens, focusing on delivering the right content at every touchpoint in the journey can not only improve the customer experience, but also the effectiveness of promotions. Due to the flexible nature of petrol station digital signage, promotions can be created, tested and tailored quickly, giving companies an advantage over less nimble competitors.

Let’s talk about the different options.

Forecourt

Whether it be integrated within the pump or directly facing customers as they drive up, a digital display within the forecourt is a strategic opportunity to upsell and cross sell products and services. While the dwell time may be short the ability to provide impactful messages is incentive enough for a digital display. Brands and vendors are constantly looking for new ways to market themselves and forecourt signage is the perfect opportunity to reach customers directly at the first touch point.

Entrance

Impress customers as they walk through the door with a large-scale LED video wall. Installing a shop entrance digital sign allows petrol station operators to customize content based on the location, time of day, weather and customer demographics. LED is quickly becoming the first choice for outdoor communication with key features such as lifespan and high brightness in sunlight rich locations are setting it apart from its static alternatives. Seam free, LED allows for the construction of impressive video walls with visuals extending right to the edge ensuring a greater impact with vibrant picture and uninterrupted video.

Window

Double sided digital window displays are proving popular in a number of different industries. The double-sided display can advertise in-store specials to capture the attention of customers filling up, whilst reinforcing interest again at point-of-purchase. Point-of-purchase displays can provide an emotional connection with customers and are proven to drive impulse decisions.

In-Store

Customers now expect a more engaging and immersive experience. According to a Cisco IBSG study, over 40% of shoppers say that digital displays can change what they buy. Placing an LED along the top of the fridge provides prime real estate for vendors to bring their brands to life, capture the attention of customers, boost impulse purchases and drive greater revenue.

Interestingly, number plate recognition technology has also started to emerge within the petrol station industry with New Zealand based Z Energy paving the way. The automated payment technology, ‘Fastlane’, works through downloading the Z app and entering fuel, registration and payment details. Once the motorist fills up the tank, the security cameras at the station scan the car number plate and the payment is made instantly.

Not only can number plate recognition technology be useful for streamlining the customer transaction but can also be linked with petrol station digital signage, returning to Caltex Australia’s vision of “everything is connected.” Linking customer data with digital signage will allow petrol stations to display advertisements relevant to the customer. For example, a pie and soft drink promotion appears on the forecourt digital sign when an 18-year-old male tradesman arrives who has previously linked his car number plate for easy payment.

A seamless digital experience is the key to long-term success for petrol stations. From the ability to test the effectiveness of promotions instantly through on the fly content updates, to personalizing each customers interaction with targeted and relevant advertisements, innovation is essential for petrol stations to deliver a sustainable boost to their bottom line.

As featured on Digital Signage Today.