Gas Pump Draws Customers Into Store

Nashville, TN -- Dresser Wayne has introduced its Ovation fuel dispenser with its iX technology platform for use on gas station pumps. The fuel pump includes a 10.4-inch color display monitor with built-in speaker and coupon dispenser, with other software modules available as enhancements.The system has been tested for about the past year in 1,000 Sam's Club stores nationwide, explains D.P. Rabalais, Dresser Wayne's director of marketing, North America. The company has now made the system available to all retailers. A test program has begun for the Home Depot in several of the chain's Nashville stores. The fuel dispenser works with three modules of the iX technology platform, which features open architecture so they can be ordered separately and added later to the system. The basic module is iX Media, which includes the integrated monitor. It allows retailers to show customized, full-motion video promotions. Programs can be created with the company's video-production partner, EK3, or produced by the retailer's own sources. The materials can vary by region, day part and other factors to ensure that appropriate messages are being broadcast for each target location, time or promotion underway.A coupon dispenser ties into the video programs, prompting customers to request that a coupon be printed following a promotional message. "A key goal for the unit is to help drive customers into the store to make more purchases," says Rabalais. Most retailers are expected to offer coupons that are valid for that day only, to encourage customers to go from the pump to the store.The system can show about eight 30-second ads, which is the typical maximum time that a customer stays at a gas pump, he says. Longer loops such as those used in-store are lessened, he explains, because the interaction time at the pump is shorter. The iSense module provides remote management for the system, allowing executives to diagnose, troubleshoot and possibly fix equipment problems from another location. The system allows maintenance or parts replacements to occur on a regular schedule or route, saving time and preventing downtime. The iDPOS module offers an in-dispenser P-O-S system that provides uninterrupted fuel and merchandise sales even if in-store P-O-S systems are off-line. Any disruption to the system allows data to be stored for up to 14 days until it can be downloaded to the store's main system. This also means that the self-service gas dispenser can continue operation even if the store itself does not remain open. The base price for the system is about $15,000 for the pump and the iX Media module, with volume discounts provided. Added modules increase the cost. "The goal is to create a system that will complement in-store merchandising and create a connection that draws customers into the store," he says. Rabalais notes that the Ovation system is more expensive than a baseline dispenser system, but the value more than makes up for the difference. "It costs more than a typical system, but retailers also receive more."

Gas Pump Draws Customers Into Store

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