Generating Customer Engagement at the Pump with Payment Terminal Workflows

We have previously talked about using workflows on payment terminals to push more customers through your forecourt. But this isn’t the only way you can maximize the screen space you have on an open platform OPT (Outdoor Payment Terminal).

On average you have a captive audience in front of the screen on your dispenser for three to four minutes every time a customer fills up. This is the average length of a commercial break on TV and can be equally effective in engaging your customers in a variety of mutually beneficial ways.

Done well, these engagement workflows fit seamlessly into your ‘fill and pay’ cycle and should ‘delight’ rather than annoy your customers. Key to this are making them as relevant and timely as you can – something which is easily managed using a real-time cloud connected open platform such as ICS (Invenco Cloud Services). Here are four things you can consider doing simply using some great graphics and timely delivery.

Make an offer
Think about what else you sell in store that could appeal to your customers; cross reference that with the time and date and make some suggestions:

• Offer a coffee special with the morning commute
• Change up the coffee offer for Moms and Dads on the school run
• Pitch a mid-morning snack; list out a few options
• Run a daily lunch special
• Coffee is also a popular afternoon pick me up
• As are ice creams and other drinks
• Run promotions for holidays, community events and seasonal change

Bright, bold graphics with some short simple text can have some amazing pulling power and can increase in-store sales with minimal effort or expense on your part. And don’t forget the same graphics you run in the store can also run at the pump – maximizing your advertising investment. You may even find that there are local businesses or some of the large brands you sell, willing to pay you for putting their ads on your screens.

Upsell a service
What else do you have on your forecourt that a customer might need? A prompt to check their tire pressure and fill up with air? Maybe you have a car wash or service center also on site and can promote a car clean or lube special. Either of these promotions, or any of the “offers” listed above, can be sold as add-ons at the pump and issue a coupon, via the printer, for redemption at a kiosk or the checkout.

Go for good
Why not use your screen to promote a charity? A friendly prompt to donate a few dollars to a local charity can result in a sizable, regular donation. It is a great way of building your place in the community and generating some positive publicity for your store.  Again, this is simple to do using screen time while someone is filling up.

You can also promote community services and events; who wouldn’t want to know when the next local farmers market will be, where to volunteer for community groups or news of a sports competition. If you can match the timing of your message to when you’re most likely to get an interested audience, you’re going to get even better results.

Promote yourself
If you’re hiring, then a quick ad on the screen is another way of identifying local candidates and getting them to pick up an application form from instore. If you and your team have won any awards, personally or professionally, then why not tell the world (or at least those crossing your forecourt). You provide another point of engagement if you’ve won a retail award or taken out the local bowling champs.

Think big
While large screens make this easier and have more impact for those standing further from the pump, there is no reason why these tactics can’t be applied to a standard Outdoor Payment Terminal screen. What counts is having color, high resolution, sufficient brightness and clear graphic indicators to action this.

Producing more exciting and engaging screen prompts is a great way for a small store to positively stand out and build on your brand story. For larger stores with bigger budgets, the next obvious step is to move to video ads and content – but that is yet another story. Even if you start in a very small way – try introducing at least one engagement piece and monitor the difference it makes.

Smart phones have trained people to look at screens – make sure you’re getting the most use out of yours.