Gilbarco Forecourt Merchandising

The forecourt of your convenience store, gas station, or truck stop is the open area at the front where your pumps are installed. Some establishments extend their forecourt as far as the curbside of their premises to reach more potential customers.

When properly utilized, your forecourt becomes prime real estate for promoting your goods and services to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, drumming up business for your establishment. It is only possible if you effectively execute Forecourt Merchandising on your premises, though.

Forecourt merchandising involves using your forecourt to advertise and promote the products and services your establishment has to offer while your customers refuel or wait at the pumps.

Without forecourt merchandising, you’ll be depending on each customer’s decision to enter your store to discover what other products you have on offer.

Engaging Promotions

The adverts or promotions on display must relay something that your customers care about for your forecourt merchandising efforts to succeed. The more relatable the advert, and the more attractive the featured product will be to an engaged customer. The more engaged a customer is, the more likely they are to enter your store and purchase the product, even if they had no intention of buying it before they started refueling.

Even if your forecourt merchandising only succeeds at getting a customer to browse your store, that’s still a win. Entering your store and seeing the varied items on offer increases the likelihood of that customer making a purchase.

Optimizing your Forecourt

Various studies have shown that in-store convenience sales are influenced by engaging media content on the forecourt. Those few minutes your customers spend pumping gas while they can’t use their smartphones, gives you their undivided attention, and can engage them in a meaningful way.

For example, the display on Gilbarco’s Applause TVTM is a turnkey forecourt media solution, which has proven to engage patrons effectively while they fill up. The display shows a continuous loop of videos that provides a subtle blend of entertainment mingled with adverts.

The entertainment grabs a customer’s attention, and then the ad comes on to make a sale. This process maximizes the window of opportunity you have with customers at the pump while they wait to finish refueling. The system is also automated, which means there’s no need for micromanagement.

According to a Nielsen study, 66 percent of customers at the pump enjoy watching the videos that the VeriFone Media team displays on Gilbarco’s Applause TVTM. Not only do the customers enjoy the videos, but they have also led to a 50 percent advertisement recall.

Other studies involving fuel retailers also prove that media on display in the forecourt can increase in-store sales. Clearly, media in the forecourt has a role to play in boosting your store sales growth and your profitability.

Remember, the more enjoyable and engaging your media content, the more primed a customer will be to step into your store and take advantage of your promotions on display.

For your own forecourt display or more on Gilbarco Forecourt Merchandising, contact American Petroleum today.