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POS/POP “From the data pulled off our ordering system, coffee is by far the most popular order people make prior to refuelling their vehicle.” FROM PAGE 72 of additional messaging possibilities including outdoor signage, in-store promotional radio, SMS messaging to loyalty scheme customers and even trolleys equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), touch screens and in-store navigation enabling customer specific POP messaging to be received relevant to their exact in-store location. While AI trolleys seem likely to offer multiple benefits to supermarkets, the fuel retailer convenience store has no such opportunity. Nevertheless, impulse buys contribute a significant amount to the in-store revenue and encouraging it through POP is an important element in convenience store strategy. It’s known that cashier suggestion at POS can significantly lift confectionary sales, but Australian company Adverto has taken the concept of suggestion to a whole new level with its recently launched range of interactive forecourt display technology. Unlike the typical forecourt TV, Adverto’s “state-of-the-art” interactive POP solution allows drivers to scroll through a selection of hot food, confectionery, or any products the retailer makes available, ordering what they want while filling up with fuel. The thought of a bacon roll and coffee waiting for me when I pay for my fuel was enough to warrant arranging a chat with Adverto Executive Chair Vernon Brickman, to learn more about the newly launched forecourt range. “We noticed a real change in the culture of customers because over the previous two years digital advertising has become so commonplace it was virtually being ignored,” he said. “We decided to take it from being a simple screen showing ads to being an engaging platform with a touchscreen that lets customers engage and interact with it. “We’ve also set up a fully functioning live site at Baxter in NSW to show what the system can achieve. “When you drive up to a petrol station with our equipment, the petrol station can push their local specials to the screen and, if the customers want to, they can order, while still at the pump. Adverto has been running the interactive display in Baxter for five months and told Convenience World they are seeing significant uplifts in sales including an increase on the overall sales of an advertised brand of products ranging from 25 per cent to 58 per cent. Results for individual products have apparently also been impressive, with sales of a well-known brand’s 500ml sugar-free drink seeing an uplift of 300 per cent. “The location has a variety of homemade pies and pastries, which has seen a 16 per cent uplift, with barista coffee increasing by 27 per cent,” Mr Brickman said. “From the data pulled off our ordering system, coffee is by far the most popular order people make prior to refuelling their vehicle, followed by a breakfast deal which includes an egg and bacon muffin with a coffee.” Final thoughts When considering POP initiatives, off-location customised POP displays can add flexibility and maximise impact. POP messaging should be integrated, consistent and have a look and feel associated with the brand or product being promoted while being targeted at the appropriate stage of the AIDA process. 74 CONVENIENCE WORLD SEP/OCT, 2020