At the beginning of 2020, not knowing the pandemic turmoil ahead, PWM declared digitalisation to be the central issue of the beginning decade. For good reasons: The fuel station industry, used to massive changes, is facing the biggest challenges ahead. The gradual exit from fossil fuels means the need to adapt to new kinds of fuel and to generate income from additional services.
And that’s not all. Digitalisation embraces every bit of modern life, and the ever growing use of the internet drives augmentation. Drivers trust electronic gadgets for navigation, information and communication. Their attention is harder to catch when they are on the road, and their focus is harder to maintain once they enter forecourt and store.
All this calls for innovation, in products and services, but also in direct communication. Comprehensive, connected solutions from price display to advertising and information boards and a complete communication concept in store are PWM’s current focus. The German market leader has a long history of practical innovation, paired with high quality standards. With no room for half-baked ideas, the experts at PWM looked at interconnected services first, revolutionizing the way their existing price displays were operated.
The cloud service product TRACK adds a comprehensive online user interface to any PWM display, allows to connect them and makes it possible to operate and monitor hundreds of displays from a centralised spot. Interfaces to POS systems make this a versatile, fast and flexible solution. Via feedback channel TRACK also allows to monitor maintenance issues and possible errors – although the latter is notoriously rare in PWM units, courtesy of our quality driven development and production.
To bring older systems into the digital age easily, PWM’s Hybrid system implements near-TRACK digitalisation fast and extremely cost efficient. This retrofit solution guarantees sustainability, although it might not work for all the exciting new features that the TRACK team is working on.
One of these steps is the inclusion of LED Boards into the system. Right now, these highly flexible multimedia displays are accessed separately. The boards are an essential step for the future of petrol station communication: They present not just text, but also pictures and videos, making them the perfect tool to get customers out of their augmented surrounding into the real world of the shop.
News, information, advertisements, current offers and general communication catch the attention of passers-by, working as an anchor to engage potential customers. Curating this information to draw in visitors is an additional help that is currently under development in PWM’s labs.
Connected information and advertising is a great chance of guiding the customer through forecourt, shop, restaurant or other businesses available at the station. The PWM portfolio offers displays for every usage pattern – including e-paper price signs right on the shelves, a useful part of a complete sales strategy within the station.
The Decade of Digitalisation has just begun. Exciting times lie ahead!
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