Gilbarco Gas Pumps to Greet Customers by Name, Offer Personalized Retail Promotions

GREENSBORO, NC--(Marketwire - Sep 29, 2011) - Convenience store cashiers may not remember their customers by name or recall their favorite soft drinks, but fuel dispensers soon will -- thanks to the enhancements announced today by the industry's leading forecourt merchandising provider, Gilbarco Veeder-Root. The company's Applause™ Media System and Applause™ TV with Outcast will help retailers differentiate themselves by personalizing the customer experience -- and boost site profits by tailoring content, promotions, and on-demand coupons based upon loyalty status and purchase history.

"We are launching an extremely robust loyalty interface for our Applause media platform," said Richard Browne, Vice President of Marketing for North America at Gilbarco Veeder-Root. "Targeted digital media at the forecourt gives c-store retailers a huge advantage over other retail formats. Retailers can greet fueling customers by name, anticipate their interests, and provide relevant offers or coupons for immediate redemption inside the store."

Using the Applause loyalty interface, the POS-independent solution will also allow retailers to easily combine mobile couponing and social media promotions directly from the pump. Gilbarco Veeder-Root is partnering with top loyalty providers Excentus, Kickback Points and Outsite Networks to design a generic interface to allow retailers to work with their preferred loyalty partner.

"Personalized marketing increases consumer interest and retailer success," said Pat Lewis, CEO of Kickback Points. "With Applause, we add the benefits of printing coupons straight from the fuel dispenser and providing a direct link to social media and mobile technologies -- it's a win-win."

"By maintaining their point of sale independence and gaining input from loyalty providers, such as Excentus, Gilbarco is definitely ensuring the flexibility to have an innovative solution," said Mike Melson, Senior Vice President Technical Operations for Excentus.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root will offer retailers this new functionality through the Applause digital media platform, which utilizes large color screens integrated in the dispenser to drive customer loyalty and in-store sales. Visit Gilbarco Veeder-Root at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show, October 2 - 4, McCormick Place, Chicago. Gilbarco Veeder-Root, booth 6432.

About Gilbarco Veeder-Root
Gilbarco Veeder-Root is the worldwide technology leader for retail and commercial fueling operations. We offer the broadest range of integrated solutions from the forecourt to the convenience store and head office. For almost 150 years, Gilbarco has earned the trust of its customers by providing long-term partnership, uncompromising support and proven reliability. In fact, we help manage the business and maximize the bottom lines for 19 of the top 20 convenience store operators in the U.S.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root. Technology with a human touch.