PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- The initial looks at Irving Oil’s new IRVision video screens in the pump are nothing too unusual, but the Northeast convenience-store chain aims to be interacting with consumers at the pump while they fill up, collecting data about the store visit and cleanliness.
After a test of the on-pump video touch-screens at several of their locations in New Hampshire, the chain has added more at stores in Maine and is intent on growing the concept.
“We recognize that our customers are on-the-go, and the way they gather news and information during their busy day has changed. That’s why we’re excited to offer them relevant, engaging content and the opportunity to give us feedback all while they’re filling up,” said Harry Hadiaris, general manager of Irving Oil.
Irving is the first chain in the retail gasoline industry to offer touch-screen interactivity on the front of the pump, according to the company. Each screen provides the fueling customer with full audio controls and features entertaining, informative content, including Irving promotions, weather, community news, local sports, safe driving tips and live webcams for local traffic monitoring.
The touch-screen functionality--yet to be activated, according to a story in Maine Today--will invite customers to share their perceptions of the Irving brand, the station’s appearance and a variety of other data points to be captured during the customer’s experience and reported in real time.
“Through IRVision’s innovative technology, we are able to offer a unique fueling experience to our customers,” Hadiaris said.
IRVision is currently installed at Irving locations in Portsmouth, Derry and Goffstown, N.H., and in South Portland, Wells and Eliot, Maine.
The content Irving displays through IRVision is specifically designed for their stations and customers and is not loaded with advertisements. Irving provides its own on-screen “Irving Host” to easily walk customers through IRVision and its interactive content features.
IRVision can be installed on existing fuel pumps easily, and the company is exploring plans to expand the offer at more Irving locations in the future.
"We know that people stand there, and they feel captive," Cheryl Eveleigh, Irving's manager of innovation and offer development, told Maine Today. "They're tethered to that pump for four or five minutes, and ... if we can make people walk away with a smile, feeling good about their day, that's a good thing for Irving."
Eveleigh said IRVision's features run in a loop that's only a little longer than the average fill-up time.
It's not surprising that Irving is targeting people while they fill up, Harold Daniel, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Maine, told the newspaper.
"They've got a captive audience," he said, noting that marketing professionals see virtually any space occupied by a consumer as an opportunity.
"What's coming is going to be absolutely ubiquitous," he said. "Imagine having a video screen in the men's room."
"It's all about trying to capture people when they're in some point of sale activity," said Paul Myer, executive in residence in the UMaine business school's marketing department. "If you're there for two or three minutes, it's a point of contact with the consumer."
Irving Oil, Portsmouth, N.H., operates Canada's largest refinery and has nearly 900 service stations and travel plazas in New England and Eastern Canada.
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