SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The"Gas Station of the Future"--a Brazilian Petrobras station that has the ability to read motorists' license plates for loyalty purposes--was among the innovations and ideas that Intel Corp. showcased at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2012 "Big Show" in New York City last week.
In many South American countries, such as Argentina, Brazil and Chile, gas stations are typically full service, meaning attendants pump the gasoline and sometimes check the oil and clean the windshield. Never leaving their vehicles, most customers just stop for fuel and drive off; they infrequently go into the convenience store or visit the onsite service station for car maintenance, like an oil change. Petrobras, the third largest energy company in the world, wanted to create a personalized gas station experience that would entice customers to purchase more products and participate in their consumer-oriented programs.
The result is the "Gas Station of the Future." featuring interactive and media-intensive digital signage that reaches out to customers.
When customers drive up to a Petrobras station, their car is recognized by reading either the license plate or an embedded RFID tag, referenced in the Customer Rewards Program database. This allows the 46-inch digital signage, positioned above the windshield, to display customized content based on driver demographic information stored in their profiles.
For instance, the signage plays targeted advertising based on the drivers' gender and age and alerts customers when their reward points entitle them to a free beverage or snack from the c-store. Similarly, the digital signage reports updates to participants in Petrobras programs, such as Formula One, where drivers compete by forming teams, and the team that makes the most purchases wins race tickets.
Petrobras, along with Intel, created a multi-purpose kiosk designed to draw more customers into the c-store, called BR Mania (pictured). With a 65-inch screen, the kiosk allows customers to print directions to destinations or take their picture standing in front of various backgrounds and share them using email, SMS or Facebook.
They can also enroll in the Customer Rewards Programs, check their accounts and read about Petrobras' many programs and services, including their popular Cultural Program, hot food menu and car maintenance services.
The kiosks and the media players driving the Gas Station of the Future's digital signage are based on powerful, yet energy-efficient, second-generation Intel Core i7 processors. The kiosk has a sensor that sends data to an anonymous viewer analytics program, called Intel Audience Impression Metrics Suite (Intel AIM Suite), which identifies the gender and age of customers. This information allows the kiosk to play ads and show news of interest to customers. The systems also integrate Intel Active Management Technology (Intel AMT), an advanced remote management system that allows IT administrators to address almost all software issues without requiring an onsite visit by a technician.
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