While filling up at my neighbourhood Esso, I happened to pull up to a dead screen which was still playing audio. While I thought this was mildly amusing, I came back 8 hours later for a snack and it was still down:
This really is too bad. I’m not sure who manages this implementation anymore (I think it’s still VST Canada (aka FuelCast Network))
but having this dead screen for that long really cheapens the whole effect at that location. If you’ll notice in the picture, debit payment was also down so maybe there’s some bigger problems 
But this post isn’t about dead screens. Seeing this dead screen and not seeing ads or content made my “perceived wait time” unbearably long. I’ve noticed this before but this incident prompted me to write about it.
Has anyone noticed how long it takes to fill up at Esso compared to any other gas station out there?
Esso’s “litres per minute” pump speed used to be fine….and it’s very fast at all of the Esso’s that don’t have screens. You’ve got to know that they more than likely can control the pump speed internal to the pumps and the same company likely provides the hardware for the 2 different types of pump.
My guess is that somebody at Esso saw that, going forward, as ad revenues creep up, they’d want to get as many advertisers on board as possible in a loop and that the longer the loop was, the more likely someone would be done filling their car and wouldn’t see an ad which would decrease the ads per customer and make the ad inventory worth less.
How do you fix this? Simple: Make it take longer to fuel your car and you can guarantee that a customer saw your ad.
So, slow the speed at which gas travels from pump to tank back down to “interminably slow to the point a customer will notice” speed on the little control panel and you can show an entire loop to even motorcycle riders. SUV drivers get the extra special “See the loop 12 times in a row” feature too!
C’mon guys – this is a little silly. Controlling the environment at retail is very important for behavioural grooming of your customer, but if you over do it, you will have the opposite effect on them, they won’t enjoy the buying experience and they’ll leave and try to not spend with you anymore. I’d suggest to Esso that they may want to speed it up a little bit…maybe to “stick a fork in my eye this is slow” speed.
Personally, I like my car filled fast and have started avoiding Esso if I possibly can because it slows down my day. Not to mention that making me wait an extra 3 minutes in -15 degrees Celsius just isn’t fun.
I don’t mind seeing ads and relevant content, just don’t make me wait so long for what I’m really here to buy from you (Gas).
[UPDATE - February 24, 2007. The original picture is from Thurs night. It's now Sunday and the screen is still off ]
[UPDATE - May 1, 2007. Thought I posted this update a while ago but apparently not.
Had a good conversation with Tony from VST (VST is hardware/ops side, Fuelcast is Ad Sales side) and he advised that the pump speed actually slows down based on how clogged the fuel filters are and that it's not a new hardware thing. Very disappointing for my conspiracy theory side and he's right, the filters were apparently cleaned at the Esso I profiled above and they run nice and quick now.
Also, perception wise, I guess a few people thought I was alluding to the fact that Pump speed was tied to the Digital Signage loop length, which was not the intent of the above post. I was simply commenting on how the speed of gas had slowed down - I didn't find a corollary]
February 25, 2007 at 12:55 pm
That is not an isolated case. There are screens out all over the place.
There are two things at play here:
1 – Judging by the limited # of ads the company is not awash in cash, and therefore a servicing budget
2 – Those screens can only be serviced by a very expensive technician licensed to work around a fuel dispenser. One spark and KABOOM!!!
I have never noticed whether one company’s fillers are slower than others. Personally, I’d have the things filling as fast as a Formula One pit crew, so if somebody is just there to do $20 he’s at $30 before even noticing.
I have heard, directly, from an oil company marketing person who said he liked the idea of screens at gas pumps not so much for the additional revenue from ads, but because people might be distracted by the screens and squeeze in a few extra bucks of gas because they’re preoccupied.
March 1, 2007 at 12:45 pm
UPDATE:Mar 1,2007
These poor guys at Fuelcast – So the screen was finally fixed today, a week later, but right after it was fixed another screen at another pump at the same location went dark
Tough business, operating these networks
March 12, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Dear Rob,
I wish to clear up a misunderstanding you have communicated to your readers with regard to our system. The Fuelcast Network does not have any linkage to Esso’s Fuel dispenser’s and there is no connection to our loop and the speed inwhich these dispensers pump fuel. Your statement, “You’ve got to know that they more than likely can control the pump speed internal to the pumps and the same company likely provides the hardware for the 2 different types of pump.” is totally inaccurate. Your suggestions are without any fact-based knowledge and are pure conjecture. I would be happy to provide you with the correct information at your convenience. You have my email address.
August 23, 2007 at 1:27 am
[...] screens, all broken, etc. I’ve taken a poke or two at Esso for the same type of thing (Dead screens, etc). We, as an industry, had better be pretty damn cognizant that by allowing the type of thing above [...]
July 23, 2008 at 11:42 am
I too have speculated that Esso throttles fuel delivery speed at their pumps based on the time of day. At peak hours, the fuel is likely delivered more efficiently. But when I was there (not peak hours), the delivery was painfully slow. I immediately speculated that Esso was deliberately throttling in order to expose customers to more advertising. Needless to say, I have not returned to Esso since. Shell has fast pumps. Compare for yourself, and then tell me Esso isn’t throttling.
I have no doubt that FuelCast Network is NOT directly involved to this. They wouldn’t have the ability to control fuel delivery. But that’s not to say Esso isn’t consciously doing this.