Fuel Pump

In their quest to continually broaden the range of products and services available to consumers, many retailers are adding fuel pumps. In our fast-paced world, the convenience of one-stop shopping including fuel purchases is the stimulus behind a growing demand for this application solution. Equally important to retailers are the loyalty programs that can be developed around fuel pump solutions. A retailer can reward its in-store customers with discounts at the tank, or lure fuel customers into the store with a promotion aimed exclusively at them. Naturally, this type of cross selling is much simpler to implement when the fuel pump solution converges on the same set of business logic that is being used in the store.

Besides the obvious advantage of merging all sales into a single loyalty program, there are other reasons to try to converge on a single set of business logic. Consider the situation where a retailer offers the same products (e.g., wiper blades, transmission fluid, or soft drinks) both inside the main store and at the adjoining fuel pump. The customer logically expects the same prices, the same return procedures, and the ability to check inventory at the side-by-side locations. However, fuel pump solutions that operate with independent logic and databases make living up to those customer expectations quite difficult. Because major fuel pump solution providers have recognized this concern, many of them currently offer solutions that enable the pumps to use the same business transaction logic and inventory sources as the adjoining store.