Advanced Gas Pumps Will Recognize Your Smartphone

Earlier this week, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, the world’s largest manufacturer of gas pumps, point of sale systems and other gas station equipment announced the purchase of Outcast Media, an operator of a network of digital video displays in gas pumps. Gilbarco intends to use the network in order to offer advanced connectivity to customers who opt-in via their smartphones.

What’s new here is the ability of the pump to recognize your smartphone and then display targeted ads on the gas pump digital video screen while you pump. The pump will recognize the phone as the customer approaches and the transaction will actually originate on the phone itself. Coupons and ads for items in the convenience store will also serve to draw customers inside where the profit margin on goods is much higher than for gasoline.

Gilbarco has roughly 60,000 gas stations and the Outcast network contains 20,000 pump screens.

The advanced pumps will start showing up in United States during first half of 2014.