Dive Brief:
- C-store retailer Kwik Stop has selected LED display manufacturer Watchfire to update outdoor signage at its 27 locations, with 23 of the stores already having new signs in place, according to a Tuesday press release.
- The new double-faced 4-by-6-foot 10mm digital signs give the stores much more flexibility, replacing letter boards that were limited to three lines and could have missing or mismatched letters.
- Instead of being updated by hand on each site, the new signs can all be updated digitally from one central location.
Dive Insight:
Because Kwik Stop’s new digital signs are easier to update than the previous ones, their installation reduces demands on staff’s time and makes it easier to advertise specials or other offers to customers.
All new signs are programmed by Sean O’Neill, Kwik Stop’s director of business development. Store managers send O’Neill an email request with the information they want displayed, and O’Neill creates and schedules the messages from his computer.
This process prevents employees from having to go out and make updates in extreme weather, and also makes it easier to choose to advertise for short-term activities, like community or sporting events, since managers can schedule a return to normal advertising ahead of time.
“Our old signs were an eye-sore and we worried that this could cause potential customers to skip a visit,” O’Neill said in a statement. “Now, our signage is clean, modern and crisp. Our stores have great curb appeal.”
Some of the locations have also installed gas price signs from Watchfire, which are easy to see at any time of day and make updating prices easy.
The remaining four stores should have their signs in place by summer, according to the release.
Watchfire signs are already deployed at a number of other c-store chains as well, including Rutter’s, 7-Eleven and Sheetz.
North Platte, Nebraska-based Kwik Stop has locations in Nebraska and Colorado. Stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and some locations feature a deli, chicken or pizza offerings.
