Why should a sign shop incorporate fuel price changers into its signage program? With gas prices vastly fluctuating over the past year, how have you seen this affect the fuel price changer market? Do you see a higher demand for fuel price changers when gas prices are higher than average?
The volatility of fuel prices definitely seems to have increased demand for electronic price changers. In some instances we have stations calling to put up a pricer ASAP because a competing site has one, & they are being run ragged on price updates.

Have there been LED advances that have benefitted the fuel price changer?
LED technology is keeping a pretty steady ramp up. Things like extended bulb life & richer color options have certainly added to the attraction of the LED. We have always used somewhat expensive/top of the line LEDs to ensure a quality product, but the economic climate/increased competition is starting to clear out the poor quality LED bulbs & displays that cast a shadow on the technology early on.

What is the maintenance like for the sign shop and end user?
To be frank, the most common maintenance issue brought up to us, by sign shops & users, is how to get an employee to check the breaker first. We service 75-90% of our own units & have engineered them from the ground up to be both reliable & servicer friendly, so overall maintenance will be pleasantly manageable. Customers get use to not having chronic service calls & some approach us to backlight other signage with our LED light strips after they’ve had time to compare the hassle of fluorescent lamp replacement to the endurance of LEDs.

What is the learning curve like for both the sign shop and end user?
As with any new market/technology there are intricacies to familiarize you with to make a sound decision – bulb life, weather proofing, control range/options, visibility factors, service. Once these are explored & a decision is made, at least with our units, the curve is reduced to deciding which available options best suit a particular site. From there – our displays are pretty much plug & play, & we offer on-site technical installations & toll-free phone support to streamline the experience.

If a sign shop has never before installed a digital display, is this a good entry-level type of digital signage?
Yes, fuel pricers are a limited function display – the fewer the features (full color, video, etc.) the less complicated it is. Compared to a full EMC, your basic gas price changer is pretty Spartan – it displays a monochrome numeric message. You can’t get much more entry level than lift, apply power, & punch in 3 digits.

This article originally appeared in Sign & Digital Graphics.

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