Big changes are coming to the UK fuel market. With the launch of the Fuel Finder scheme in January 2026, fuel retailers will soon be required to report prices and outages in real time or face steep penalties. 

In this video, PDI’s Mark Evans explains what the regulation means, how it compares to regulations in other international markets, and why PDI is uniquely positioned to help UK retailers stay compliant from day one. 

With over a decade of global experience in supporting fuel pricing mandates from Germany to Australia, PDI’s Fuel Pricing platform delivers more than just compliance. It offers real-time visibility, automated reporting, anomaly detection, and the peace of mind that comes from working with a trusted global partner. 

Speak with Mark’s team about PDI Fuel Pricing Solutions and the Fuel Finder scheme implementation today.

Best practices and guidance for fuel and convenience retailers from PDI Technologies 

Discover how improved staffing strategies and workforce training can give your business the competitive advantage it deserves. 

Learn how to beat the 130% industry turnover rate: 

• Train smarter with on-demand learning that keeps staff skills current 

• Boost productivity with technology that automates repetitive tasks 

• Increase loyalty with well-trained staff to help drive 67% higher returning customer spend 

You’re looking for compelling ways to engage with customers inside your store, so you’ve decided to get rid of paper shelf tags and go digital.

First of all, smart decision! Second, you need to think about ways to maximize your ROI and make a splash with your customers. In the rapidly evolving retail landscape, Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) can help you unlock significant operational efficiencies while enhancing the customer experience.

Here are five essential tips to get the most value from your ESL implementation.

1. Keep it simple and prioritize essential information

The primary function of your ESL system should be clear, efficient communication with a clean layout that shoppers can process at a glance. While it’s tempting to pack displays with information, less is often more:

• Focus on price, unit pricing, and promotional details
• Include competitor price comparisons (when advantageous)
• Reserve more detailed product information for interactive displays or shelf talkers

2. Strike the right balance between information and promotion

Create a clear distinction between informational and promotional displays:

• Use standard price tags for straightforward price communication
• Strategically deploy enhanced graphical displays for high-margin items or special promotions
• Consider implementing rotating displays that alternate between price information and promotional content

3. Leverage dual-purpose functionality

Modern ESL systems should serve both your customers and your staff effectively. PDI Electronic Shelf Labels integrate directly with Pricebook so you can make real-time inventory and pricing updates across store locations. To manage these updates from a store perspective:

• Use ESLs to streamline inventory counts and reduce manual scanning time
• Train staff to utilize inventory management features during restocking
• Update tags remotely to speed up store resets and product rotations

4. Future-proof your approach with 2D barcode support

With the industry moving toward 2D barcodes by 2027, now is the time to refine your ESL strategy for both traditional and 2D barcodes:

• Use this transition to test customer engagement with 2D codes
• Track customer scan behavior to test and refine your display strategies
• Implement inventory management functionality for staff-specific barcode displays

5. Optimize visibility through smart design

Ensure your ESL displays are easily readable for all customers, including under different lighting conditions:

• Prioritize high-contrast display options (black text on white backgrounds works best)
• Select appropriate type sizes based on viewing distance and shelf height
• Use color strategically—reserve it for highlighting sales or special promotions

Start building your ESL strategy today

Electronic shelf labels are a powerful tool for modernizing your retail operations and staying competitive in today’s dynamic market. By implementing these best practices, you can maximize ROI while improving both operational efficiency and the customer experience.

Want to explore ESLs further or connect with an expert? Visit our PDI Electronic Shelf Labels product page.

Situated at number 17 on the list of the top 40 fastest-growing companies in Georgia, within the upper-middle market, PDI was formally recognized in June by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

“It’s an exciting honor to be recognized as a Georgia Fast 40 company, especially as we celebrate our 40^th year at PDI,” said Jimmy Frangis, CEO of PDI. “I’m proud of the team that helped us get here and the commitments we continuously make toward being both a technology leader in Metro Atlanta and throughout the global convenience industry.”

To be considered for this honor, companies must provide three years of verifiable revenue and employment growth records. The ACG validates the information and conducts in-person interviews when making the list.  

“The companies being honored this year exemplify ACG’s focus on driving middle-market growth and demonstrate the strength and significance of this sector in Georgia,” said Meg Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Corporate Growth’s Atlanta chapter. 

In June, the PDI team attended the annual Georgia Fast 40 awards celebration at the Buckhead Theatre along with other award winners and members of ACG.

This is the fourth time PDI has received this prestigious honor.  

“Winning a high-growth award multiple times isn’t easy, and it’s even more notable given our size. It’s great to continuously have the support of this dynamic Georgia market,” said Nicole Wu, CFO at PDI. 

It’s time to rethink your hiring process

Join PDI and our partner Sprockets to discover how to overcome the roadblocks preventing your business from being successful in 2023. We’ll discuss how rethinking your hiring process helps tackle high employee turnover, rising operational costs, and shifting customer expectations. Learn to do the same so you can thrive — not just survive — despite an uncertain economy and labor market.

In this webinar, you will learn how to:

• Find and retain the ideal employees for your c-stores.
• Offset rising costs by uncovering savings elsewhere.
• Delight customers amidst a major shift in expectations.

Have you been wondering how the macro trends of 2023 will impact the fuel retail and convenience industry? Hear from PDI CEO Jimmy Frangis and COO Linnea Geiss as they share their insights on trends to watch for in 2023 and how to successfully navigate them.

We’ll explore topics such as:

• Finding more impactful ways to engage with consumers
• Increasing efficiency to better manage workforce shortages
• Safeguarding your business against ransomware and other cyberthreats

Identify what factors you can control to mitigate their impact

Fluctuations in fuel supply and demand are nothing new, but the breadth and immediacy of these fluctuations have become much more apparent in the last few years.

The ability of fuel retailers and wholesalers to navigate these fluctuations will go a long way in determining which brands will thrive and which ones will get left behind.

This white paper explains:

• The macro factors causing fluctuations
• Additional elements that can disrupt the market
• What steps you can take to prepare and adapt for any type of change

Executive Overview

HQ: Philadelphia, Mississippi, since 1960

Size: 10 c-stores

Solution: PDI Workforce, PDI Labor Scheduler

Business Challenges

• Wanted to move away from spreadsheets for labor scheduling
• Needed a workforce solution to help plan for out-of-the-ordinary store events such as unusually large deliveries
• Required a scheduling solution that enabled store managers to stay on budgetIn-store price changes and complex promotions were manual and labor intensive

Solution Overview – PDI Workforce

After more than 30 years in the c-store industry, we have unique insight into the challenges of running a well-managed workforce. We put our experience to work tackling those challenges, and the result is a workforce management solution uniquely equipped to meet your sophisticated business needs.

Read more about PDI Workforce

Customer Results

• Provided chart-based graphical insights into workforce budgets
• Improved visibility into individual store labor trends
• Allowed for the reduction of overtime hours
• Generated a quantitative view into low- and high-demand staffing needs
  

Executive Overview

HQ: Kimball, MI, since 1980

Industry: Convenience Stores and Fuel Distribution

Solution: PDI Workforce

Business Challenges

• Lengthy, labor-intensive timeclock procedures required too much time from multiple personnel
• Overtime hours were unwieldy, not always visible, and hard to monitor
• Needed an improvement over paper-and-pen scheduling calendar

Solution Overview – PDI Workforce

After more than 30 years in the c-store industry, we have unique insight into the challenges of running a well-managed workforce. We put our experience to work tackling those challenges, and the result is a workforce management solution uniquely equipped to meet your sophisticated business needs.

Read more about PDI Workforce

Customer Results

• Simplified editing of employee schedules with drag-and-drop interface
• Increased efficiency with a clean, streamlined timeclock
• Helped manage and control overtime hours
• Allowed for scheduling multiple weeks in advance

Executive Overview

Industry: Convenience Retail

Size: 21 Stores

Solution: PDI Enterprise and Workforce

Business Challenges

• Couldn’t tailor previous solution to fit the company’s evolving needs
• Inefficient manual processes made it difficult to accomplish everyday tasks and access data
• Lack of operational insights impeded timely and reliable business decisions
• Needed solution to help control overtime hours at the stores

Solution Overview – PDI Enterprise

From financials to pricing, PDI Enterprise has everything convenience retailers and petroleum marketers need to unify and control their businesses. Its centralized database delivers one version of the truth across the entire organization. PDI Workforce provides tools to build optimal schedules, capture and review time, analyze site metrics and efficiently pay employees. Built on a web-based platform, this product requires minimal training and allows employees to focus on customer service.

Read more about PDI Enterprise

Customer Results

• Increased operational control with easy-to-use, customizable enterprise solution
• Improved efficiency by automating time-consuming manual processes
• Facilitated better decision making with real-time data and insights
• Reduced overtime hours by 83 percent and optimized labor scheduling with transaction data