Welcome to Vending Insight, a new feature from Planet Vending that focuses on today’s cashless, connected, IoT (Internet of Things) society. There’s no product news in Vending Insight and no stories about the providers of those products. On the contrary, it’s our intention to provide those vending operators, who are hungry for information on developing technologies, with some satisfying food for thought.
Each week, PV Editor Ian Reynolds-Young will comment on an aspect of this fast changing world and each week, we’ll provide our Ten Top Links that will take you to stories that have appeared across the Internet. They won’t all be about vending: in fact, we’ll steer you, through these stories, in the direction the world is heading. We hope that Vending Insight will inspire you to investigate how to apply the features of cashless payments, data collection and connectivity to the advantage of your vending business.
‘Just Like The High Street?’
It’s been vending’s mantra since the explosion of coffee culture in the UK: ‘we can recreate the High Street experience’. However, do vending operators really need to copy the Costas of this world by offering apps and loyalty cards? Ian Reynolds-Young discusses the data you need – and the data you don’t – in the context of the new GDPR legislation Read More HERE
From The Web
People in Sweden barely use cash — and that’s sounding alarm bells for the country’s central bank. (CNBC)
Of all the countries in the world to go completely cashless, Sweden could be the first. It’s already considered to be the most cashless society in the world. More Swedes have access to a payment card than to cash, according to data from the country’s central bank, the Riksbank… More? HERE
Cashless Is Finally Taking Off In Japan. (Bloomberg)
The use of cashless payments is growing in Japan. Due to the country’s deep-rooted preference for cash, Japan has lagged behind the rest of the developed world… until now. Read more, HERE.
Ford Gives Fiesta Van Connectivity And Tech Upgrades. (Automotive News Europe)
Ford hopes advanced driver-assistance equipment, connectivity features and a sporty model will give its Fiesta car-derived van a sales boost in the segment for small commercial vehicles. Get the low-down, HERE
When it comes to business connectivity Wi-Fi remains king. (Information Age)
By 2020, 40% of the global workforce will be mobile; that’s almost 1.75 billion people. Businesses need to ensure that workers who are no longer tied to the traditional office can access corporate data and services from anywhere. Interesting stuff, HERE
In Car Connectivity. (www.buick.com)
Buick owners can now receive monthly diagnostic reports on their vehicle’s key operating systems and get real-time notifications when potential issues are detected. Get in the real-time driving seat, HERE
There is Light At The End Of The IoT Tunnel. (Forbes)
Almost 70% of global organizations are adopting or planning to adopt IoT solutions this year, and the global IoT (Internet of Things) market is expected to reach as high as $8.9 trillion by 2020. Gasp in awe, HERE
IoT Analytics Now Generally Available (AWS Amazon)
The AWS IoT Analytics service has been made generally available. It’s now possible to use IoT Analytics to clean, process, enrich, store, and analyze their connected device data at scale. Head scratching facts? HERE
Secur-IoT-y: What’s With The ‘O’? (SC Magazine)
Security for Enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) is the latest concern for the paranoid security practitioners amongst us. However, the Verizon Data breach report barely has a mention of IoT threats. So, should we be all that worried? Ponder, HERE
UK’s Top 10 Cashless Cities Revealed. (Talking Retail)
London tops the chart of ‘cashless capitals’, with highest proportion of card transactions in the UK, according to research by Paymentsense. But which other places make the cut? Your geography lesson, HERE
Intel: How Technology Can Power People’s Greatest Contributions. (Intel Newsroom)
Intel will be at Computex 2018 to demonstrate how they’re powering the future of computing, connectivity and communications through advanced innovations in client computing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G network transformation. Get inside, HERE
Next Time
Ian Reynolds-Young ponders the proposition that operators should share their sales data: ‘data is only valuable when it can be compared to something else’. Plus, another Ten Top links to get your business head around. See you next Friday!
