We’re delighted to republish the latest blog post from Excel Vending.
If you regularly visit our blog (or read it here on Planet vending – Ed) and read our posts on Facebook and Twitter you’ll see that we love staying on the ball by learning of all the innovations made in the vending industry.
Obviously it makes business sense to see what direction the industry is headed so we can ensure Excel’s headed in that very same direction, but on another level it’s simply fascinating to see how technology is improving the world of vending.
Only last month, on Valentine’s Day, Coca Cola revealed an invisible vending machine that only appeared when couples walked past it.
Using some clever kit, Coca Cola were able to produce a machine that lit up, and displayed sound and animations. But that’s not where it ended. The couples were also encouraged to talk to the machine, they were asked to tell it their name, and a few minutes later, lo and behold, a can of Coca Cola would appear with their name printed on the can! Amazing.
But Coke hasn’t stopped there. This week we discovered another machine from the soft drinks company, which allows you to pay for your Coke by swiping your smartphone across a screen, a system we’re actually trialling at the moment (with the addition of bank cards. Too). The beauty of this system is it eliminates the often annoying fumbling around for the correct coins. Another great advancement in vending technology.
But it’s not just about Coca Cola. Pepsi have been in on the act too.
A while back Pepsi installed a vending machine at a Beyoncé concert which encouraged consumers to ‘like’ Pepsi on Facebook, using their smartphone, to receive a free can of Pepsi.
Not only is this a great use of technology, it’s also showing that vending can be social and bridging the gap between the industry and social media. But more importantly for Pepsi it was great market research, not only did the stunt help to grow Pepsi’s online community, it also give them valuable demographic and psychographic information which could be key for future campaigns. Very clever indeed.
In truth, Coke and Pepsi aren’t the only ones making great use of advancing technology. Coffee brand, Douwe Egberts, installed a coffee machine in an airport which was able to scan consumers faces’ and determine whether they looked tired or not. Those assessed as being tired were then poured a free cup of coffee to help wake them up. A clever idea, which helped to increase brand awareness.
From these three examples alone it’s becoming clear that vending isn’t just about the products in the machines anymore, it’s increasingly becoming about the machines themselves too.
Advanced machines are great and can be very useful for portraying a the image that your business or brand is keeping up with the times, but perhaps more importantly they are becoming a marketing tool helping to build brand-consumer relations as well as creating sales opportunities.
It’s clear this is the way the industry is heading and we should all sit up and take notice to help maintain and strengthen the relationships we all have with our customers and brands we stock.
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