Tag: vending machines

Earning Your Vending Treat

Posted on by John Van Horn

There have been a lot of new marketing campaigns that feature custom vending machines lately. The latest entry into the vending-for-marketing game is Strongbow, an English cider company. Strongbow’s new campaign, entitled “Earn It.” is all about earning your tasty beverage. The campaign focuses on people performing difficult tasks and competing in difficult sporting events, such as tough mudder competitions, cricket, football and stand up comedy.

To translate this sense of competition and the requirement of earning your can of cider to their vending machine, Strongbow created an interactive machine that uses kinetic monitoring systems to track users’ movements as they aim their bow and arrows at a target down a field on the screen. The machine was placed in one of the UK’s busiest train stations and attracted a large number of participants that often were so excited about the motion-tracking technology or hitting the target with their virtual arrow that they forgot to pick up their prize: a free can of Strongbow.

Kinetic software and motion-tracking technology has become popular with a lot of consumer products within recent years. Video game systems have incorporated the technology and made it a fairly common thing in many households. Intelligent Dispensing Solutions has seen some pretty great uses of this technology in interactive vending machines lately and is excited to see what is next!

Instant Vending Satisfaction

Posted on by John Van Horn

Vending MachinesNot too long ago, facial recognition by machines and computers was something that only existed in sci-fi movies and laboratories. Now, facial recognition software is being integrated into personal computers, communication devices, security systems, retail stores, and even vending machines!

A coffee company named Douwe Egberts set up a custom vending machine in the O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa that dispensed coffee for exhausted travelers. Using facial recognition software, the machine was able to detect when a potential customer yawned in front of the machine and automatically dispensed a hot cup of Douwe Egberts coffee.

Now that’s instant satisfaction! Being able to incorporate the latest technological innovations into vending machines is what helps the industry evolve and stay relevant and interesting. While this particular application of facial recognition software was used as a marketing gimmick, the same technology could be used in traditional vending machines to recognize customers and make suggestions based on previous purchases, greet them with a custom message or interface, or give them access to a specialized facial recognition vending machine for medical supplies or other inventories.

Check out the video posted by the coffee company on YouTube, demonstrating their solution to red-eye flights! Make sure to contact us at IntelligentDispensingSolutions.com with any custom vending machine ideas!

Custom Vending Machines for Summer Boardwalks

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing SolutionsSummer has made its official start as of last weekend, and now is a better time than ever to make a refrigerated vending machine a part of your business.While just about any type of vending machine will do well when surrounded by customers soaking up the sun, your vending unit will do especially well if you have the luxury of being near a beach area. Beach boardwalks are always full of exciting attractions, so why not make your beach vending machine one of the most alluring?

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions prides itself on providing near-endless possibilities, and that goes double if you’re lucky enough to operate on a boardwalk. While the thought of a “beach boardwalk vending machine” instantly conjures up imagines of classic drink and snack machines, it could be so much more. Think of the products that beach-goers typically go after, like summer clothing, goggles, float devices, and sand toys. While these goods might have never been associated with beach vending machines in the past, we can help you vend them automatically to all types of customer bases!

All types of people plan on hitting the beach this summer seeking the most fun experiences of the season. With the help of our beach boardwalk vending machines, you can provide service on the beach like never before!

Fitness Vending Machines for Summer

Posted on by John Van Horn

With the weather heating up faster than ever, this is the season to get fit! From the track to the gym, people usually use the summer months as a chance to get out and get back into shape. Whether you’re serving bodybuilders or casual joggers, no one can achieve maximum fitness without the right mix of refreshment and nutrition. Fortunately, Intelligent Dispensing Solutions can craft a fitness vending machine perfect for all types of health enthusiasts!

Whether you run a busy gym or a laid-back country club, a custom gym vending machine makes a perfect counterpart of any place where people work out and play sports. Aside from providing sports drinks and energy bars, fitness vending units can dispense key accessories like weight gloves and goggles, which will save your clients valuable time they’d otherwise spend at a sporting goods store. And thanks to iQ technology

Touch Screen vs Keypads for Custom Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

While there was once a time when the classic 10-digit keypad was the only means of making an order on a vending machine. However, thanks to the vast advances being made in the world of custom vending machines, customers enjoy a variety of transaction methods, between credit card receptacles and futuristic touch screens. If you’re torn between which type of interface to use for your customer base, consider the pros and cons of each:

Touch Screen: By utilizing a touch screen on your smart supply vending machine, you will instant lure in customers who live for the latest technology. After all, who doesn’t want to use the shiniest new device on the block? Not only do touch screens look fancy, but they can put more product selections than ever right at the fingertips of your consumers.

Keypad: While touch screens ooze innovation, few things are as reliable as the classics. While touch screens can be easily damaged or destroyed, a keypad is likely to stand the test of time in the long run.

At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong way to represent your vending product. Thanks to Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, your custom vending machine will be an industry-leading product no matter what accessories it runs on!

Want a Pepsi? All You Need is to Dish Out a ‘Like’

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing SolutionsIn today’s ever-evolving age of custom vending machines, there are more and more ways consumers can pay for their favorite snacks and beverages. You probably know by now that you can snag a cola with cash, credit cards, and soon your smartphone, but did you know that you can get refreshment just buy using Facebook? Pepsi seems to think it’s a good idea.

According to BostInno, a new Pepsi social media vending machine is giving out soda samples in exchange for simple Facebook ‘likes.’ Dubbed simply the “Like Machine,” the vending product works exactly how it sounds. All users need to do is access Facebook via either their smartphone or the machine’s built-in touch screen and “Like” Pepsi, which will prompt the machine to give them a fresh cola.

Pepsi tested out this new custom Facebook vending machine at a Beyonce concert in Belgium, and the fan reaction was overwhelmingly positive. After all, who doesn’t want free soda for using Facebook, something used daily by millions of people anyway? Not only does Pepsi’s “Like Machine” represent an excellent marketing strategy, it shows just how advanced the creations of modern vending machine manufacturers have become.

You can see the machine in action below. Would you like to see more integration between social media and the world of vending?

Social Vending Machines: The Trend is Here to Stay

Posted on by John Van Horn

We’ve previously highlighted vending machines that incorporate the world’s ever-popular social media options, and it seems like the trend is here to stay. While vending devices have been long standing favorites when it comes to refreshment, technology has evolved to allow them to become modern, computerized products that keep up with today’s fast paced world. As such, it’s only natural that more and more custom vending machines are going to pop up that bridge the gap between social media and classic convenience.

According to Vending Times, Gigigo Mobile Services plans on unveiling their new social media vending machine platform at the CTIA trade show next week. This new technology is meant to allow machines to interact with brands via social networks, much like a previous Pepsi promotion that allowed customers to send tweets in exchange for sodas.

Social vending is just one of the many exciting trends coming to the industry. While vending machines have always thrived on convenience, they can now be considered a consumer’s best friends. Our machines are getting to know us, and can tap into the things we care deeply about.

If you’re feeling inspired and want to provide this convenience to your own customers, visit Intelligent Dispensing Solutions today. Our custom vending machines are built specifically to your needs, no matter how futuristic.

Vending Machines Could Be Mobile Payment Catalyst

Posted on by John Van Horn

As futuristic as the idea of mobile payments are, people perform them every single day. With mobile apps available for everything from Wal-Mart to Amazon.com, more and more products are becoming available to us at the click of a virtual button on the touchscreens of our smartphones. And while our cell phones haven’t replaced cash or credit cards as one of the primary ways to pay for goods, Mobile Payments Today believes vending machine transactions could help ignite the trend.

According to the report, local or office vending machines can have a significant effect on customer habits. USA Technologies SVP Mike Lawlor chimed in on the industry’s potential, stating “(Vending) is an everyday, everywhere part of your life, and because of that, it is a catalyst for consumer change in behavior.”

In addition to vending products being frequently used by everyday people, modern day custom vending machines encourage new-age payment methods. Companies such as Pepsico have encouraged users to use Twitter in exchange for a drink, and the Coca-Cola brand is currently testing mobile payment methods in Austin, Texas.

If any single product could bring mobile payment to the forefront, it is the custom vending machine. If you are a vending machine operator looking to be at the forefront of the growing trend, Intelligent Dispensing Solutions can certainly help you implement a cell phone vending machine payment method!

French Man Robotically “Reaches” Into Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing SolutionsEver wish you had a slippery, slim extra arm that could slide inside a vending machine from the bottom and grab your favorite snack for you? A creative French inventor was likely thinking along those lines when he created a robot that can sneak inside of a vending product and grab whatever it likes.

According to the Huffington Post, the man is no thief, just someone who built a very expensive robotic concept that has the potential to infiltrate the office vending machines of the world. As shown in his video below, the robot can go inside of a vending machine, invert itself, and grab a drink before coming back down. We don’t think vending machine manufacturers have anything to fear when it comes to this robot going public, but it is a nifty innovation that could serve a more productive purpose someday, such as remote machine maintenance.

Even if robots do someday take over the vending machine business, you will never have to worry about theft when working with Intelligent Dispensing Solutions. Our state-of-the-art custom vending machines are specifically designed with loss prevention in mind, so even the craftiest of would-be vending thieves will be hard pressed to take away any of your product.

Huffington Post Outlines Oddest Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing SolutionsThe Daily Meal is always on top of the latest trends in the food business, and their latest post on the world of vending machines is no exception. Our beloved industry continues to gain more and more steam on mainstream media outlets, and the The Daily Meal recently highlighted some of the world’s more unique vending devices. While we are no stranger to exciting custom odd and unique vending machines, it is certainly pleasing to see our industry make the front pages of the web.

Fortunately for us vending enthusiasts, the website compiled 24 of the oddest vending machines in the world into one convenient photo slideshow for our viewing pleasure. These custom vending machines truly run the gamut of creativity, from a machine that dispenses Coca-Cola for a hug in Singapore to a baby food dispenser in the United States. Japan allows customers to buy bananas out of a metal machine, while Germany serves sausages through a similar device. France is famous for baguettes, but did you know you can buy one without stepping foot into a store? From french fries to caviar, The Daily Meal’s list proves that nothing is truly off-limits in the ever-expanding world of custom vending machines.