Tag: Vending machine

Vending Machines See Revenue Increase After Highlighting Apple Pay Support

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Vending machines advertising their support for Apple Pay are seeing a significant lift in revenues, according to USA Technologies, a company that specializes in cashless vending machine technology. The company reports that it has seen an impressive 89% increase in revenue through contactless purchases at the vending machines running on its ePort Interactive platform, which highlights its Apple Pay support at the point of sale. The company says it has rolled out support for mobile payment to more than 300,000 NFC-equipped machines nationwide.

What Brands Need To Do
Despite making some progress in broadening its availability and gaining traction among early-adopting users, mobile payments have yet to become mainstream. While a recent eMarketer survey found that 24% of U.S. smartphone users used mobile payments in 2015, up from just 12% in 2011, market research firm Aite Group estimated that Apple Pay only accounted for 1% of all US retail transactions as of last October.

Nevertheless, the revenue bump that USA Technologies gets through advertising its Apple Pay availability proves that there is an opportunity to increase sales by supporting mobile payments. Therefore, brands should not only incorporate mobile payments into their points of sale to facilitate a convenient check-out experience, but also do a better job of informing their customers of their support for mobile payments. This is also applicable for online retailers, as Apple Pay support is coming to web pages.

 

Source: NFCWorld

Twitter Vending Machine Gives Away Stuffed Pandas

Posted on by Lab Team

In Canada, telecommunications company Telus sponsored a vending machine that dispenses stuffed animals. But it’s not any ordinary stuffed animal dispensing machine: passers by who tweet with the hashtag #HomeTweetHome would get a free panda bear from the vending machine. It’s not the first time real world machines have been triggered by social media, nor is the technology behind the system truly groundbreaking; it’s a reminder that campaigns utilizing social media to unlock real-world rewards, when used in the right contexts, can be very effective. 

TaxiTreats becomes Vengo, Gets $1M in Investments

Posted on by Lab Team

New investments hope to launch Vengo, the mini vending machine distributor, into the mainstream.  The startup began as TaxiTreats, aiming to install vending machines in the backs of cabs, but has since expanded to target bars, offices, and other locations where small vending machines offering a variety of convenience products could be desirable.  Payments are currently all by credit card, and operation is entirely by touch screen, and once the mobile arm of the company clears its technology to be installed in cabs, brands could be clamoring to get involved, offering their products on the go, possibly with some form of smart advertising.