Today it seems as if everything is being given a touch screen interface and interactive options to make our lives easier from telephones to video cameras and now vending machines! No more fumbling with buttons as we hope to not mispress and wind up with something healthy instead of getting our sugar fix. The future of snacks is here and bringing options I never would've dreamed of.
Instead of glass with the snacks presented on the other side, users of a digital vending machine are presented with a four foot by 2 foot video screen which you touch to decide what you'd like. This is not only incredibly user friendly, it attracts attention like a screaming mad man at a silent auction. The machine appears to glow from across a crowded area seemingly inviting you to play with it. Once a snack icon is pushed, information ranging from it's ingredients to product description and even nutritional information is displayed.
To vend the user simply swiped his/her card or inserts cash and pushes vend. Voila! Candy just like you're used to can be picked up in the drop slot.Obviously these aren't your ordinary vending machines, but not only do they bring a new face and amazing new interface for snacking delight, they also provide numerous benefits to the owner that traditional vending machines couldn't possibly emulate. SureDrop(tm) technology uses a laser across the vending area to ensure that an item has been dispensed. No more hanging products caught between hooks with furious customers tipping the machine in agony. Even more exciting is the machine's ability to auto-suggest items customers might be interested in and it's credits remaining function which can allow the machine to make deals based on how much money the customer has left.
Let's say a person is making a snack run for his office and puts in a $5 bill and his total comes out to be $4.50. The machine can then offer an item that would normally be $1 at a reduced add-on rate and prevent having to deal with change. Oftentimes the customer would rather have an additional item instead of two quarters kicking around their pockets. At a starting price of $10,000 these new vending machines aren't cheap, but nothing draws attention like a glowing touch screen which dispenses snacks.
Digital Vending Machines, Snacks of the Future