At the recent National Automatic Merchandising Association show in Chicago, both Kraft and Coca-Cola wowed the crowd by showcasing vending machines with screens similar to those of iPhones.
Instead of viewing plastic-wrapped
foods behind plastic windows, Kraft's Diji-Touch shows digital images of chips
or candy bars on a 46-inch Samsung-designed LCD screen. Tapping the screen
enlarges the images. Brushing the screen causes the item to swivel, allowing
shoppers to peek at ingredients or nutritional information as well as a 360-degree
view of product. It also has the capacity to enable consumers to play games
to win prizes or additional snacks. Using Samsung's UVending technology, the
vending machine is designed to deliver animated and interactive advertising
(both banner and full-screen), as well as video content and promotional offers
that can change dynamically, based on scheduling or on a machine-by-machine
basis.
"Traditional vending machines have been the same way for about 30 years," remarked Paul Schindelar, vice president Vending/OCS food service at Kraft Foods, to the Chinese news agency Xinhua. "This is something that can really help the industry move into a much more technologically advanced direction. In addition, all the payment systems are cashless."
Coke's machine works similarly but also includes some animation flair. For instance, touching a Sprite symbol springs forth a cascade of limes.
"It takes what used to be a very transactional experience into an interactive experience, which includes sight, sound, motion and touch ... after you touch the screen to make a selection, you can actually interact with the bottle by touching the screen to play a little, or check out its nutritional facts," Jeffery Busch, director of on-premise equipment innovation and operation from Coca-Cola North America, told Xinhua. "It is all wireless. We just need to call into the machines and download the latest content. We are trying to bring people back to the experience of vending."
Kraft officials admitted that the technology doesn't behave exactly like an iPhone or iPod screen but it's close enough for at least younger consumers.
"It's incredible how much Apple has influenced our basic actions." John Turner, responsible for vending innovation for Coca-Cola, told the Chicago Tribune.
Both machines are expected to be rolled out this winter.
Discussion Questions: What do you think of the potential of vending machines utilizing iPhone-like touchscreen technologies? To what degree do you think such technologies could revolutionize the vending machine industry?