Tag: vending machine news

Custom Vending Machine Solutions

Posted on by John Van Horn

Custom vending machines in Japan are a constant source of interesting photos and videos on the internet, but a recent story about Slovenia attracted our attention here at Intelligent Dispensing Solutions.

According to an article by National Geographic, supermarkets in Slovenia used their monopoly to make prices of milk so low that farmers were not making a profit. To fight back, dairy farmers organized and took the distribution of their milk into their own hands by using specialized vending machines to vend their milk. By circumventing the need for retailers, the dairy farmers are now able to control more of the distribution of their milk and the profit margins they receive. The machines dispense milk by the ounce into bottles for sale in the machine or into any container that customers bring to the machine.

At IDS, we work with businesses to find new and creative solutions with custom vending technology. From inventory management for office and medical supplies, to retail kiosks and more, constantly evolving vending technology and a good idea can transform the way your company does business.

Read the entire National Geographic story here!

Smart Subway Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

If you have ever traveled or lived in New York City, you have most likely experienced the city’s famous subway system. The MTA, the organization responsible for public transportation in New York, is constantly trying to come up with ways to improve commuting for the millions of people that use the subway system daily.

Since 1993, commuters have used custom vending machines to purchase a plastic or paper MetroCard in order to ride the subway. Until now, scanning credit cards and debit cards in the machine or paying with cash and coin were the only options available to pay for your MetroCard.  The MTA is now testing a new method of payment in which customers are able to press their card against a Smart Card reader on the machine and wirelessly. This form of credit card scanning has been used in retail stores for a while now, but the technology is still widely unused due to concerns about credit card security and slow adaptation by credit card companies and consumers.

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions sees this version of credit card payment slowly replacing traditional credit card scanners because of its ease and ability to process thousands of vending transactions without any physical wear on the machine.

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!

Book Vending Machines Continue to Pop Up

Posted on by John Van Horn

We previously highlighted the Bibli-O-Mat vending machine in Canada, and it seems that even more book vending machines are popping up all over. Reading is a universally-loved hobby, and it seems like custom vending machines full of books are here to stay.

According to TribLive, a machine at a Pittsburgh YMCA dispenses books and DVDs from a nearby public library. The Northland Public Library uses the machine as a means of expanding their reach, allowing them to do business in a place that attracts customers from all over town.

“I think libraries are really striving to meet people where they are,” said Susan Herman, who uses the machine to find books to read to her two children. Northland is the busiest library in the area, and by extending their business to a popular YMCA they have even more potential for success.

We love hearing unique vending stories such as this one from Pittsburgh. Are you looking to be the next one? Thanks to the vending machine manufacturers at Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, you can turn any of your vending visions into a real machine that does real business. From selling merchandise after store hours to protecting valuable products, we can make the perfect machine for your company.