Twitter is the second most popular social networking site on the planet, behind only the Internet behemoth Facebook. With hundreds of millions of users all over the world, it is also seen as a bold new source of both resources and innovation in terms of retailers. Eddie Bauer is just one example of a retailer that is using the social networking site to its fullest extent by installing Twitter-activated retail vending machine solutions in certain locations.
The Twitter-activated vending machine will be on display when Eddie Bauer opens a new store in New York City in the spring of 2015. The Eddie Bauer vending machine will be available for customers to interact with for the first two weeks after the store is opened. Not only will the machine be specifically designed to dispense the brand’s famous line of outdoor adventure products, but it will also offer discounts, gift cards and other promotions for people who Tweet using the @liveyouradventure hashtag and @eddiebauer Twitter handle.
For those who don’t want to wait that long to interact with a social media twitter enabled vending machine, Eddie Bauer is also opening a holiday “pop up” store in New York City that will feature the hardware throughout Christmas and New Years.
One of the major benefits of retail vending through IDS has to do with security. All IDS automated vending machine solutions are physically secured in such a way that puts bank vaults to shame. Not only is the frame of the vending machine itself secured with high grade steel, but it also uses high grade security glass. Customers will be able to clearly see the products on display but will never be able to gain unauthorized access. Regardless of the location in which these machines are placed, the vending machine manufacturer has gone to great lengths to make sure that all merchandise stays as safe as possible.
Retail vending through IDS is also secure in terms of digital security. Customers will still be able to access merchandise using all of the means that they have become accustomed to – fingerprint readers, credit cards and even traditional cash. Advanced technology called iQ Technology, however, makes sure that all customer information that is entered into the machine is secure at all times. Retailers won’t have to worry about hacking and other types of digital theft, as no credit card or other sensitive information is stored on the servers in the first place.
Twitter-activated retail vending machines are just one of the many ways that retailers are engaging with customers on their own terms – namely, in the digital realm. It is a true example of innovation at its finest and can be seen as an inspiration for retail businesses of all types to see the Internet not as a threat, but as a bold new frontier.
