Technology Brings Payment Options to OCS

Wayne said the market intelligence will also be useful. “It can help the end user make decisions in how to stock the machine,” he said. Wayne said this type of market intelligence has long been harder for suppliers to find in the away-from-home segment than in the retail channels. “The industry in general is starved for that kind of data,” he said.

CASHLESS OFFERS NEW OPTIONS

Wayne Billings, director of customer strategy for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., said cashless technology does offer some new possibilities. He points to the way that many vending locations have used payment cards to reward employees. The same cashless method can apply to OCS, whereby the manager loads the payment card with credit to cover a certain number of servings.

Billings also noted the market analysis capability that a stored value accounting system can provide. In the future, he said there will be more interest in the OCS industry in better understanding SKU-level market demands.

Mike Artukovic, general manager at Custom Coffee Plan, based in Los Angeles, Calif., said he has discussed cashless acceptance technology with one of his single-cup equipment suppliers. “They (the program supplier) were addressing the resistance out there due to the cost of the (OCS) program,” he said. “It was directly addressing cost concerns. It (cashless) is a way to place machine at the accounts that are cost conscious.”

OPERATOR RESISTS ADDING PAYMENT MECHANISMS

Artukovic has not yet offered cashless payment. He has provided coin acceptors on some of his systems, but only for those customers who really want it. Artukovic said OCS operators have other options to offer cost conscious customers. Being affiliated with a roaster, he can offer less expensive coffee that will still satisfy customers’ tastes.

For more information, contact:

Bodecker Brewed, 877-293-3330, www.bodeckerbrewed.com
Cuda Coffee Co. LLC, 866-411-2823, www.cudacoffee.com
Folgers, 877-693-654-377, www.folgers.com
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, 888-879-4627, www.greenmountaincoffee.com
Keurig Inc., 866-901-2739, www.keurig.com
Mars Drinks North America, 877-273-5812, www.myflavia.com
S&D Coffee Inc., 800-933-2210, www.sndcoffee.com
Starbucks, 800-235-2883, www.starbucks.com
USA Technologies Inc., 800-633-0340, www.usatech.com
VEI Global Solutions, 800-321-2311, www.veii.com