A blog on Media Post reports on the capabilities of Vendors Exchange International’s VE Connect system, whereby a 46-inch to 55-inch can show any multimedia material, but it can also be engaged to play games that give instant prizes.
The blog also notes that according to new Frost & Sullivan research, “smart” vending machines will see a compound annual rate of growth of 49 percent. A key driver of this technology above and beyond the use of LCDs is cashless payments, the company notes. Frost & Sullivan says that once NFC becomes a reality, beverage manufacturers will become more interested in the ways that frictionless payments like this also help boost average sales per transaction.
To read the blog, click here.
Editor’s Insight: As I noted in my April column in Automatic Merchandiser, video touchscreen technology is not only creating new opportunities for automatic merchandising; it is drawing interest from ambitious people from outside the industry. This Media Post blog is a case in point.
Many vending industry observers will take issue with Frost & Sullivan’s prediction that “smart” vending machines will see a compound annual rate of growth of 49 percent. Change just doesn’t come that fast in vending. Nevertheless, once serious players recognize the capabilities of vending touchscreen technology, the rate of implementation will accelerate and ultimately change the vending industry as we know it. 05-23-12 By Elliot Maras
