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Sara Foss, a columnist for The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y. recently wrote of her experiences with a new vending machine that offers better deals than the old machine, the opportunity to win money by picking the winning square on a colorful grid, and has a video screen flashing news headlines.
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Editor's Insight: This columnist, by relating her experiences, is helping educate consumers about new capabilities of vending machines. The vending industry has a big education job ahead of it as machines acquire more capabilities.
Some of the new capabilities bring new consumer benefits, such as promotions and discounts. Other benefits, such as improved machine accountability, have less immediate value to the consumer but ultimately improve the overall level of customer service.
One thing this columnist's experience indicates is that the new point-of-sale promotional capabilities have the ability to confuse consumers. New technology often requires customer education. This presents another challenge for the vending industry as it evolves. 11-07-08 by Elliot Maras
