Touchscreen Vending Machines Piloted in Boston Area Colleges, Hospitals

Next Generation Vending and Kraft Foods, along with Samsung and Crane Merchandising Systems, are beta testing touchscreen snack vending machines that incorporate nutrition information as well as targeted promotions at various onsite locations in the Boston area, reports MediaPost News Marketing Daily. The Diji-Touch machines, installed at college/university, healthcare and transportation hub sites, give users instant access to ingredient and nutritional information while receiving animated and interactive advertising messages from product manufacturers whose products are in the machine.

The units sport 46" LCD touchscreen panels on their front facings that display rotating views of the vended items along with the ingredient/nutrition data. When not being used, the panels display banner ads and full-screen ad displays. Payment can be by either cash or credit card, and the machine's computer tracks transaction data to maximize inventory control. The units can also potentially transmit digital coupons and discount offers to consumer cell phones via Bluetooth. Early results show both a sales increase using the machines as well as more interactive customer feedback from use of the units.