"It is now part of an ecosystem that
can deliver cashless acceptance, digi-
tal advertising, price or bundled pro-
motions, and new revenue streams
for operators selling targeted adver-
tising at their machines. That same
connection can enhance operational
performance by providing machine
alarms, remote monitoring via DEX
of sales performance and enabling
dynamic route scheduling that
increases operating effciency by as
much as 25 percent."
Connectivity also allows opera-
tors to take advantage of additional
revenue through digital advertising.
"The presence of a screen is only the
frst requirement for digital adver-
tising. The machine must also be
connected to enable seamless con-
tent management over the air and
to deliver required "proof of play"
data to the advertisers. Being able
to update them easily has been the
biggest breakthrough in the last year,
and it's going to be important in terms
of going forward with everything
from a digital perspective," said Bren-
dan Kehoe, vice president and general
manager at Crane Streamware.
"We see the vending market-
place having a signifcant increase
in connected devices in the future
because understanding and utiliz-
ing real time information about the
machines increases effciency and
proftability," Begley continued.
All of this — the integrated, con-
nected machine, cashless options,
advertising, etc. — does no good to
the operator, however, unless he or
she is able to attract consumers and
see a return on investment.
Sound investment
Affordability is the key when pur-
chasing new equipment or retroft-
''
Operators are showing more
interest in new types of
payment. As long as they
provide a beneft to them.
''
Angela Olson, marketing manager at Seaga Manufacturing, Inc.
May 2015 VendingMarketWatch.com Automatic Merchandiser 23
E Q U I P M E N T