A new vending machine allows consumers to scan their smartphone against a vending-machine sensor which will activate a touchscreen interface with purchase options. If the consumer has the mobile app installed on his or her smartphone, the menu can recognise the user and will eventually build a user profile based on purchase history.
Consumers can select promotional offers and give feedback on their purchases. Gifts can be sent between app users, who will be informed via text of their gift credit.
“So the vending machine has a smartphone inside so we transmit every single transaction to the cloud and then we can run analytics,” said Christian Busch, a senior technology innovation leader at SAP – the company behind the concept. “For example, to replenish the machines, we measure the inventory, and if the machine is close to being empty, we send a truck to fill it up.” Through an algorithm, SAP has developed predictive analytics for vending companies. Vendors will be able to track the transaction records of customers allowing data collection that was not possible before.
