The Evolution of Beverage Vending: Innovations and Trends
Modern technology has left no areas of life untouched by innovation. We all encounter technologies each day that would have been impossible to imagine just a decade or two ago—and this digital revolution has also dramatically altered the beverage vending landscape.
Given the rapid evolution of beverage vending in recent years, it is an exciting time to upgrade your vending program to more effectively serve employees. By working with InReach on this project, you’ll have access to the best technologies in the market today, and our experienced team will guide you from start to finish. High-tech beverage vending machines and the delicious drinks they deliver are just a phone call away.
Adding Payment Options
Since the advent of the first vending machines, there has been one primary form of payment for snacks and drinks: cash (or coins). This system worked, for the most part, but it did come with some frustrations. We’ve all experienced the struggle of trying to get an old vending machine to accept a wrinkled dollar bill, or we’ve put in a few coins only to have the machine fail to accurately count how much money was deposited.
So, how have vending machines evolved? These days, the payment interface on a modern vending machine looks a lot different. You can still put bills and coins into the machines to make a purchase, but you’ll also have other choices that can make the experience quicker and easier. That includes swiping your card or using a contactless payment technology on your phone. Because fewer people carry cash than ever before, it’s important for vending machines to be flexible and accept varied payment options. If the machines in your office only accept cash and you’ve noticed sales are quickly declining, upgrading to modern tech could turn things around right away.
Greater Diversity in the Product Mix
One of the biggest trends in the beverage vending world is a move toward including more options. This market used to be marked by little more than a selection of sodas along with perhaps a couple of bottled water options. Those products are still found in beverage vending machines, but they have been joined by other drinks that are in high demand.
Cold coffee drinks are one example of beverages that have become more popular in recent years and work nicely in the vending setting. You may also wish to present sports drinks, energy drinks, bottled tea products, juices, and other alternatives to the traditional selection. When you update the product collection that is featured in your machines, employees who weren’t previously interested in buying a drink may decide to stop and take a closer look at what is available.
An Emphasis on Safety
With everything you do in your office, health and safety need to be maintained as top priorities. After all, when so many people work in close quarters throughout the year, there is always the potential to deal with illnesses that force people to stay home and cause unexpected delays.
Modern beverage vending machines like those provided by InReach can include features that help improve safety for everyone. Since there are high-touch areas on a vending machine where germs can be spread, those areas are zapped by a UV-C light after each use to virtually eliminate viruses and bacteria.
Of course, the payment options we discussed above also play a role in the safety of using these advanced machines. Since contactless payment methods can be used, a customer can pay for their purchase and move on while having limited contact with the machine itself. When it’s all added up, a modern vending machine is extremely safe to use while presenting users with more product options than ever before.
Gathering Real-Time Data
Vending machines from years gone by simply didn’t have the ability to communicate with other devices around them—and they certainly couldn’t send data out to remote locations where it could be collected. To keep the machine stocked, an operator would have to physically visit the machine at a set interval to see what had been sold and what needed to be restocked.
To say times have changed would be a bit of an understatement. These days, our vending machines are able to send out real-time sales and stock data. That means every machine can be monitored actively, and the stock can be replenished proactively. With this data-driven approach to vending management, having your employees walk by machines only to find that their favorite products are out of stock will be a thing of the past.
Another advantage to this approach is the ability to adjust the mix of products in each machine based on the data that is collected. Are some of the beverages in your machines selling better than others? Are some just not selling at all? The product mix can be managed through the use of accurate, up-to-date sales data. This will make the machines more useful and ensure the inventory is turned over regularly.
Options Outside of Traditional Vending
In addition to a cold beverage vending machine where the user provides payment in exchange for a drink of some kind, other advanced beverage machines can be supplied by InReach.
The Bevi machine is an excellent example of such a device. With Bevi, users can walk right up and get a glass of water—only that glass can be completely customized to suit the preferences of the user. A variety of flavors can be added to the water, it can be still or sparkling, and even the temperature can be adjusted. When placed in a break room or high-traffic spot in the office, the Bevi machine is sure to become a popular stop for people from various departments throughout the company.
This kind of technology can also help offices reach their environmental goals. Using Bevi for water rather than single-use bottles can prevent many thousands of those bottles from being consumed and disposed of year after year.
How Can InReach Serve You?
We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to beverage vending for our clients. Instead, we get to know the needs of each individual business. This way, we can tailor a custom plan that will be met with enthusiasm by everyone who works in your building. From a great beverage vending machine to water service and more, InReach is the best partner available for these needs. Get in touch with us today to ask any questions you may have or to get started on this exciting project. We’d love to serve you!