WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn — Most would agree the era of apps have made life a little easier and in most cases, innovation has completely cut out the middle man. A sign of these times has surfaced at a park in Williamsburg where Manhattan-based jewelry designer Marla Aaron is selling her high end jewelry out of a… Read more »
Category: Automated Retail in the Media
“How Book Vending Machines Can Help Those Living In America’s Book Deserts” by Adam Rowe, Forbes
Low-income neighborhoods in major cities across America have book deserts — a limited access to children’s books negatively impacts children’s vocabulary and reading comprehension. Book vending machines, installed in high-trafficked areas within these book deserts by NYC’s JetBlue airline, might be able to combat the problem. In 2016, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture,… Read more »
“Nike has a plan to survive retail’s existential crisis—and it’s working” by Marc Bain, Quartz
Retail has been in a state of flux, particularly in the US. It’s not an apocalypse so much as an existential reckoning, brought on by one-time leaders shuttering stores at a record clip and companies large and small asking themselves how to keep their physical spaces relevant to shoppers. Nike has seen the… Read more »
“JetBlue Vending Machines Land In Bay Area To Encourage Reading ‘Book Deserts'” by Emily Jed, Vending Times
NEW YORK CITY — JetBlue said San Francisco and Oakland, CA are the next locations to receive free book vending machines as part of the airline’s annual Soar with Reading program. This literacy initiative tackles the issue of “book deserts” and provides access to age-appropriate books to children in underserved communities. To kick off the… Read more »
“Innovative Vending Solutions Adapts Crane Machine For Marketing Events” by Emily Jed, Vending Times
DAYTON, OH — Innovative Vending Solutions is now offering an “activated” claw crane machine designed to add excitement at events for marketing and promotions. The machine combines the fun of trying to win a prize through a claw machine, with the capability to use an “activation” as a form of payment, enabling a free play…. Read more »
“How Beer Vending Machines Will Verify Your Age” by Mike Pomranz, Food & Wine Magazine
Self-service beer machines are yet another thing blockchain technology could make possible. When you hear the phrase “blockchain,” your instinct may be to change the conversation before you’re stuck listening to unsolicited Bitcoin investment advice. But though blockchain makes cryptocurrencies possible, the technology behind it has plenty of other potential applications as well… like selling… Read more »
“7 Unconventional Vending Machines for a New Age” by Paige Feigenbaum, Smart Meetings
Photo credit: Benefit Remember the days of dropping a coin in a slot and getting a bag of chips, candy bar or cold beverage out of a machine? Those machines still exist, but some clever “in-vend-ors” have created some new machines for our bustling, grab ‘n’ go society. Check out some of the new machines… Read more »
“A vending machine is standing in for Hurricane Harvey-damaged libraries in Texas” by Thu-Huong Ha, Quartzy
In late August, Hurricane Harvey swept through homes and businesses in and around Houston, Texas. As the city works to repair the estimated $80 billion in damage, the tiniest members of its community are recovering, too. Seven of Houston’s public library branches are still closed from the storm, and may stay closed for another year… Read more »