Category: Automated Retail in the Media

Listen to the story… The concept is 21st century clever. Help companies promote their products via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get free products from special vending machines. Patrick McDonald thought of this idea years ago and launched Innovative Vending Solutions in 2008. The company is based in West Carrollton. His partner is Jeff Thibodeau…. Read more »

A local company is selling what it claims is the first Instagram-activated vending machine. West Carrollton-based Innovative Vending Solutions — a developer of tech-focused automated retail machines — is counting on the social media platform’s millions of daily users to drive big sales. Also known as IVS, the company’s social media vending machines offer organizations… Read more »

BALTIMORE — Nursing moms who work at Johns Hopkins Hospital here can now purchase breastfeeding equipment and supplies from a vending machine, the Baltimore Sun reported. The machine makes accessible pump accessories, storage bottles, breast pads and other supplies to breastfeeding employees who often work during hours when the hospital gift shops are closed. A… Read more »

Heading to the beach anytime soon? To build excitement for their much-anticipated $1 flip-flop sale on June 28, Old Navy is installing creating custom vending machines that dispense flip-flops using social currency (i.e. a tweet) around Los Angeles and New York City. For three days only (June 24 to 26), the vending machines will be… Read more »

The crowd arrived in flats and heels, polished black wingtips, tan loafers and shiny gold Top-Siders, but they all left with the same shoes: The New Balance 890V4 in pink and blue (for women) and bright yellow and gray (for men.) Earlier today, New Balance and Westin Hotels partnered to celebrate National Running Day by… Read more »

AUSTIN, TX — MasterCard and news blog Mashable have teamed up to woo technology startups attending this week’s South By Southwest music festival by giving them free prizes from a tweet-activated vending machine. Instead of snacks or sodas, the machine dispenses prizes ranging from 250 one-on-one introductory phone calls with leading technology executives to computer… Read more »

Seeds of Change Twitter-Enabled Vending Machine and the Second Annual Seeds Of Change Grant Program. The Seeds of Change Twitter-enabled vending machine is coming to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 16 and 23. If you stop by the Seeds of Change booth between 8am and 1pm, you can Tweet your… Read more »

Not too long ago, event designers and their clients had to rely on traditional press to get the word out. “Whichever reporter showed up would be the eyes and ears for the rest of the public, and that was pretty much it,” says Cara Kleinhaut, left, owner and founder of Los Angeles-based Caravents. “Now with… Read more »