The 50-year-old Canadian company behind the iconic, cherry red Beaver gumball machine has taken a giant leap into the future of candy vending machines.
BMC Universal Technologies, an arm of Beaver Machine Corporation, has launched its new Media Kiosk, which is designed to give consumers a custom, interactive vending-machine experience.
Consumers can mix and match up to eight different bulk items, which are dispensed in a hygienically sealed bag stamped with nutritional information for their specific selection. There are multiple payment options including cash, credit, debit, tap and go, Apple Pay and Android Pay.
For candy and snack companies, the kiosk can be branded and it features a 65-inch HD screen for advertising. It also gives brands something they can’t get with old-school vending machines: data. The media kiosk has software that captures anonymous consumer data such as facial response, approximate age and demographic. Brands are also provided metrics such as daily sales and times people shopped, which can all be accessed remotely.
With this data, “the company would know if the ad they are running on the front screen is effectively grabbing the attention of the consumer,” said Bernie Schwarzli, CEO of Beaver Machine Corp. “They would know the age range of the consumer and would know if that specific ad is catering to the correct age and gender group. If the attention span is the full length of the ad and the consumer has not glanced away, then chances are the ad was a success.”
Brands would also know what time of the day a specific group of consumers interacted with the kiosk, allowing them to change the ad remotely to cater to that group. The media kiosk is connected through a cellular network, so brands can change the videos at any time.
VP of product development Robert Schwarzli called the Media Kiosk a game changer, but he doesn’t think it will replace the traditional gumball machine anytime soon.
“I think they serve different markets,” he said. “The traditional product is a novelty. All of us remember growing up [and using] a gumball machine, and there’s a certain amount of gratification you get when you put that quarter in, turn the handle and get your gumball out. In this case, the media kiosk really serves a different market, as our traditional [vending machine] doesn’t allow you to take a whole bag full of candy away.”
