CASHLESS VENDING “This level of technology in vending shows


Thinking ouTside The box The changing circumstances created by the pandemic have also encouraged many businesses to think more broadly about how and where they could apply contactless payment within their operation. Laura Barwell, head of business


that the industry is future proofing, but the industry is ready for the future where contactless interaction and customer safety is at the heart of retail customer experience. ”


development at VMC, comments: “It’s been great to see clients starting to think outside the box about contactless vending over the last two years. Increasing the contactless limit to £100 has also opened the door to different and higher value items being stocked in vending machines. We’ve also recently embarked on a partnership with FinGo to make it possible for customers to pay and prove their age at the same time through a simple scan of their finger, enabling us to support new markets with state-of-the-art vending payment solutions.” She continues: “Our approach is very


much about what else contactless can do for your business. With the power of our technology behind it, it can add value in the form of advanced loyalty schemes, detailed customer data capture, bespoke promotions, and even green initiatives. Our bespoke approach to payment solutions is now seeing us work on a more diverse range of projects, including helping a major UK supermarket improve their free hot drink scheme for members by providing a system that would vend a drink once per day and only after a transaction in store. The system also facilitated a more detailed data capture on their customers shopping habits to help further improve their loyalty scheme. This is a great example of how our flexible payment systems can create added value over and above the physical transaction.” “The beauty is in the flexibility of the


system. In the last two years we have installed contactless readers on everything from vending machines and coffee serving stations, to pool tables and laundrette machines. The list is growing all the time.”


seamless TransacTions Consumers now expect to be able to pay without cash. Indeed, if vending merchants don’t have contactless capabilities they should expect to lose sales as a result, as fewer people carry and pay with cash, says Paul Weston of Worldline. “Today’s customers expect payment systems to work at all times and for any


16 | vendinginternational-online.com


transaction to be a seamless and frictionless one. Therefore, if a transaction were to be declined or if the vending machine lacked a cashless payment option, the customer may lose trust in the product and revenue might fall as a result. “Nonetheless, operators must go beyond


offering contactless. The contactless limit is now £100 within certain countries, such as the UK, and the ability to use chip and PIN is becoming more and more important. Thus, a payment with a user journey telling them the transaction has declined due to Strong Customer Authentication means they are required to authenticate the transaction via a Chip and PIN entry, which is exactly what is needed. “Adoption is indeed the big question.


Using the right payment solution, providers will mitigate any risks or fears the merchant might have about satisfying a population looking for seamless experiences with minimal payment touchpoints. A positive payment experience will also encourage users to return, further boosting sales revenue.”


WiTh cashless, comes daTa Now that the cashless genie has been well and truly let out of the bottle, it is never


going back in. Because


for consumers, cashless is fast and easy, and funds are always on hand, says Simon Black, managing director of SB Software. “And for operators the


statistics are irrefutable


across vending: cashless means more transactions per machine and per site and greater average spend per transaction. In some locations nowadays, no cashless is equivalent to no business.” With cashless, comes data and with


today’s payments systems, it’s even possible to monitor transaction data live, with full integration into the management system. That data opens up a whole new world of


opportunities giving you the opportunity to improve visibility, efficiency, profitability and customer service. Mr Black concludes: “Cashless is


unstoppable now. It adds business – and the data comes “free” alongside.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28