Vending-machine snacks get much cooler

Big-box big boy Best Buy is installing electronics vending machines in major airports, which will allow you to swipe your credit card and purchase small electronic items like digital cameras and accessories, flash drives, MP3 players, portable gaming devices and the like. The machines are already available in a number of major airports (read: places where you're suffering through a layover at and have nothing better to do) and will continue rolling out until Sept. 1. Vending machines are famously common in Japan. They're like jingles—if you sell stuff, you've got to have one (or two or three right outside your 24-hour convenience store). It's a great way to get brand presence without the hassle of a storefront. If you're thinking about automating your brand, ZoomSystems is the company behind Best Buy's new machines. The little vending screens even play company advertising! One of the nice things about a vending machine, particularly for an international airport, is that unlike your ordinary, bored, 16-year-old clerk, whose only credential is a collared shirt with a logo, a vending machine can talk to your customers in whatever language they choose. It's totally kakkoii!

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

August 15, 2008 in Cullers | Permalink