5 Unique Vending Machines Around the World
Have you ever bought anything from a vending machine? The sales system through vending machines is starting to be widely used in various countries, including Indonesia.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, customer behavior experienced many changes. They do more digital transactions with cashless payments. Selling through vending machines is still considered effective and is precisely the right way to implement it during a pandemic.
Sales through vending machines reduce human interaction and also adapt to cashless transactions. This can help us to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Besides, selling through vending machines has other advantages such as highly accessible, require a relatively small area, and a fully automated system.
“Vending machines have two conditions to survive a pandemic, double down digital and omnichannel,” said Alwan Raihan Rabbani, MBA SGU Alumni & Owner of KRAH Coffee and Cuisine. Alwan is a speaker in Business with the theme “Vending Machines in the New Normal. Are They Still Relevant Marketing Tool? ” organized by the Master of Business Administration.
Sales through vending machines are very dynamic and follow market developments. Previously, we only knew vending machines that served snacks and drinks. Now the products sold through vending machines are very diverse.
Here are five unique products sold through vending machines around the world:
1. PCR Test
The Covid-19 pandemic has made many residents afraid to go to health centers for fear of contracting the virus. Residents in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan can now purchase a set of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test kits through vending machines. Each test kit comes with a saliva sample container, zip-close bag, information form, and envelopes for sending samples to the nearest clinic.
Within 24 hours of receiving a Covid-19 test sample, the clinic sends information on laboratory test results via the website address. If the result is positive, you will be asked to stay at home until you are contacted by your local health care center.
2. Fresh Food Ingredients
Maybe you thought that vending machines only sell processed food that is more durable. But in Japan, many vending machines sell fresh food ingredients.
The ingredients sold in the vending machines include fruits, vegetables, crabs, and lobsters. The supply of fresh food through the vending machine is not only from distributors, but some are directly stored by farmers.
3. Books
In the United States, teachers are looking for ways that their students can be more interested in reading. One of the ideas they did was to install a book vending machine at school.
The book sold through the vending machine is very cheap, around 50 cents or Rp. 7,000. Vending machines are used as a means of attracting children’s attention when compared to having to go to the library to borrow books.
4. Gold
Vending machines are not only used to sell cheap goods. In Dubai, it’s not uncommon to find vending machines selling 24-carat gold chips.
This machine is equipped with a computer designed to update the price every 10 minutes according to the fluctuation of the gold price in the market. This vending machine located in a mall in Dubai sells gold pieces starting at 2.5 grams.
5. Car
Imagine if you bought a car, not from an automotive outlet but a vending machine. This sales method is carried out by the Auto Trader car buying and selling company in the UK.
According to research conducted by Auto Trader, many buyers are lazy to meet with sellers and carry out complicated processes such as bargaining. As a solution, an independent smartphone payment system was implemented to facilitate the purchase process.
The cars offered have to go through a bargaining process between the Auto Trader and the local dealer. After reaching an agreement, the new car is put into the vending machine. Later, the final car price will be displayed on the Auto Trader website.
About SGU
SWISS GERMAN UNIVERSITY (SGU) is an international university in Indonesia, was established in 2000 as a joint effort between Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We are the pioneer in offering international curricula in Indonesia.
Qualified students can graduate with a Double Degree from Indonesia and Germany, which SGU provides in cooperation with partner universities; surely a valuable tool for your future careers. Ever since its establishment, SGU has been dedicated to delivering quality education in line with international standards and aims to develop skilled professionals who meet the demands of the industry. To achieve its objectives, SGU offers quality-oriented learning through 12 Bachelor’s Degree Programs and 4 Master’s Degree Programs ranging from Engineering, Information Technology, and Business to Life Sciences and Social Sciences. Furthermore, with small class sizes, and with English as the medium of instruction, you can look forward to pursuing your tertiary education and degree with full confidence.
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