Portland Monthly has highlighted an entertaining vending machine stationed outside Pix Pâtisserie, a pastry shop, offering customers a large selection of French delicacies and party favors. The Pix-O-Matic refrigerated vending machine offers sundries such as house-made Nutella and rum cake, and ups the fun factor by featuring items from a rotating group of guest brands and chefs. When customers use the Pix-O-Matic, which is enabled with contactless payment technology, music and lights turn on, creating a truly entertaining shopping experience. According to the company, the Pix-O-Matic is cleaned and restocked every morning, luring customers back with a new selection of treats.
Vending operators can capitalize upon consumers' desire to purchase food, beverages and sundry items safely through a vending machine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps learn from inventive ideas like Pix Pâtisserie. As Automatic Merchandiser noted in the annual State of the Industry report on vending and micro markets, the number of vending machines placed in 2019 increased over 2018's numbers, suggesting there's a market for refurbished vending machines, specially when used in creative ways that capture consumers' attention.
