LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- AVT, Inc., a leading manufacturer of automated retailing centers, commented today on how technology has changed the vending industry. Gone are the mechanical units of yesteryear that were fraught with problems and were associated with unhealthy snacks and sodas. Today, new style automated retailing centers are technological powerhouses - complete with integrated Wi-Fi, interactive screens, mobile payment systems, and a vast array of products that encompass virtually every type of merchandise imaginable.
Farmer's Fridge, an entrepreneurial vending company based in Chicago, was recently profiled on NBC News. The company represents the new trend in vending - with innovative machines and a healthy product mix. Luke Saunders, the founder of Farmer's Fridge, came to AVT a few years ago with a concept to sell fresh salads out of a self-service platform. The team at AVT helped design, develop and build the machines. Today, Farmer's Fridge has more than 20 machines and a full-time staff preparing about 1500 salads daily.
RSA Management, another AVT client, is placing automated retailing centers into fitness centers across the nation. These new machines offer consumers a selection of healthy foods, protein drinks, and nutritional products; plus common gym gear such as locks, towels, and personal care items. With a large interactive touchscreen panel and mobile payment technology, these systems attract more consumers than old-style machines, and make management of the unit a breeze – with real-time web-based reporting, inventory alerts, and sales tools.
"Our new automated retailing centers make merchandising a simple task," said Wayne Salvino, President of AVT, Inc. "The owner of the unit can create sales, change prices, and develop promotions that run on the unit's high definition screens, all in a matter of minutes from any location."
AVT's new automated retailing centers comply with new FDA regulations regarding the display of nutritional information, and go one step farther by providing consumers with technical specifications and detailed information on the products offered in the system.
"Today's new vending technologies are about transparency, ease of transaction, and conveyance of information," Salvino stated. "Plus, the new designs are so appealing, they naturally attract more customers."
