Micro kiosk can serve small markets or expand large ones

A new cashless kiosk can help vending operators open new micro markets previously served by vending machines or expand existing locations. Developed with operator feedback and focused on ROI, Cantaloupe’s Go Micro enables operators to add scan-and-go convenience in smaller workplaces. For larger markets, it can function as an auxiliary checkout, making micro market expansion scalable.

“Keeping operators in mind — hearing them out — is really where the Go Micro was developed from. Everything in our industry is about return on investment. Operators are always looking at ways that they can replace traditional vending machines and offer that micro market experience,” said Tony Danna, vice president and general manager of small business solutions at Cantaloupe Inc.

“How do we give the operators what they need to go after new accounts in the smaller employee segment? And then secondly, we had a lot of operators asking for the ability to have a secondary kiosk — or even a third kiosk or a fourth kiosk in their current micro markets — to allow more consumers to check out. You know, with short breaks, you want as many people as possible able to grab their items and check out as fast as possible. At some locations, queues of employees were developing,” Danna added.

The Go Micro is a self-serve, cashless kiosk that includes a 5″ touchscreen, built-in camera, barcode scanner and credit card reader. It integrates with Cantaloupe’s Go platform and supports scan-and-go transactions.

The micro kiosk can serve operators regardless of their scale, Danna noted. In micro markets serving many people, the Go Micro can be added to a market at a lower cost than an additional kiosk. “As a secondary kiosk that you add to a market, there is a secondary fee that comes with it. But with the Go Micro, since it’s a scan, pay and go kiosk, that fee structure is lower than what a traditional kiosk with all the features and functionalities would be,” Danna said.

“The key benefit is that it’s already integrated into our Cantaloupe Go platform, which hundreds of operators use today. So, it’s really no additional lift for them to understand the system,” Danna said. “Probably more importantly for our enterprise operators, it integrates into our Seed Pro platform as an additional Seed market. So, it’s no additional lift, no additional training. It’s place the kiosk out there, and then you have a solution that can scan, pay and go today, and accept payments.”

“We always feel confident that when you replace vending machines with a micro market, you should double revenue,” Danna said. “Consumers are grabbing multiple items, and the average ticket is higher.”

Camera and app features to extend the kiosk capabilities

While the Go Micro was just released, Cantaloupe is already planning upgrades. Among them is enabling the kiosk camera to help deter micro market theft. “If a consumer scans the product, then they don’t finalize payment for that product, [the kiosk camera] would take a picture of them, timestamp it, put it on the back end. So, you could review camera footage if you do have CCTV cameras,” Danna said.

The self-serve kiosk also can be used with Cantaloupe’s Go mobile app. “We’re also going to have the ability where a consumer can log into their market account right on the kiosk there,” Danna said. This allows customers to earn rewards or use coupons, employee subsidies and gift cards while completing payment at the kiosk instead of through the app.

“There are operators out there that don’t feel comfortable allowing the mobile app because they feel like consumers might fake like they’re paying for it, and the CCTV camera can’t really catch on to it. So, if we bring the consumer to the kiosk and still allow them to have all those market account functionalities, that’s going to be a real value add for our operators out there,” Danna said.

Support for new operators or those looking to expand into micro markets

The company offers a small market bundle, which includes the kiosk, cabinetry and a cooler. The package allows new operators to enter the micro market space affordably, Danna says, and allows existing operators to scale by adding auxiliary checkout points or replacing vending machines in low traffic locations.

“You know, my team is taking phone calls every day from people that are looking to get into vending. And a lot of times, cash flow is king as you're starting in a new business venture. So, us having the cabinetry allows us to look internally at our costs and how we can get to a really aggressive price point to allow them to get into this awesome vending industry,” Danna said.