NFC vending machines

If you watched the coverage of the Google Wallet launch event, you could have seen that journalists who were invited to attend were given the option to buy soda from an NFC vending machines (video below). Well, that got us intrigued about who was manufacturing the NFC vending machine payment modules and whether you could simply add the feature to an existing machine. We are pleased to let you know the answers are yes we found out who is producing the payment terminals for NFC vending machines, and yes they are available. The technology has actually been available since 2007 – yes, four years ago – but has obviously not attracted much attention due to the fact that no one had contactless cards or NFC capable phones back in 2007 because we have the choice of only one in 2011. You have to love the speed of progress, huh? Just as a funny sideline, we found an old article while researching this story and it professed back in 2004 that by 2009 50% of cell phones would be NFC-enabled. Ha.

Features we can look forward to in NFC vending machines

USA Technologies is a company manufacturing these NFC vending machines units down in Orlando, Florida. The company has been in the vending machine business since 1992, in which time it has collected over 78 patents for its technology. USA technologies developed a system they call ePort® that powers their NFC vending machine. The unit supports Visa payWave, MasterCard PayPass, Amex ExpressPay and Discover Card’s Zip and all traditional credit cards. The card reader itself can be housed with a standard bill validator opening or up to 3 feet away. If all that is not enough for you it also has blue flashing LED’s. One NFC vending machine – sold! According to the company’s website, you can pick up an NFC unit for $135 and there appears to be more accessories available for it than you can get for your kid’s Barbie. The kicker for us is this with this NFC vending machine payment unit is that it is capable of getting OTA (over the air updates) and when combined with the ePort® service can support loyalty programs, and the company even has software to work with your existing accounting software. Here are some of the specs from the company’s website:

NFC vending machines payment unit details

• Access sales data remotely, from any internet-connected PC
• Utilize full, back-end reporting to increase operational efficiencies
• Connect to our network wirelessly or through Ethernet when necessary
• Compatible with your existing accounting system for easy settlement
• DEX data available for use with major account management systems
• Benefit from a discounted transaction rate through our Financial Services system
• Access to pre-paid and loyalty programs

Things are not looking good – we can convince ourselves that our lusting over NFC super phones is natural, but NFC vending machines?
But the payment unit is only the beginning of what is going into the new NFC vending machines we are going to be seeing grace our shopping malls soon.

Pepsi have ideas of making our NFC vending machines experience social

PepsiCo, which is now trailing behind both Coke and Diet Coke, is upping the ante on the vending machine front with immersive social experiences built in. They are currently trialling the new NFC vending machines in mystery locations in the U.S. The experience involves sending a friend a drink that can be redeemed via NFC coupons at a participating NFC vending machine. NFC vending machines are great but taking them social is a little scary especially considering they are fitted with video cameras. We want to know when to expect the anti-social NFC vending machine where you can smite people with pestilence. Check out the video below.

NFC vending machines & Pepsico Social Vending videos.