Carmen Barreiro
They say that the first vending machine was invented by Herón de Alejandría in the 1st century after Christ. Apparently, the rudimentary device devised by the Hellenic engineer and mathematician was used to dispense holy water at the entrance of the temples. Historical curiosities on the margin, it was the arrival of electricity that marked a before and after in the development of a business that only in our country moves more than 2.3 billion euros a year. The 'vending' goes beyond soda machines, food or coffee installed in offices, hospitals waiting or common areas of airports and bus stations. «The sector has evolved a lot in recent years. Not only from the point of view of the products offered, but also in the payment methods and in the design of the machines and the spaces where they are installed, ”explains Yolanda Carabante, manager of the Spanish National Association of Automatic Distributors (AUDA ).
Today, devices offer all kinds of products.From the classic soda to sex toys, books, flowers, pajamas and even high -end cars.Yes, vehicles too.«Companies in the sector have to advance from the hand of society and adapt our offer to the trends and needs of the market.The proposal of drinking and food machines has been quite limited for many years.Coffee, soft drinks, chocolates, fried potatoes, nut bags ... Now, however, most distributors already offer health -product trays such as varied salads, yogurts or fresh fruit, ”explains Luis Tomás Díez, commercial director ofThe Iparvinging Group company, one of the first to install an vending machine in our country.
Thematic machines and gluten -free products
Although the offer of food and drink products is similar on many devices, there are more and more companies that demand a personalized service "both of the products and of the space in which the machines are installed", they add in the ve getting.Until not so long ago it was practically impossible to find products suitable for celiacs or even for people with certain food intolerances.«In this sense, the progress has been very important.Some companies even ask for fresh products outside machine such as seasonal fruit baskets so that employees have the option to feed in a healthier way.The whole offer is customizable, ”specifies Luis Tomás Díez.
However, vending is much more than the classic chocolate and coffee machines.In fact, it is a sales system to which more and more businesses resort to place their products in the market without a time limit.There are machines of all kinds;From vending articles of parapharmacy, other themes of sex toys, books, flowers or specialized in Japanese products.«They service at any time and at any time.It is his great advantage, ”experts agree.
EL VENDING EN DATOS
Of cash to the credit card and virtual purses
One of the greatest advances experienced by the automatic distribution sector in terms of device technologies is the payment method.It has gone from not being able to have a coffee or buy the nut bag that you wanted for not carrying loose coins in the portfolio to pay directly with a contact card without contact or even with a virtual wallet that the customer recharges with the amountthat interests him."However, cash payment is still the most used option when paying in an vending machine," confirms the Anea manager.Another aspect that has not changed too much in recent years is the consumer profile."This is a man, 35 -year -old who studies or works outside the home continuous day and choosing the vending machine for comfort, availability and immediacy."
The fact of being able to consume what one wants when one wants is one of the strengths of this sales system, very implanted in countries such as Japan, where there are 45 machines per 1,000 inhabitants.
«It is a sector where technology is very present.You have to deliver the chosen product in the shortest possible time, without obstructions and in the best conditions, ”they remember in Tareca.So much so that a study by the Department of Computer Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy) concludes that if more than 80 seconds pass since the person decides the purchase until the product collects, that customer is lost for future acquisitions.
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The most curious machines
The world's largest vending machine is in Singapore, occupies an entire fifteen floors building and sells high -end sports cars (Bently, Ferrari, Lamborgini, Porsche ...) Those interested choose the model through an application, payAnd an elevator system lowers the vehicle to the street so that the customer can take it.
Much more of walking at home is the 'Cachopomatic', an vending machine of chachoos than an Asturian butcher has installed in his Oviedo trade.Or that of virgins and saints that once was placed in the parking lot of the city of Linares and that has the honor of being the first automatic dispenser of religious articles in Spain.Among the most curious are those of used underwear installed in several cities in Japan or that of products related to Seattle (USA) marijuana.There are also lobsters, preso, pajamas, gold bullion or Apple products.
Los productos más consumidos
Refrescos a 5 pesetas para saciar la sed de los trabajadres en Eibar
The vegetables arrived in Spain just over half a century ago.One of the first to bet on this new technology was the Biscay businessman José Miguel Lanzagorta, who immediately saw the potential of machines that had only been seen in the North American films.At that time, "the workers still went to their stalls with a water boti to calm the thirst during their workday."Lanzagorta placed the first machines in several companies in the Gipuzkoan town of Eibar - concluded in the Orbea Bicycle Factory, at the Armería School and in R.S.A– bearings on October 17, 1967, just the day his son José Miguel was born,Current General Director of Iparvinging Group.
«Its operation has nothing to do with modern automatic distribution machines that are placed today in offices, universities or transport stations.The workers had to introduce 5 pesetas and then operated a lever to get their cold drink.In the Orbea factory, production was stopped so that employees could drink Coca-Cola and Fanta, ”recalls the manager.In the 70s there was another of the milestones that revolutionized the 'vending' sector: the entry into the market for hot drink machines."At that moment everything changed and companies began to demand new products such as coffee or consommé," explains José Miguel Lanzagorta.
Tendencias
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