Cashless Archives - Page 4 of 4

24th July 2020

Cashless

Unattended Business? Need Cashless Solutions? GAD Knows

Unattended Business? Need Cashless Solutions? GAD Knows https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TOUCHLESS-iii-.png 366 253 GAD Vending GAD Vending https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TOUCHLESS-iii-.png 24th July 2020 8th July 2020

alio

With Alio, CPI presents an All-In-One cashless hardware solution for unattended payment. With a large touchscreen and customization user interface, operators can create an engaging user experience. Plus, Alio’s rugged outer-casing and protective Gorilla Glass protects hardware against vandalism and daily wear-and-tear. Alio is supported by Crane CPI’s cashless solution, including payment processing services and our cloud-based device management platform.

Industries that use Alio Cashless Solutions include electric vehicle charging, car washes, kiosks, fare collection, laundromat, cashless gaming, off street parking and arcades.

Visit with GAD Vending for options in cashless solutions, tokens and ATM solutions.

9th July 2020

3 Additional Ways Owner/Operators Can Keep Their Machines COVID Clean

3 Additional Ways Owner/Operators Can Keep Their Machines COVID Clean https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TOUCHLESS-ii-.png 368 255 GAD Vending GAD Vending https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TOUCHLESS-ii-.png 9th July 2020 13th July 2020

From Crane CPI Touchless Division: The public’s heightened concern for hygiene and safety has piqued interest in vending machines as an on-site sales solution that takes human-to-human contact out of the equation. You may find that your business is picking up, as a result, and that’s good news.

At the same time, operators may need to address customer concerns around hygiene and machine touchpoints. One top of mind solution on the brains of operators and OEMs alike is a “touchless” vending machine. While this kind of innovation isn’t out of the question, it will be one that takes time to develop and a sizable investment in new equipment to implement. At the very least, upon availability, we can expect it to require expensive adaptations to existing machines, or the requirement for new machines all together.

Instead, we’ve compiled best practices for operators looking to decrease touchpoints without a hefty pricetag. Read below for three ways to keep your machines and your customers safe.

1. Minimize existing customer touchpoints with contactless payment options

Vending machines may be more than a convenience – in some spaces, they currently serve as the only food source available to essential workers in hospitals and warehouses. Optimizing machines to serve all customer needs by accommodating any payment method they prefer to use is essential to a successful vending operation. Machines should take cash or credit cards at a minimum, and in the wake of COVID-19, there is a growing demand for contactless and mobile payment options.

Making contactless payment an option is a smart investment for unattended markets. A report by RTi Research showed contactless use up 30% post-COVID-19 as consumers look for ways to reduce their exposure to publicly shared surfaces. Switching to a card reader that accepts contactless payments is an easy fix, if they are not already enabled.

When upgrading machines to accommodate contactless payment, consider investing in cashless hardware that is compatible with mobile apps, as well. These apps enable customers to make their entire transaction using their phone, eliminating several payment touchpoints at once. After they’ve made their selection and paid for it in the app, they just grab their item and go.

2. Use digital media to guide customer behavior

Digital media, or advertisements at the point of sale, help to dramatically influence customer behavior, according to a study by CPI and Crane Medianet. Two goals can be achieved by using digital media screens on your vending machines:

First, screens can educate and inform consumers. Timely topics include best practices for social distancing, proper hand washing, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Messaging can be used to explain how (or how often) machines are cleaned and disinfected, or alert customers to PPE available for sale inside the machine.

Second, screens with advertisements for available products can help consumers decide what to buy. Reducing the amount of time a customer spends interacting with the machine reduces their exposure.

3. Follow best practices for machine sanitation

Cleaning surfaces between each customer interaction is not practical in unattended retail, but operators can follow a basic set of guidelines to help keep machines clean and safe:

Educate personnel

Any of your staff that interact with machines must practice appropriate hygiene, including wearing masks and gloves. Have them change their gloves between sites and change their facemask every four hours. Before and after interacting with machines at each site, route drivers or technicians should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, per CDC guidelines.

Prepare your machines

Coffee and refrigerated vending machines must have temperature levels checked and expired products discarded, as always, but also be sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect customer touchpoints at every opportunity – especially on high-traffic machines. Operators should instruct drivers or local site management on the proper sanitization of machine doors, screens, buttons, and payment peripherals.

Follow appropriate guidelines

Check with organizations like NAMA and EVA and follow their recommended guidelines for operators preparing to reopen their machines. Operators should update their safety practices regularly to maintain compliance with local governments and agencies.

Take immediate action to solve an immediate problem

Touchless vending is on the horizon, and that’s an exciting prospect for the future. But the hygiene concerns raised by COVID-19 are an immediate problem for which operators need an immediate solution. Operators can take the above steps right now to keep customers and staff as safe as possible while they continue to provide convenient access to essential items. Contact GAD Vending in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri for more information on the latest Crane Vending solutions for vending machines and touchless payment solutions.

2nd July 2020

Vending Machines – A Controlled, Safe Method to Provide Food and Beverages to Consumers – Part I

Vending Machines – A Controlled, Safe Method to Provide Food and Beverages to Consumers – Part I https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/USI-vending.png 981 890 GAD Vending GAD Vending https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/USI-vending.png 2nd July 2020 2nd July 2020

From our partner vending manufacturer at USI Vending:

Why Vending is the Ultimate Controlled Dispensing Solution for the Convenience Services Industry

As organizations modify their operations and procedures to best keep employees and customers safe in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping across our nation and the world, the need to safely provide food and beverage options remains critical.

According to the National Merchandising Association (NAMA), “Through our unique food distribution system, our industry can be the greatest source of “contactless” nourishment to over 40 million consumers with food and beverages daily, and it is all accomplished in an unattended retail environment, often with round the clock availability.”

Federal and State governments, along with the CDC, are encouraging social distancing, including reducing or eliminating face-to-face encounters with alternative options such as contactless delivery and self-serve options. In workplaces, this includes re-evaluating how food and beverages are offered to employees. For example, in the past weeks, many organizations have shuttered cafeterias to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Recently the NIH and CDC released information on the Coronavirus’ lifespan on surfaces.

Airborne: 30 minutes to 3 hours
Cardboard: 24 hours
Stainless Steel: 2 days
Plastic: 3 days

These guidelines have prompted many organizations to further re-evaluate self-serve convenience service options deployed in their organizations such as unattended retail markets. The risks in these applications is that the food and beverage products are not controlled in such that consumers can pick-up products and return them to the shelves for the next consumer to handle. With COVID-19 having up to a three-day lifespan on items such as bottled beverages and clam shell salad containers, unattended retail applications may pose a risk of being a spreading point within organizations.

Unlike unattended retail markets where consumers can access and return the food and beverage products, vending requires consumers to purchase the product(s) before the consumer is able to touch the product(s). Just think in a micro market setting how many people before you may have picked up that plastic bottled beverage or salad in a plastic clam shell before you and put it back on the shelf.

Besides the product itself having the opportunity to be handled by multiple people in a micro market application, another consideration is the cleanliness of micro market hardware itself. For example, when consumers access products in micro markets they often come in contact with shelving holding the product. You have risk of direct exposure on the shelf itself, as well as transfer exposure from the product. Being full secured access, this is not a concern or risk when it comes to vending, as only the operator has access to the interior of the machine including the shelving.

Vending offers the ultimate secured access solution and allows organizations to safely provide employees and consumers with food and beverage products, with little to no risk of contamination from numerous other individuals handling the product.

According to the European Vending Association, “Vending machines are a reliable and safe way to obtain food and beverages. Vending machine operators place food safety as top priority in their daily service, and are trained in protection against infections. During the current health crisis, operators have also put in place measures to ensure that the disinfection of machine surfaces is also carried out as regularly as possible.”

For more information or other equipment questions about USI Vending machines in the Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri area; please contact GAD Vending at (402) 553-2812

16th June 2020

Cashless

Meet Cora: Crane Cashless Next Generation Telemeter

Meet Cora: Crane Cashless Next Generation Telemeter https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cora.png 1165 673 GAD Vending GAD Vending https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cora.png 16th June 2020 5th June 2020

CORA-sell-sheet-final-12032018

CORA is the next generation retrofit telemeter from Crane. As an upgraded hardware solution, CORA is designed and built with a number of high tech features that maximize efficiency while keeping your machines up and running at peak performance. GAD Vending is a Crane Cashless distributor in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.

13th May 2020

Retrofit Your Vending Machines To Go Touchless

Retrofit Your Vending Machines To Go Touchless https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/touchless-sq.jpg 767 527 GAD Vending GAD Vending https://gadvending.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/touchless-sq.jpg 13th May 2020 2nd July 2020

With COVID concerns, unattended machines may not be as appealing to consumers as they once were. Consider this – go touchless with Crane Cashless Solutions.

As people go back to their routines, we expect a few things to change. In the past, people were twice as likely to have a phone on them vs. cash. And, 1 in 5 consumers didn’t care cash at all. With COVID concerns, expect mobile pay on even the smallest purchases to increase.

CRANE FLEXIBILITY AND CHOICE

The most flexible, user-friendly solution for cashless vending:

Vending consumer can use their mobile app to purchase and pay.
Powerful cloud based reporting and analytics tool enables performance tracking for cash and cashless sales.
Remote management of vending machines for improved operational efficiency.
Accessible deposits that correspond to the cashless sales for increased accountability.
Designed as a flexible solution capable of offering online services such as remote management of planograms, advertisements, cash discounts and promotions.
Connect to payment systems for major card acceptance, mobile pay and premium service options.

PLUG AND PLAY

The most advanced retrofit telemetry device. Crane Cashless units are module for easy upgrades. And, have multiple USB ports for additional beacons and cameras.

Crane Cashless systems can be retrofitted into most vending machines, claw game machines and more.

Consumer confidence in touchless ordering and payment are worth the retrofit alone. The added management reports, inventory management and remote capabilities are the added bonus to your machine business. Ask GAD Vending for a demonstration today!