Cloud-First Telemetry Platform Streamlines Vending Machine Operations for Increased Revenue

With more than 140 years of history in its modern incarnation, the humble vending machine is a mainstay of convenience across many indoor and outdoor public spaces. Nevertheless, the challenges of managing stock levels and keeping machines operational have barely changed in this time, and for off-location and remote vending machines in particular, understanding the current status of a machine can be difficult without regular visits.

Add to this the complications presented by mobile payments, such as improved security and flawless network connectivity, and managing modern vending machines becomes very complicated. However, with the introduction of application programming interfaces (APIs) and machine-to-cloud connectivity providing operators with a direct link to their devices, it is now possible for vending machines to provide detailed telemetry data that can be analyzed and acted upon to increase potential revenue.

The Importance of Vending Telemetry Data

Real-time telemetry data serves an important role in the remote management of connected devices. For vending machines, there are several key usage and performance metrics that can be used to greatly increase operational efficiency:

• Sales: By understanding which items are popular, operators can dynamically adjust pricing to increase revenue or shift less popular stock in favor of higher-return goods.
• Inventory levels: An accurate record of current stock and its rate of depletion enables targeted restocking efforts and stock forecasting to ensure availability for popular items.
• Technical issues: Through automatic error reports and service level notifications, smart vending machines support operators in providing targeted callouts to reduce downtime.
• System performance: Live battery power, temperature, and energy consumption data enable operators to implement both predictive maintenance and green initiatives.

While gathering data is one thing, managing and analyzing it is a separate challenge. This is where Clea Vend revolutionizes vending machine operations.

Enabling Real-Time Analytics in Vending Machines

Clea Vend is a scalable, ready-to-use cloud-based vending management system (VMS) that manages telemetry data across fleets of vending machines and provides operators with easy access to key performance metrics. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analysis, this telemetry solution also presents operators with actionable insights that can be quickly used to improve vending operation efficiency.

Within the Clea Vend platform, there are several workspaces that offer an easy understanding of data and trends vital to managing vending machine networks. Real-time status, inventory management, and sales performance areas help operators avoid downtime, stockouts, or wasted products while controlling energy consumption to optimize operational costs. Additionally, personalized reports and live error notifications enable operators to plan ahead and act quickly to minimize sales losses.

Perhaps the most streamlined feature of Clea Vend is Vendi, an AI chatbot that enables operators to directly query the platform using natural language. For example, users can ask Vendi to create sales reports by product or machine, check current stock levels, or even generate a map of machines that require servicing or refilling. In this way, Clea Vend saves significant time retrieving important insights when they are needed most, allowing operators to focus on maximizing revenue opportunities by keeping machines well-stocked and maintained.

Connectivity Solutions for Vending Machine Telemetry Data Acquisition

For operators who wish to manage payments through a VMS, Clea Vend currently supports SECO’s KarL4 payment terminal. KarL4, the latest in a family of payment terminals installed in more than 150,000   machines, is an ideal solution for fast, self-sufficient contactless payments. It operates as a standalone payment device that features an internal cellular radio and microcontroller with ultra-low standby current, making it ideal for battery-powered vending equipment or fast retrofits.

With support for built-in age verification when offered by local banks, as well as a robust design suitable for indoor and outdoor installations, the combination of KarL4 and Clea Vend presents an end-to-end solution for processing vending machine payments and gathering telemetry data for next-level operational awareness.

To add telemetry and connectivity capabilities to legacy vending machines, SECO is introducing a data logger that extends the use cases for KarL4. This device enables interfacing with a machine using a flexible combination of the common vending Multi-Drop Bus (MDB) protocol, digital and analog I/O, USB, and RS232 or UART. The data logger also supports networking via 100 Megabit  Ethernet and an LTE modem to ensure consistent communication with Clea Vend, enabling retrofit machines to operate as part of a telemetry-controlled vending fleet for easier manageability.

Leveraging Telemetry Data to Boost Day-to-Day Efficiency

The business optimization afforded by Clea Vend is best illustrated using examples of typical workloads for vending machine operators and managers.

For battery-operated machines, Clea Vend continuously collects data on battery performance, such as voltage and temperature, and uncovers trends to predict when a battery will need replacement. This can then be automatically scheduled for the filler to perform during the same visit as the machine is restocked. Here, Clea Vend solves battery problems before they have an impact on sales while also removing the need for fillers or technicians to routinely check machines in person.

Clea Vend also offers an innovative way of managing stock levels across many machines. By offering data-triggered replenishment manifests that help to optimize delivery routes, fillers can instantly know exactly what to pack and where to go when they start their rounds. The platform’s seamless integration with standard mobile devices also removes the need for separate handheld computers for synchronizing machine data after restocking. Fillers can also use mobile devices to remotely retrieve the current inventory levels from machines so they can plan their routes in collaboration with alerts provided by Clea Vend.

For smaller operations with just a few widely spread machines, this telemetry data can save hours of manual inspection and driving to remote locations to find adequately stocked machines or ones that have been empty or out of use for an unknown period. Here, Clea Vend can dramatically improve operations, save costs on fuel and stock, and help businesses quickly tailor their activities to exactly what is happening, enabling increased revenue opportunities and customer satisfaction.

A Clear Path to Smarter Vending Operations

Vending machine operators face a unique challenge of managing inventory and operational status for devices that effectively serve as unmonitored shopfronts that are visited by many customers each day. Clea Vend presents a powerful telemetry solution that provides vending machine operators with eyes on the ground for their machines, enabling them to optimize their business activities through advanced data-driven insights.

With the KarL4 payment solution serving as a gateway to Clea Vend and streamlined mobile payments, SECO presents vending machine operators with a complete solution to combine modern cloud and AI infrastructure with everyday convenience solutions. The difference this brings is that customers are far more likely to see their favorite item in stock as they approach vending machines that are always in full working order.

For more information on Clea Vend and KarL4 click here.