Hello! And welcome to the latest instalment of Tilly’s Travels On T’ Internet August, curated collection of slightly off-the-wall stories from the world of vending.
August has brought us more high temperatures, relaxing summer holidays and of course, more clickbait from the world of vending! This month we have vending giants converting machines to make them more biodegradable, the 10 most interesting things you can find in Japanese vending machines and the expansion of an everyday household product throughout the vending industry.
Let’s start with Lavazza Professional and their biodegradable, recyclable cup, which is sourced from responsible, sustainable suppliers. This is part of a plan to reduce the volume of single-use plastics in their vending outlets. I for one feel that all vending companies should aim to hit sustainable targets like this one. Meanwhile, those of you out there looking for a great tasting, and sustainable coffee brand could do worse than giving Lavazza Professional a try. I know I will if I get the chance. Here are all the details.
A few months ago, Meggi Lashes announced her first vending project in Birmingham. Who? Meggi Lashes is an English entrepreneur and social media influencer. She is best known for creating her own brand of beauty products called Meggi Lashes. An expert on beauty, makeup, and fashion, Meggi has a couple of online shops. She’s also a content creator who creates informative videos on beauty and makeup for her popular social media pages on Instagram and TikTok where she has thousands of followers.
Meanwhile, Meggi has been steadily building her own little vending empire, with machines now up and running at many locations across the UK, not least at the infamous Essex shopping centre, Lakeside. Products up for grabs include false eyelashes, lip gloss and mascara, and according to Essex Live, this machine is ‘a perfect fit’! I often buy beauty products, but – call me weird if you like – I’m not a fan of buying this kind of stuff online – and looking in shops staffed by those immaculately turned out ‘assistants’ can be a bit, er… intimidating. With its vending channel, Meggi lashes are providing the perfect hybrid of convenience and the ability to window-shop before taking the plunge. Do you see this as a sustainable part of beauty industry retailing going forward? Read all about it here.
Tilly’s Travels On T’ Internet August
Meanwhile, across the pond, Walmart has announced a new roadside pickup service for groceries – with a twist… The company is testing a new, robotic workforce at certain key sites, as part of an extensive new contactless regime that took off in tandem with Covid. Now, I’ve been to many UK supermarkets which, with their Scan and Go capabilities, felt like something from Orwellian fiction. But a robot delivering your shopping from Cart to Car? What can possibly go wrong?! For the future of food delivery, click here.
As a child, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by books. I developed a passion for reading from my parents, as well as my (brilliant!) school library. However, there are plenty of kids out there who don’t enjoy the kind of charmed childhood that most of us, growing up, took for granted. Now, in the vending world, we have Book vending machines designed to promote to youngsters the sheer fun of a good read. Both social workers and schoolteachers reckon that the novelty of getting a book out of a vending machine is, in itself, encouraging young people to read. Many of the machines have rewards and loyalty programmes to incentivise their use. Hats off! What a great idea it’s turning out to be. Click here to see this latest phenomenon in action.
Who’d a thowt it? The Grauniad has released a podcast: a day in the life of almost every vending machine in the world. Dive into it to see which vending stories the paper hopes will engage its readership, encompassing the future of contactless transactions, new products and – naturally – the weirdest things they discovered in a vending machine, HERE
Imagine you and your friends looking around for something to eat after the clubs kick-out… Does ‘kebab or nothing’ sound familiar? Some vintage vending machines in Japan are demonstrating that vending is capable of providing substantial meals, such as pizza and sushi – and, the coup de grace, scrumptious desserts. Even when the world has shut down for the night. Consumers have responded positively, but would it work over here? Most of my friends tell me they’d welcome the chance to go sans kebab. How about you, what do you think? take a look over here.
Well, that’s it for Tilly’s Travels On T’ Internet August.
For regular updates on the goings on in the vending world, head to Planet Vending, vending’s best read! See you next month folks!
Reflect on previous editions HERE
Planet Vending’s Editor is Ian Reynolds-Young and it’s Ian’s unique writing talent that has made PV what it is today – the best read (red) vending blog in the world, and vending’s best read (reed). Ian ‘tripped and fell into vending’, in the capacity of PR executive, before launching a specialist agency, ‘reynoldscopy’, dedicated to the UK Vending business. The company continues to represent the interests of many of the sector’s leading brands.
‘It’s all about telling stories’, he says. ‘We want to make every visit to PV a rewarding experience. By celebrating the achievements of the UK’s operating companies, we’re on a mission to debunk the idea that vending is retailing’s poor relation.’
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