The Changing Face of Vending – in the Wake of Covid-19

Worldwide, we are facing one of the biggest challenges in living memory. With many industries grinding a halt, Covid-19 will have a lasting impact on both the economy and to our daily lives.

With many public sites and businesses closed throughout lockdown, the vending industry has of course been impacted. Since mid-March, minimal staff have been working hard to look after our NHS locations. Now, as signs start to improve, we are aiming to reopen, but we’re thinking differently than before. Seeking out ways for customers to have no contact with the machines and rules for employees giving hygiene the highest importance. We’ve highlighted just three ways our machines are becoming better equipped in the times of Covid-19.

Touchless vending machines

For the first time, we are able to offer coffee machines where the user does not need to press a button or touch a screen. This has been made possible thanks to our coffee machine supplier, Coffetek. This new software provides distance selection technology, meaning that it is possible to use a coffee machine without coming into contact with it. Our touchscreens are cleaned regularly, and yet there is still the opportunity for virus or bacteria to spread in between our visits. This innovative remote technology allows the user to select their product 2cm away from the screen. Distance selection technology is available today and works with our current collection of coffee machines. How we interact with vending is starting to change, speak to us about getting one for your organisation.

Cashless vending machines

We installed our first cashless vending over a decade ago. Since then, the desire to use card or digital payments over cash has grown year on year. With the introduction of Covid-19, this popularity has risen tenfold. Cash is notorious for being carrying germs, with some claiming, notes and coins carry more germs than a household toilet seat. Yuck! With additional fears around the spread of Covid-19, we are being advised to ditch cash altogether. This is not just the case with vending machines; supermarkets and garages (to a name a few) are also encouraging people to reach for their card or phone. The use of cash has been in decline for some time, and this is only going to push people away from it further, making contactless payments more important than ever.

Stricter hygiene measures

As a vending company, working with food and drink products daily, we ensure the highest hygiene standards. Covid-19 has brought this to the front of our minds, but it is not just cleaning we need to think about. Frequent handwashing and cleaning surfaces are a vital part of our day at Doozy, but there are some new changes we’ve made since Covid-19. The use of face masks, in particular, has been suggested as a good idea to prevent the spread of the virus. This is something we are doing, as well as the use of gloves.

With these exciting new technologies and the increased use of cashless payments, it is possible to purchase products from our coffee machines with limited contact. These are just a few steps towards the safe opening of our Doozy machines.