In this episode of the CX Innovators Podcast the topic is retail innovation. Naresh Kaswadi, VP of software and AI at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, shares insight on how to get the most of a retail technology deployment.
VenHub Global Inc. plans to install an autonomous Smart Store at a multifamily residential complex on North Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, according to a press release.
Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corp. will begin operating ticket vending machines Oct. 30 at stations along active metro routes in Bhopal and Indore, India, The Hitavada reported. Two machines have been installed at each station, allowing passengers to purchase tickets independently in about 30 seconds.
Modular kiosk design separates customer interfaces, payments and mechanical controls, helping operators diagnose faults, replace components and standardize fleets. Android and ARM platforms can support the shift, reducing complexity and service costs while keeping critical functions local when internet connections fail.
Free health vending machines need more than startup grants. Reliable funding, clear staffing responsibilities and partnerships with vending operators can keep supplies available and equipment working. Programs must budget for restocking, repairs and rising demand to sustain public access after initial funding runs out.
Harm reduction vending machines could improve access to health supplies for formerly homeless veterans in supportive housing, according to a study published in the Harm Reduction Journal. Researchers interviewed 44 veteran residents and 16 staff members across six San Francisco Bay Area housing buildings, finding that participants generally viewed the machines as a practical, accessible resource.
York, Pennsylvania-based PastaNito is expanding its vending business as part of a broader national growth strategy. Its machines serve pasta meals at Lockheed Martin and Hersheypark, with additional placements planned at Blue Origin and Boston Logan International Airport, according to a Central Penn Business Journal report.
A Lincoln, Nebraska, entrepreneur is planning a second Pizzomatic location after operating a pizza vending machine near 48th and O streets for more than a year.
Henry Ford College has installed two refrigerated PicoCoolers on its main campus in Dearborn, Michigan, giving students access to food after the Skylight Café closes at 2 p.m., according to a college announcement. The units, located in the Technology Building and Reuther Liberal Arts Building, offer salads, sandwiches, meats and cheeses, quick meals and snacks.
Envipco has been selected as the exclusive reverse vending machine supplier for an unidentified major retailer in the U.K., with an expected deployment of about 1,700 machines, according to a press release. The company said final contracts were still being negotiated and that it would announce an update once they were signed.
Atmos Energy has donated book vending machines to all 14 elementary schools in the Wichita Falls Independent School District in Texas, completing the rollout with an Oct. 29 ribbon-cutting at McNiel Elementary School, according to a KFDX News report.
UCLA is expanding its campus health vending program, including a Be Well Bruin Express machine outside the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center that operates around the clock, according to a Daily Bruin report. The initiative brings together the Ashe Center, UCLA's Health Education and Resource Team and UCLA Vending Services.
A vending machine at Bashamichi Station in Yokohama, Japan, is selling a variety of Baumkuchen to passengers aboard the luxury cruise ship Asuka III.
