What is a Commercial Smart Fridge?.
Micro markets are still an emergent concept in the UK, however in the United States there is huge competition for these concepts. Believe it or not, micro-markets are already a widely accepted approach to delivering food and beverage offerings in the US.
A micro-market provides the benefit of increased variety of food & beverage in a more cost-effective model for clients and attractive display for consumers. With over 40,000 sites across the States, many vending operators and manufactures are looking at more creative ways to penetrate the workplace and fulfil the needs of consumers in places which may have not been as easily reachable without the support of the technology available today yet further.
In the UK, consumers and clients have similar needs however the uptake of micro-markets has been remarkably slower. The typical objection to the concept in the UK is the concern around trusting the work force to adhere to Grab & Go vending responsibly without there being more robust checks and balances.
Enter the commercial smart fridge! The newest innovation and competitor in the fresh food vending machine space.
How do commercial smart fridges work?
Commercial smart fridges are a typical fresh food vending machine designed with a cylindrical drum which has compartments contained within a large fridge. It’s an unnecessarily complicated vending model for what is essentially a fridge.
New payment technologies have allowed the development of commercial smart fridges which offer increased capacity of up to 400 units in an easily viewable unattended retail format. The additional benefit is there is a pre authorisation stage which enables a consumer to purchase and adds a layer of protection against theft.
The way the micro market smart fridges work is you pre authorise your contactless payment device by scanning it. The fridge then unlocks, enabling you to select the desired products, scan and then close the fridge, The device then charges your card accordingly.
What are the benefits of a commercial smart fridge?
In its simplest sense, the smart fridge is an RFID refrigerator which allows operators of fresh food to increase variety and range as well as capacity which creates a more commercially viable model when an operator needs to consider short sell by dates of fresh food.
Commercial smart fridges are a financially viable option to provide fresh food in a convenient space or in a satellite location which means a site can create food and beverage harmony across its organisation.
The smart fridge fits nicely between a fresh food vending machine and a full micro-market, enabling businesses to provide fresh food and drink in high footfall areas with less staff required. Weighted shelve technology can even be installed into your commercial smart fridge to provide an extra layer of security without requiring staff.
Commercial Smart Fridges at Connect Vending
As a provider of food & beverage solutions in the workplace, Connect Vending would imagine micro market smart fridges to replace a proportion of fresh food vending machines.
It may be a way for businesses to increase the offering to staff which would have a huge range of benefits from equality to happier staff and thus increased performance in the workplace. For more information about commercial smart fridges, visit 365 Retail Markets.