Axel Koester

BTW

Vending Machines Go Luxe

By Aili McConnon

Vending machines using touch screens and credit cards to dispense pricey items like digital cameras and Elizabeth Arden cosmetics are popping up at U.S. airports and malls. The experience “is similar to an online purchase but with immediate gratification,” says Gower Smith, CEO of Zoom- Systems, which created the machines so that Apple could sell iPods in airports and at Macy’s, which is putting the vendors in 400 stores. The compact dispensers can deliver high sales per square foot. But a few experts are skeptical about wide adoption. “What happens when the novelty wears off?” asks Lars Perner, assistant marketing professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.